Tobias and the Angel

One year after the American Revolution ended, John Frederick Amelung opened a large glasshouse in Maryland. Like Stiegel, Amelung remained in business for only 11 years, but in that time he invested more money in glassmaking than anyone in America before him. His factory turned out large quantities of table glass, much of which was engraved. Some of these pieces are signed and dated. One of them is this tumbler, which bears a scene from the Book of Tobit: an angel leads Tobias, the son of Tobit, on his journey to cure his father’s blindness. The inscription, “Happy is he who is blessed with Virtuous Children,” indicates that Amelung considered his life a happy one. Amelung made this goblet in 1788 for his wife, Carolina Lucia.