goblet

An inscription promising eternal love and loyalty adorns this goblet. It reads, “Mein Herz, dein Herz, / mein alles Blut und Leben, / das stehet dir zu Dienst, ich kan dir nichts meh / rers geben” (My heart, your heart, all my blood and life, I surrender to your service because I cannot give you more). There is no indication of the couple’s names and dates, however. Instead, the message is accompanied by a scene of two winged putti handing each other their hearts. Tokens of love in elaborate and enduring forms—including precious metals, embroidered fabrics, and finely engraved glass —were some of the most highly favored gifts in courtly society following the Renaissance. During the 19th century, as middleclass families became more prosperous and luxury goods such as glass were produced in greater quantities and at lower cost, this type of gift-giving was enjoyed by members of various social classes. The style of decoration indicates that this goblet dates from the Baroque revival period in the late 19th century. The high quality of the craftsmanship and the character of the engrav-ing suggest that it was made in northern Bohemia or perhaps in the celebrated Josephinenhütte in Schreiberhau, Lower Silesia (present-day Szklarska Poreba, Poland). There, Franz Pohl, who had married into the prominent glassmaking Preussler family, established a glass factory that became the largest and best known in Silesia. The Preusslers had emigrated from southern Bohemia in 1617 to produce glass for the counts Schaffgotsch, and Pohl’s glasshouse operated with support from the same patrons.