glass
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glass
Dimensions: 10 1/4 × 4 5/8 × 4 5/8 in. (26.04 × 11.75 × 11.75 cm)
Copyright: Public Domain
This goblet was made by an anonymous artist, out of glass, at an unknown time. It is a refined object, but without more information about its maker and era, we can only speculate about its place in social history. Glass-making was a jealously-guarded trade in Renaissance Venice. Artisans weren’t free agents: they were bound to workshops, to guilds, and to the Republic itself. Glassmakers were forbidden to leave Venice. The famed workshops of Murano produced luxury items for Europe’s elites. Though glass goblets were produced for practical use, they also became popular as status symbols. Given the skill and artistry evident in the goblet’s ornamentation, this glass was likely intended for display in wealthy homes. Art historians consult diverse sources to understand more, including guild records, trade inventories, and sumptuary laws which regulated who could own what. This goblet is an invitation to imagine the lives of both its maker and its owner.
Comments
minneapolisinstituteofart over 1 year ago
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Made at a turning point in the history of Venetian glass, the Latticino Goblet is a superb example that unites the traditional Renaissance shape of the cylindrical, straight-sided bowl, with the newly invented vetro a ritorti decoration. In the 20th century, it was part of the period’s two most legendary collections of Renaissance Venetian glass. It is a remarkable opportunity to find such an extremely rare type of glass in such extraordinary condition and moreover of a significant size. The Latticino Goblet will play a crucial role in further populating our growing collection of historical glass and in bringing it up to the level of our remarkable holdings in the areas of American and contemporary glass.
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