Goblet 18th-19th century

Curator: Welcome. Here we have a "Goblet," crafted sometime during the 18th or 19th century, and part of the collection here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. What's your first impression? Editor: It looks incredibly delicate, almost ethereal. The clear glass gives it a light, airy feel, but also an interesting geometry with the squared base. Curator: Precisely! Glassware like this goblet reveals much about social customs and elite consumption of the period. Owning fine glassware became a symbol of status. These were functional objects, but their display also served as a form of social theater. Editor: The etchings, they seem so subtle. The material almost disappears into the images which look like vines, a design choice surely meant to heighten the object's value. Do we know how these goblets were made back then? It surely would’ve required a level of artistry accessible to only a few specialized labourers. Curator: Good question. The designs are indeed intricate, likely achieved through skilled glass engraving. Such specialized labor indicates workshops with a hierarchy, a system that reflects the broader social stratification of the time. They weren’t just drinking vessels; they spoke to who was invited to the table. Editor: Exactly, it's about who controlled the process of both its making and its consumption. Consider also the table, the site of convivial discussions, that might have spurred revolutionary ideas. What do you think makes this object special from a maker's perspective? Curator: For me, it shows the convergence of art and craft and tells us about shifts in taste, design innovation, and the aspirational qualities of the rising merchant class in the 18th and 19th centuries. A celebration in glass. Editor: For me, it's about understanding not just its elegance, but the physical labor and skill of those who shaped molten glass into something of daily use but of artistic ambition. Thanks! Curator: And thank you!