Wineglass 1780 - 1795

This delicate, clear glass, engraved by David Wolff in the 18th century, presents a portrait within the vessel itself. Notice the careful, shallow cuts creating the image and how the glass is faceted on the stem and base. The portrait is encircled by a band of script, drawing our eye to the face at its center. The circular format, a closed structure, invites us to contemplate the relationship between containment and display. The transparent medium and the subtle rendering of the portrait through engraving destabilize the boundary between surface and depth, image and object. Wolff uses glass, a material associated with clarity, to explore ideas of visibility and representation. Consider how the wine glass, typically a vessel for celebration, is here transformed into a medium for commemoration. The interplay between form and function, image and object, invites us to reflect on how art objects communicate meaning through their structure. The engraved portrait is not merely decorative but integral to the glass’s identity, merging utility with art.