Beker met het opschrift: pir, vent, venir. un, vient, d'un before 1863

Curator: Here we have a glass beaker. The Rijksmuseum attributes this piece to an anonymous artist, dating it to before 1863. Editor: It's so unassuming at first glance. That transparency gives it this quiet, almost ghostly presence. You really have to lean in, peer at it closely. Curator: Absolutely. Look closely, and you'll notice some delicate etchings. You see the inscription “pir, vent, venir. un, vient, d'un”. I wonder, what comes to mind when you observe this phrase on such a humble object? Editor: Well, etched into glass like that, it feels almost talismanic. Words carried in crystal, suggesting perhaps a spell or intention invoked over a drink. Etched invocations! And then the very act of raising a glass to your lips brings the words to life in a way, doesn't it? Curator: That’s beautifully put! The phrase evokes movement, things that ‘come and go’, which resonates with the history of the material itself. Glass, being both solid and fragile, speaks to life’s ephemerality. Editor: And how the choice of what is placed into the glass may alter what is 'ventured' out of one's mouth... There's an implied risk in making declarations after partaking. Are there similar etched inscriptions on other glasses from that time? Does it say something about anxieties about or witticisms surrounding social interactions at that moment in history? Curator: Etched glassware, although delicate, offered a semi-permanent space to express ideas. So, what starts out looking like just another glass drinking vessel suddenly transforms into a silent but evocative historical voice! The cultural values which they were passing through them in a pub or at home are inscribed on it for posterity. Editor: Precisely. The idea of repeated actions of lifting this glass—repeated over decades maybe—it suggests generations participating in ritual or routine—both individual and cultural identity. Makes you wonder what truths, both mundane and momentous, this little glass has overheard and held close! It makes a humdrum item a totem with unique characteristics. Curator: Indeed. This simple object gives us insight into lives and words otherwise lost. And its transparency allows us to, literally and figuratively, see right through the past. What a pleasure! Editor: Agreed, a simple thing holding layers of meaning in every sip.