Standing cup 1720 - 1735

This standing cup was made by Friedrich Winter in Germany around the turn of the 18th century. It is made entirely of glass, and it is decorated with complex imagery. The motifs are classicizing and allegorical; they show idealized figures and ornate patterns. These are visual codes that would have been familiar to Winter’s audience. At this time, glass was becoming ever more fashionable in wealthy circles. Glass-making demanded great technical skill and glass objects were luxury items. Aristocrats displayed objects like this to signal their wealth, taste, and connoisseurship. The cup, therefore, is both functional and ornamental. We can use sources such as inventories and trade records to get a sense of the social context for luxury objects such as this. These objects were highly valued in their own time, and they continue to be valued as works of art and testaments to Europe’s early modern economy.