Drinkhoorn met een stam in de vorm van een dragende Bacchus, een cylindrische dekselbokaal met een zonovergoten landschap, en een cylindrische dekselbeker met jongens die in wijnbomen klimmen c. 1835 - 1860

This is Franz Jakob Kreuter's design drawing for three ornamental drinking vessels. The designs are in pencil on paper and were made in the 19th century. Here we see how the artist employs classical imagery. Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, is a prominent figure in the design on the left, evoking ideas about wealth, leisure, and the consumption of alcohol in social rituals. In this period, art academies often promoted the revival of classical styles, so we could think about this as a product of its time, one that references an idealized past. But we might also reflect on how the imagery can reinforce social hierarchies, especially in the context of 19th-century European society with its class divisions. A lot can be learned through close attention to context and imagery. We can study these vessels through reference materials such as design books, historical documents about social customs, and publications from art academies to understand the full meaning of this drawing.