Goblet and cover, mould-blown glass, wheel-engraved with Royal Stuart arms, Northern Netherlands, about 1689

This goblet and cover is engraved with the royal Stuart arms, perhaps for Queen Mary, or for Queen Mary and William III, Prince of Orange (crowned 1689), as joint heirs of the Stuarts. It is also engraved with two oak branches and a three mast ship sailing under the British naval flag. On the foot there are branches and flowers and on the lid idem combined with birds are engraved.

The goblet has a round funnel bowl, a foot with folded rim, the stem is composed of four lobed hollow knobs with mereses. The underneath decoration with 'nipt-diamond-waies'. The lid is domen and has a folded rim, on the top are 'nipt-diamond-waies'. The knop is in the form of a plain ring on top of a pincered thread and three mereses.

Formerly part of the Barry Richards collection.

This piece was formerly attributed to the Savoy glasshouse and dated to 1681 on the basis of the lead glass material, and a reading of the armorials as being those of Charles II. It has been suggested however that the arms are to be interpreted as those of Queen Mary, or possibly even those of William and Mary (as these were not clearly established at the time of their corination in 1689). A number of glasses of this type - which are lead glass, with multi-knopped stems, and with wheel engraving in the Dutch manner - have the arms of William or those of William and Mary, who were rulers of both England and the Northern Netherlands; but several have exclusively Dutch subject matter or inscriptions, and the manufacture and decoration of the whole group is now attributed to the Netherlands.

This piece was formerly attributed to the Savoy glasshouse and dated to 1681 on the basis of the lead glass material, and a reading of the armorials as those of Charles II. The arms, however, have to be interpreted as those of Queen Mary, or possibly those of William and Mary (these were not clearly established at the time of their coronation in 1689). A number of glasses of this type - which are of lead glass, with multi-knopped stems, and with wheel engraving in the Dutch manner - have the arms of William and Mary, rulers of both England and the Northern Nethelands, but several have exclusively Dutch subject matter or inscriptions, and the manufacture and decoration of the whole group is now attributed to the Netherlands.

C.187:1, 2-1993