Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Medieval & Renaissance, Room 62, The Foyle Foundation Gallery

Goblet

1550 - 1625 (made)
Place of origin

The filigree decoration of this glass is distorted by the mould-blown, knobbly surface at its base. This recalls the shape of Medieval beakers, where the pattern was either mould-blown or in the shape of applied round pads or spikes of glass, known as prunts. Such decorations had the function of preventing the glass from slipping when handled with greasy hands during the meal. Here the effect is purely decorative, as the elegant diner would have held the the glass by its foot. The delicate filigree decoration in the glass imitates Venetian examples.


Object details

Object type
Materials and techniques
filigree glass (a retorti), mould-blown
Brief description
Glass goblet, Europe, probably southern Germany, 1550-1625, 1814-1855
Physical description
Conical shaped glass with a knobbly surface at its base.
Dimensions
  • Height: 14.5cm
  • Greatest width width: 9.8cm
Measured for the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries
Styles
Object history
Bought from the Bernal Collection.
Summary
The filigree decoration of this glass is distorted by the mould-blown, knobbly surface at its base. This recalls the shape of Medieval beakers, where the pattern was either mould-blown or in the shape of applied round pads or spikes of glass, known as prunts. Such decorations had the function of preventing the glass from slipping when handled with greasy hands during the meal. Here the effect is purely decorative, as the elegant diner would have held the the glass by its foot. The delicate filigree decoration in the glass imitates Venetian examples.
Other number
2702 - Glass gallery number
Collection
Accession number
1814-1855

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Record createdDecember 13, 1997
Record URL
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