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Wine glass
Wolff, David - Enlarge image
Wine glass
- Place of origin:
The Hague, Holland (probably, made)
- Date:
1780-1790 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Wolff, David (engraver (inciser))
- Materials and Techniques:
Stipple-engraved glass
- Museum number:
C.319-1931
- Gallery location:
Glass, room 131, case 16, shelf 2
Special drinking glasses, with engraved decorations and inscriptions were particularly popular in 18th-century Holland. This goblet is decorated with the arms of William V, Prince of Orange, and those of his wife, Frederika Sophia Wilhelmina of Prussia. It must have been commissioned by a royalist. During the last quarter of the century, both royalists and patriots were keen to express their support by toasting to the success of their champions. Diamond-point engravers favoured imported English lead-glass, because it was soft and easy to engrave. Its lustrous surface also provided a good background for the matte engraving. These qualities enabled engravers to develop an entirely new style. Instead of scratching lines into the glass surface with a diamond-point, they could now build up a picture by thousands of minute, dot-shaped scratches. By varying the density of the dots, these skilled engravers would create an illusion of depth with highlights and shaded parts.
