Goblet
Object NameGoblet
Date1600-1650
OriginItaly or southern Netherlands
MediumGlass
Dimensions5 7/16 × 3 1/2 in. diameter (13.8 × 8.9 cm)
ClassificationsDecorative Arts, Glass
Credit LineGift of Ann and Henry Brunnier. In the Ann and Henry Brunnier Collection, Brunnier Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
Object number3.5.6
Status
Not on viewCollections
CultureItalian or Netherlands
Label TextPerhaps the most characteristic of all Venetian glass work is "filigrana", which originated in the early sixteenth century and persisted into the eighteenth century. Filigrana literally means thread grained, and it is sometimes referred to as "latticino" glass. Made in an open mold, clear or colored glass was embedded with threads of opaque white glass and convoluted to produce either simple or intricate interlacing patterns. The simplest example of filigrana is found in the opaque white twist stems of eighteenth-century wineglasses.
Venetian glassmakers carried the technique to great lengths, creating ribboned, threaded and combed patterns. Two popular styles included "vetro a retorti" and "vetro a reticello", each seen in these glasses. Characterized by varying lace-like patterns, vetro a retorti illustrates an artisan's capacity to execute multiple patterns, while vetro a reticello, a net-like pattern throughout the glass, displays consistency and control of the medium.
This goblet was "mold blown", which means heated glass was blown into a mold to create its shape. It is decorated in a style known as "lattimo", which is similar to latticino, but has wider strips or rods of opaque glass embedded in the clear glass.
Locations
- (not entered) Iowa State University, Brunnier Art Museum
Object Name: Sweetmeat Glass (or Goblet)
c. 1675-1700
Object number: 3.6.62
