Kostanjevica chalice

Cut and engraved glass was already familiar to the Romans but, mainly because of different aesthetic ideals in glass design, this knowledge was lost in the Middle Ages. The techniques were rediscovered, or relearned, based on the working of quartz. This was first cut into the shape of the container and then intaglio-engraved, in a technique analogous to woodcutting. The first masterpieces of engraved glass were made at the Prague court of Rudolph II in the late sixteenth century, by Caspar Lehmann. This chalice has the typical shape of a goblet, with a circular base, a stem with two nodes and a bell-shaped cup. A goblet is a kind of glass on a stem for white or red wine and a chalice is an enlarged goblet, not intended for drinking but as a memento of a special event. The Kostanjevica chalice was a retirement gift. The inscription on the base dedicates it wit gratitude to Abbot Taufferer for conscientious service (eines hochlöbl. gestiffts gehorsamster diener, 1749). It is made of very thin, clear, colourless glass. The mould in which the glassmaker shaped the cup had a pattern of star-shaped ribs in the lower part. The remaining part is smooth, without relief decoration. The cup was then engraved. The engraver cut a decoration of undulating plant tendrils beside the lower edge of the lip. On the front is a veduta of Kostanjevica monastery with the inscription Herzogl. gestifft landstrass. The church rises above the walled monastery complex. The buildings are engraved very precisely, since the technique of engraving enables a similar effect to that of drawing. The buildings have windows and a small piece of garden appears behind the walls. On the rear of the cup are the arms of Abbot Taufferer and Kostanjevica monastery. Above the arms is a bishop’s mitre.