Beaker (Passglas)

dated 1705

Object PlaceDresden, Germany

Medium/TechniqueGlass with gilded and enameled decoration

DimensionsOverall (Overall): 35.2 x 8.1 cm (13 7/8 x 3 3/16 in.)
Other (Diameter of foot.): 14 cm (5 1/2 in.)

Credit LineMuseum purchase with funds donated anonymously

Accession number2003.242

On View

Not on view

ClassificationsGlass

Collections

Europe

InscriptionsInscribed in enamel above the coat of arms: "F. A. R. P. [Fridericus Augustus Rex Poloniae]" and below the coat of arms "1705". Along the back are the numbers 1 through 5; each number is painted above a white painted rung, with 1 being at the highest point.ProvenanceAbout 1700-1710, made for Augustus II ("Augustus the Strong"), Elector of Saxony and King of Poland (b. 1670 - d. 1733), Dresden [see note 1]; until World War II, by descent within Saxon royal family; 1945, taken to Pillnitz Castle, near Dresden and looted [see note 2]; subsequently restituted to the descendants of the Saxon royal family; 2003, sold by the descendants of the Saxon royal family to Rudigier Gallery, Munich; 2004, gift of the Rudigier Gallery to the MFA. (Accession Date: May 21, 2003)

NOTES:
[1] The provenance given here was provided at the time of the object's acquisition. The object is said to have been stored in the Hofkellerei, or court cellars, in Dresden. [2] According to information provided by Rudigier Gallery, in 1945 the object was transferred from the private possession of the Saxon royal family to the Kunstgewerbemuseum (Museum of Decorative Arts), Castle Pillnitz, and was recently restituted to the family. Pillnitz was a major repository for art in Dresden during World War II. It housed paintings, sculpture, and works of decorative art from private collections -- including that of the Saxon royal family -- and from the Dresden museums for safekeeping. Much of the art stored in such repositories was looted in 1945 by the Soviet Army. The process of restitution has been ongoing since the 1950s.