17th Century Ribbed Venetian Glass Cup

Description

Heading : 17th century Venetian glass wine cup or footed tumbler
Period : Republic
Date : 1650-1700
Origin : Venice. Italy
Colour : Cobalt Blue
Bowl : Rib moulded with  a pinched waist and flared rim
Stem : Rudimentary
Foot : Conical
Pontil : Snapped
Glass Type : Lead
Size : 3 3/8 inches tall with 3 3/16 inch bowl and 2 1/4 inch foot   
Condition : Excellent. no chips or cracks
Restoration : None
Weight : 98 grams

With earlier Venetian glasses from the 15th and early 16th century the trumpet shaped foot was often ribbed as was the body of the vessel. This may be seen on footed bowls and tazzas alike. With most European glass low conical and flat footed vessels are usually attributed later dates than those with more pronounced conical and helmet feet. The Venetians were centuries ahead of he rest of the world. The feet on most Venetian winged wined glasses of the 16th and 17th centuries are quite flat. Even on the famous Verzilini glass. one of the earliest known examples produced in England the foot is barely conical.

The bulk of the early glass output of Murano Venice was utilitarian. tumblers. cups and mostly bottles. The lavishly decorated bowls and elaborate wine glasses requiring multiple skills to manufacture will have been costly to produce. This footed tumbler or cup is without doubt utilitarian. It is a stunning deep cobalt blue. There are multiple  Venetian cobalt blue glasses within the major museum collections made in the mid 15th and 16th centuries a time when “Bristol Blue” simply didn’t exist.