12 - Conical clear glass vase with white latticino decoration

Conical clear glass vase with white latticino decoration Venice or Antwerp, late 16th–early 17th century Mounted in the 18th century with a gilded silver base Hallmarks on the mount: Augsburg Pyr 1741–1743 Silversmith Johann Christoph Stenglin (master silversmith 1737–1775) H. 16.9 cm Glasses whose bases had been broken, as well as certain examples specifically designed for this purpose, could be fitted with silver or gilded silver mounts featuring, in particular, busts of figures, windmills, or even bells (figs. 1 and 2). These Stürzbecher, or “upside-down cups,” particularly popular in Germany and Holland during the 16th and 17th centuries, were used in betting games or drinking games that required the drinker to empty the glass completely before setting it down. In the case of our example, mounted in Augsburg in the 18th century—by which time the fashion for Stürzbecher had passed—the richness and shape of its mount seem to make it more akin to a chalice. Several glasses are known to have a similarly shaped bowl and identical latticino and embossing work, notably an example held at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague (fig. 3) and another in a private collection (see Erwin Baumgartner, *Venetian Glass: Unpublished Treasures, Exhibition Catalog, Musée Ariana, Geneva, 1995, no. 191).