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Drinking glass
Dutch
about 1650-1700
Medium/Technique
Blown glass with applied prunts, copper wheel engraving
Dimensions
Height x diameter: 22.1 x 13.2 cm (8 11/16 x 5 3/16 in.)
Credit Line
Edwin E. Jack Fund, Helen and Alice Colburn Fund, and Dorothy Lee Jones Fund
Accession Number2014.801
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsGlass
The inscription on this glass reads Valeant qui inter nos discidium volunt, or “Away with those who wish discord between us,” a quote from the play Andria by the ancient Roman writer Terence. While it’s easy to focus on new drinks that came to the Netherlands, such as tea, coffee, or hot chocolate, beer and wine were still essential beverages in daily Dutch life. But a glass like this, with a literary inscription, would not have been an everyday object. This was likely a special commission as a gift between friends.
DescriptionThe tapering bowl is inscribed, "Valeant qui inter nos dissidium volunt" ["Away with those who wish disagreement between us"], from lines 696-7 of the Andria of the Roman playwright Terence. The words are surrounded by calligraphic flourishes. The cylindrical stem is separated from the bowl by an applied thread and has applied pointed prunts. The glass stands on a foot with an applied flared rim.
InscriptionsBody is engraved with calligraphic text: "Valeant qui Inter nos Dissidium Volunt" (Those who wish to spread discord among us should be strong)
ProvenancePrivate collection, Haarlem, The Netherlands. 1984, Fritz and Mary Biemann, Zurich; June 16, 1984, Biemann sale, Sotheby Parke-Bernet, London, lot 20. 1995, Joseph R. Ritman, Amsterdam; November 14, 1995, Ritman sale, Sotheby’s, London, lot 28. Hida Takayama Museum of Art, Takayama, Japan (museum inventory no. H83); December 19, 2002, Takayama Museum of Art sale, Sotheby’s, London, lot 31, to Eric Martin Wunsch (1925-2013) New York; October 20, 2013, Christie's, London, lot 336; Kunstzalen A. Vecht, Amsterdam; 2014, sold by Kunstzalen A. Vecht to the MFA. (Accession Date: May 28, 2014)