An exceptionally rare Dutch engraved façon de Venise wine glass, circa 1660-70

The round funnel bowl finely wheel-engraved with a continuous landscape scene, one side with a winged Cupid taming a bridled lion, holding a bow and arrow in one hand, the other with Cupid riding on the back of an eagle in flight, holding an open book in one hand and an olive branch in the other, three baying hounds beneath, two lovebirds in an olive tree to one side, a single bird perched in a tree to the other, the stem formed from a pair of tightly coiled ropes, both containing spiralling threads in opaque white and translucent turquoise, the upper terminals applied with opposing aquamarine raspberry prunts, the conical foot further engraved with three floral sprigs, 16.1cm high

Provenance
Christie's sale, 7 June 1988, lot 273
Private British Collection

The scenes on this glass are taken from the Ambacht van Cupido (The Trade of Cupid) in Nederduytsche Poemata by Daniël Heinsius, first published in 1616 and reprinted several times. Cupid flying on the back of an Eagle is after emblem 23, 'Amor eruditus' (Learned love). Cupid taming the Lion is after emblem 24, 'Omnia vincit Amor' (Love conquers all). Heinsius pioneered the use of the Dutch language for poetry. 'Omnia vincit Amor' was first published as emblem 1 in Heinsius' Quaeris quid sit amor? in circa 1601, which was the very first love emblem book ever written in Dutch.

The glass itself belongs to a small group of engraved glasses which originated in the Southern Netherlands in the mid-17th century, influenced by Nuremburg decoration, see Pieter C Ritsema van Eck, 'Early Wheel Engraving in the Netherlands', Journal of Glass Studies, vol.26 (1984), pp.86-101 for a discussion. Several glasses engraved in similar style have related serpent stems terminating in two 'heads', which are characteristic of the Southern Netherlands, see pp.98-102, figs.35-7, 41 and 45. Unlike glasses decorated in the Northern Netherlands, these typically have wreaths engraved around the feet, of which floral sprigs on the foot of the present glass would appear to be a variant.

A goblet and cover with related decoration, bearing a portrait of Charles II of Spain and two putti executed in very similar style, was sold by Bonhams on 20 November 2019, lot 7. Compare also to the goblet and cover from the Mühleib Collection sold by Bonhams on 2 May 2013, lot 52. A glass of very similar form excavated from Afferden, Limburg, in the Netherlands, but without engraved decoration is in Limburgs Museum (inv. no.L02776).