18th Century Engraved Armorial Lauenstein Glass Goblet With Terraced Foot C1780

Technical Description A magnificent Lauenstein Armorial engraved goblet dating to c1780. It has a large drawn trumpet bowl above a solid stem with a central air tear. Sits on a terraced foot with snapped pontil. The engravings are of the very highest standard and the presence of two helmets typically indicates that the bearer has two crests and is choosing to display both. The fish within 'a bend argent' is a particularly difficult crest to identify as fishing is one of the oldest economic activities known to man and has been historically adopted by towns and villages across Europe for as long as heraldry has existed. Indeed adopted by a few municipalities in Germany as the fish is typically thought to represent 'community' or rather what the community wishes to project regarding their values or industry. Above the left helmet is a lyre with a thin solitaire cross housing a flower in each section, likely these are heraldic roses, each tip of the lyre forms the head of an animal, possibly a fish or snake. The flowers typically represent hope while the lyre originates from the Greek God Apollo and symbolises a thriving optimistic culture with love for the arts, optimism is again a sentiment shown regularly throughout German heraldry in their choice of motifs. To give context for this, it is supposed that a dog represents loyalty, a lion for courage, a dragon for defence, and an owl for wisdom, these signifiers can be quite loosely interpreted however the symbology is rather ancient and changes less than you may imagine throughout time. The opposite crest on the right exhibits a three-branched tree which is repeated within the shield above a grided battlement. The tree is quite distinct but is once again very old and widely utilised. A superb example, and a heavy glass at 254 grams with a high lead content. Looks like a dram or firing glass in the pictures but has a bowl approx. five times the size of a standard English wine glass from that period and thus would very much be considered a goblet. Date & Origin Lauenstein, Germany, c1780 Dimensions Height: 12.7cm Rim diameter: 7.3cm Foot diameter: 5.3cm