The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 24, 2025

Cup

c. 1735
decorated by

Ignaz Preissler

(Bohemian, 1676–1741)
Bohemia, 18th century
Opal glass
Diameter: 11.5 x 8.3 cm (4 1/2 x 3 1/4 in.); Overall: 7.2 x 10 cm (2 13/16 x 3 15/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1950.388
Location: 101A Prints & Drawings

Description

This cup may have functioned as a vessel for an alcoholic beverage or as a container for food such as candies or pastries. Ignaz Preissler’s specialty was a technique known as Schwarzlot (“black lead” in German), in which a design was painted with black enamel and then fine details were scratched out with a needle. Preissler’s clients were primarily aristocrats who commissioned vessels as gifts or commemorative items and for whom the chinoiseriedecoration (imaginary European interpretations of Asian cultures), seen here, was fashionable.
  • (Rosenberg and Stiebel, Inc., New York).
  • In Vino Veritas (In Wine, Truth). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 7, 2025-January 11, 2026).
    Cathay Invoked: Chinoiserie, A Celestial Empire in the West. Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA (organizer) (June 10-July 31, 1966).
  • {{cite web|title=Cup|url=false|author=Ignaz Preissler|year=c. 1735|access-date=24 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1950.388