This work of art is temporarily off view while the Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion galleries are reinstalled.

Bohemian, Haida
Paul Oppitz, (engraver)
Bohemian, 1827-1894

This pokal (presentational goblet) was decorated by Paul Oppitz in Haida (modern Nový Bor, Czech Republic) shortly before he immigrated to England in late 1845. There, he became an engraver of great acclaim and his few surviving works have since been treasured in international collections.
           

This unique goblet was Oppitz’s early masterpiece, submitted when he was 18 to the Bohemian glass guild to qualify as a master engraver. The two semi-ruined Gothic castles depicted on the goblet were owned by Frederick Wilhelm Ludwig, Prince of Prussia. Both castles were rebuilt by the Prince and they became popular romantic decorations on Bohemian glass. Oppitz combined the Gothic structures with Rococo scrolls, epitomizing the eclectic taste of the mid-19th century.

Colorless glass, blown, applied, tooled, and engraved, about 1845
Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey, 2004.3