VENICE
TRANSPARENT GLASS, BLUE GLASS, GILDING, ENAMEL
FIRST DECADES OF THE 16TH CENTURY

The footed glass cup was manufactured in Murano (Venice) in transparent glass with twelve ribs, and decorated with gilding, enamel and blue glass. The cup had broken into 180 pieces after being dropped. It was accurately restored by Elena Agnini. Today, it is displayed in the dining room, as originally intended.

The cup is in transparent glass with twelve gilded spiraling ribs obtained through the use of a mold. The central part is decorated with a heraldic crest in the shape of a star, and was realized with gold leaf and red, white and blue enamels (the lack of a family crest in this position indicates that the cup may not have been originally part of the service of a noble family). The double lip of the cup is enriched with a series of scales in red, white, blue and gold enamel. The transparent border is decorated with a circular line of blue glass applied before the lip was turned downward. The cone-shaped foot was applied later, and was decorated with a line in blue glass and another in gold. The border of the foot, in transparent glass, was later bent. On the bottom of the cup is visible the double mark of the ponit, or punty, thus showing that the piece was reattached to it in order to be put back into the oven to fix the enamel decoration. The bottom of the cup already had been reglued in a previous reparation. Before the recent restoration, the pieces were cleaned before being reassembled.

Technical Restoration Notes (summary)

The surface of the glass was cleaned with puffs of cotton soaked first with a mixture of distilled water and neutral detergent, then a mixture of alcohol and acetone in equal parts, which was also used, along with mechanic means, to remove the residue of the old glue. The fragments were glued using the resinous epoxy XV 396/397. It was not possible to glue many of the microscopically small pieces, thus there are some lacunae. This notwithstanding, the restoration has rendered the Gestalt of the cup, which has been put back on display in the glass collection of the museum.

For the restoration report in its entirety, scholars are kindly requested to contact the museum.