Art Deco Bimini Animal Martini Cocktail Glasses- Set of Four

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Set of Four Bimini "Animal Martini" Cocktail Glasses
Maker: Bimini Glass Workshop (Fritz Lampl & Joseph Berger)
Date: Circa 1925-1935
… Read more Set of Four Bimini "Animal Martini" Cocktail Glasses
Maker: Bimini Glass Workshop (Fritz Lampl & Joseph Berger)
Date: Circa 1925-1935
Medium: Lamp-blown glass
Dimensions: 7
4
1
​
inches high x 3
8
1
​
inches wide

This whimsical and exquisitely crafted set of four cocktail glasses represents a pinnacle of the Viennese Bimini workshop's creative output. Each glass is a masterful display of technical skill, beginning with a unique foot featuring two distinct bubbles. The lower, teardrop-shaped bubble is hollow and adorned with studded prunts—a nod to 17th-century glassmaking—designed for a secure grip. Above it sits a delicate globe, each encapsulating a different miniature lampwork animal: a bird, a dog, and two foxes. The set is crowned by elegant, conical martini bowls, brought to life with vibrant orange and white latticino-style swirls.

These glasses are quintessential examples of what Bimini founder Fritz Lampl, a poet and artist, called "frozen poetry." Established in Vienna in 1923 with his brother-in-law and designer Joseph Berger, the Bimini workshop transformed simple glass tubes into delicate fantasies. The name itself, borrowed from a Heinrich Heine poem about a mythical island of "eternal ecstasy," reflects the firm's romantic and artistic ambitions. Working with master craftsmen, Lampl and Berger developed a style renowned for its elegance, anatomical correctness, and ability to convey emotion and movement with minimalist detail.

The workshop achieved international acclaim, winning prizes at the 1925 Paris exhibition and becoming highly sought after by collectors. However, this period of celebrated creativity was tragically cut short. As Jewish artists, the rise of Nazism forced the founders to flee Austria in the late 1930s, bringing the Viennese chapter of Bimini to an abrupt end.

This set of four glasses captures the height of Bimini's artistic vision, combining technical virtuosity, elegant design, and a playful spirit. As Bimini's original paper labels have often been lost to time, pieces like these, with their distinct and well-documented characteristics, are treasured artifacts from a brilliant, yet fleeting, moment in European decorative arts. See less