Late 19th Century J. & L. Lobmeyr Polychrome Enamel-Painted Glass Pokal With Armored Knight

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A superb example of Viennese Renaissance Revival glassware by J. & L. Lobmeyr, Vienna's preeminent glass house, bearing the firm's … Read more A superb example of Viennese Renaissance Revival glassware by J. & L. Lobmeyr, Vienna's preeminent glass house, bearing the firm's characteristic white enamel monogram cipher on the base. This tall footed Pokal is decorated in rich polychrome enamels and gilt throughout, centering on a finely painted armored knight in full plate armor — plumed helmet, long pike, and dress sword — standing on a grassy ground. The figural panel is framed by lavish ornamental banding: scrolling acanthus foliage in cobalt blue and amber gold at the collar, jeweled white dot borders, hanging Gothic pendant motifs, and stylized floral registers encircling the domed foot. The clear, feather-light glass body tapers from a wide flared foot to a slightly open rim with gilt line border — a form and weight entirely consistent with Lobmeyr's finest blown glass production of the 1870s. Lobmeyr was the leading luxury glass house of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, holding imperial warrant and supplying the Habsburg court. Their Renaissance Revival enameled pieces — produced primarily in the 1860s through 1880s under the direction of Ludwig Lobmeyr — are among the most sought-after examples of 19th-century decorative glass. The white enamel monogram cipher on the base is consistent with Lobmeyr's documented marking practice on pieces of this period. See less