Three Goblets with the Engraved Monogram H II A and Double-Headed Eagle
Lavr Orlovsky
Late 19th century
Imperial Glassworks, St,=. Petersburg
Colourless crystal, engraving, polishing
16.7 x 7.3 x 7.3 cm, 20 x 9.1 x 9.1 cm, 20 x 9.1 x 9.1 cm
These goblets are fashioned in a style widespread in the 18th century. Since Peter I's reign, goblets and wineglasses had been decorated with allegorical compositions and portraits and monograms of members of the royal family. In 1767, Empress Catherine II commissioned the St. Petersburg Glassworks to make 150 such glass goblets engraved with her monogram beneath the crown; the goblets were intended for use at banquets and order festivities. However, during the reign of her son Emperor Paul I, only gilded tableware was used for royal meals. But during the reign of Nicholas II, the St. Petersburg Glassworks continued to produce such goblets for festivities.
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