Topic: Engraved wine glass.

[bat20]

Right then thanks Antwerp,I've been trying to find engraved hands coming out of clouds for days now ,as I felt that was the key,but if they were used commonly then perhaps we are back to "stud man"picking one girl above his other 7,or a group friendship thing

[Antwerp1954]

I'm attaching some images of one of my glasses which has on it the flaming heart next to a flower and the words Nur Allein (No Other or You Alone). To me it's most likely a glass given to the beloved.  My glass is probably Hessen from 1760-80.

At that time glasses often had messages on wishing people good luck (with an anchor), celebrating a pregnancy (stork next to cot or Hansie in die Keller), celebrating marriages or with sayings about freedom.

I've seen the Flaming Heart refered to as a symbol of Eternal Love but I'm not overconfident of the source of this info. Perhaps God's eternal love of man becomes eternal love in general.

It's Valentines Day so off to present my glass to 'er in doors. I need all the credit I can get!

[Antwerp1954]

http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/15957/lot/425/

[flying free]

I can see that the flaming heart may be used as an emblem to denote either love of God or as  love of another, and I can see that the two are not mutually exclusive.

However the hand coming out of the cloud with the flaming heart is the use of two emblems that both have religious connotations, as far as we can see, under the Calvinism banner. 
None of the others linked to show both the emblems do they?
I still think it's possible this glass has a specifically religious meaning.
m

[Baked_Beans]

This is an interesting site, it shows a French coloured slide , two hands from clouds holding a heart with flowers (forget-me-nots)  rather than flames. One hand (on the right) , a male hand (possibly) and the  other, a female hand . So the two hands aren't the hands of God , but hands which have made their way to heaven . So a single hand might not be the hand of God. A flaming heart , without a cross or encircled with thorns, may not be a 'sacred heart' . It could be less religious and more love or friendship related .

http://artofmourning.com/2014/12/08/faithful-until-death-a-perfect-enamel-slide/

[flying free]

that's an interesting site. 

I still find it odd that there is only one hand on the glass.  (odd ...and I find the whole disembodied hand thing creepy to be honest)
But can see there may be a similar interpretation as those on the site.
m

[Baked_Beans]

I can't understand why the hand is choosing one heart from a number of hearts...just don't get it (apart from the stud-man theory  ). I thought we were all equal in the eyes of God ? Unless it's a 'chosen one' .

[flying free]

Perhaps it is symbolic in that a person has died and God's hand is taking that person up to Heaven? i.e. the group of hearts are symbolising many people and one heart being picked up, represents the person who has died?

I know, it's not as appealing a version as the friendship glass/eternal love glass theory ...

And I'm probably wrong - perhaps it's just that I can't look at the picture without seeing a coffin  and that' s most probably NOT what it is at all, but is affecting how I view the 'story' behind the glass. 

m

[bat20]

Thanks Mike,having read the article and seen the Christie glass Antwerp posted I'm not sure a hand coming out of a cloud necessarily infers it is gods hand,it could also have been used as a couple in the clouds on a high of emotion,I vaguely remember such a feeling. ::)I still think the Calvin heart aflame,meaning a passionate heart,rather than the sacred heart,to my mind more to do with Jesus ,Mary etc is more relevant ,but mabe not used here as a statement of religious belief more as Antwerp says a token of love.

[Baked_Beans]

This is another piece from the same site , could be worth contacting the site, if possible, as they might be interested in trying to interpret the message , especially if it's associated with someone who has died, as m suggests...

http://artofmourning.com/2012/09/19/in-spite-of-envy-the-ideal-neoclassical-bracelet/