Topic: 18th century gilded engraved monogrammed miniature egg Russian - help please

[flying free]

  aah yes, if I was more sure I was correct I would send it to the Hermitage and ask.
But I'm not. 


That's not to say there might not be a connection somehow (commemorative piece at a guess if there was a connection). 
But I'm not sure enough of any link.  The monogram M is correct though.

I do think it's very old and possibly 18th century .

m

[mitko07]

Hello!
This was probably the first thing you did !

https://www.google.se/search?q=russian+etched+glass+egg&client=firefox-b-ab&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiq6o-nkOTUAhXqJZoKHY3jAJAQ_AUICigB&biw=1280&bih=609

I am not sure if it Russian - I say it is possible!
 I found one here that looks much like yours to my opinion and it says it is German

http://www.christmas.li/contents/en-us/d91.html

the second going down!
It would be helpful if you post picture of the base!

All the best!

[flying free]

Thank you!

That is a similar size to mine.

I will do some more investigating now there might be a second one.

The base of mine has a tulip engraved onto it which is gilded. The base is rounded, not polished flat and the pontil mark (which also has a tulip engraved and gilded on it) is at the top of the egg.  The pontil mark is snapped off and there are black markings around it.

I'll try and repost a photo of the base or link to the one earlier in the thread.

here goes:

This is the tulip engraved on the base - the base is curved,so the egg does not stand up on it's own as the base has not been ground flat unlike the one in your second link where the description says it has been flattenend so it stands up.
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=61429.0;attach=183331;image

This is the tulip engraved over the pontil mark - the pontil mark is at the top of the egg:

http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=61429.0;attach=183321;image

I have a few of the more recent engraved Russian eggs and this is nothing like them at all
I also have an old (early 19th century) cameo egg as well.  It is nothing like that either.  That one is superb quality glass and cameo cutting and making.

This one (the gilded engraved one of mine) looks to me to be very old glass. And the tulips and trellis obelisk make me think older than 1880.


m

[flying free]

One more thing to add re dating:

These are the Bergl rooms in the Schonbrunn Palace SCHLOSS SCHÖNBRUNN painted from 1769-1778

https://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/about-schoenbrunn/the-palace/tour-of-the-palace/bergl-rooms/

I don't see any obelisks but plenty of trellis work in all the rooms on the murals he painted.


m

[flying free]

Russian beaker 18th century with bird.

To me the glass looks quite clear colour wise and has many tiny bubbles.

https://www.hermitagemuseum.org/wps/wcm/connect/a90d6523-e011-4d1d-bd88-4687b397dadf/WOA_IMAGE_1.jpg?MOD=AJPERES&ccd12044-c7e4-46b4-92dc-10dc3c742933

https://www.hermitagemuseum.org/wps/portal/hermitage/digital-collection/08.%20applied%20arts/917837/!ut/p/z1/04_Sj9CPykssy0xPLMnMz0vMAfIjo8zi_R0dzQyNnQ28_J1NXQwc_YMCTIOc_dwNDE30w8EKDHAARwP9KGL041EQhd94L0IWAH1gVOTr7JuuH1WQWJKhm5mXlq8fYWChp5BYUJCTmZqikFhUUqwfYWlobmFsDnRPFJqJnt7mQBNDTD38_cOcjZxNoArwuKkgNzSiysfDINNRUREACFLzdg!!/dz/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/?lng=en

[flying free]

Kramsacher Glashutte 19th century bier krug with gilded engraving on it including two birds with feathered crowns:
info from MAK
http://hauspublikationen.mak.at/viewer/image/1368015003387_0001/14/#topDocAnchor

page 12 of their publication but comes up on page 14 of their link

[Ekimp]

Hi, just a couple of observations that probably won’t be useful, feel free to ignore them all

The cross strike of the F doesn’t look to be the same style as the rest of the lettering - it is quite angular, looking like a lightning strike, the other parts of the lettering are flowing curves.

Might the cross hatched areas represent windows, which can have symbolic meaning that might be relevant to a love story. The hatched areas look a bit ugly to me so maybe they are there to convey meaning rather than for asthetics?

Are the birds love birds, or stylised love birds. Like these ones that have crests https://www.xupes.com/art/product-details/8102/antique-glass-marriage-carafe-engraved-with-love-birds-19th-c/antique-glass-marriage-carafe-engraved-with-love-birds-19th-c.html?

If this were a high end item for a wealthy recipient, doesn’t the engraving look reasonably crude due to the workmanship rather than the tools used? For example, in the curved tail of the M and F you can see where it looks like the curve has been produced by a series of straight cuts at different angles. If this had done by a more skilled hand wouldn’t they have rotated the piece against the wheel at varied pressure to create a nice curve. Maybe it looks a bit crude as it is actually very small, but how would it compare to the skill in Bohemian engraving of horsemen and such.

I know nothing of eggs and wouldn’t want to try to teach anyone to how to suck them 

[flying free]

Hi,thanks for looking

the quality of the engraving is no different to this:
https://scottishantiques.com/georgian-table-glass/decanters-carafes/georgiandecanter

and there are  a few examples out there with what seems to be rather 'naive' engravings of tulips on the sides of the decanter/flask.

It's actually very tiny and there is lots of engraving on it for such a tiny piece.  The big issue is the gilding has worn away on a lot of it.  If it was there it would make a difference to the perception of the engraving I think.  Yes I do think it's telling a story of some sort with relevance to whoever it was made for.

I'll probably never find out who made it but it is definitely, I would say, old.

m

[cagney]

iconography much used in Germany/ Bohemia c.18th-19th century i.e. flaming hearts/birds. engraved and enameled.
 Pictured: tankard w/lid, bird finial, engraved amethyst blown glass, strap handle. c. 19th c.  [ formerly in my collection ]

 Religious symbolism; early christian

 Sometimes seen on betrothal glassware as a sign of fidelity.

Similar: search 1987.0129 at Winterthur museum.org  online collection-glass

[flying free]

Thanks Cagney. Lovely tankard

I'll take a look at the Winterthur museum collection.
Your tankard is dated c.19th century?