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179
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179. A magnificent Bohemian engraved goblet signed by August…
179
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179. A magnificent Bohemian engraved goblet signed by August…
Estimate €3,000 - €5,000
Voluntary lot
Description
179. A magnificent Bohemian engraved goblet signed by August Böhm, Meistersdorf, circa 1840
The faceted cup-shaped bowl reserved with a large shaped panel depicting a battle scene, soldiers on horseback fighting with swords, a fallen horse and soldier in the foreground, further troops in the distance, signed 'A. Böhm' beneath the panel lower-right, a smaller shaped panel to the reverse, the ostentatious stem with a wide step-cut shoulder knop above an octagonal hollow baluster, over a generous terraced foot elaborately cut with gem-like studs, star-cut underneath, 41cm high
August Böhm senior (1812-1890) is undoubtedly one of the greatest engravers of the 19th century and his detailed topographical scenes on monumental goblets such as this are a triumph in glass art. Two signed examples are illustrated and discussed by Paul von Lichtenberg, Glasgravuren des Biedermeier, 2004, pp.193-6, nos.119 and 120, including the so-called Alexander Goblet depicting the Battle of the Granicus, dated 1840, and another depicting the Battle of Lipany. A further monumental goblet depicting the Battle of the Granicus, dated 1845, is illustrated and discussed by Simon Cottle, "The Granicus Goblet," The Glass Cone, No.86, Spring 2009, pp.13-16. See also the example depicting the Battle of Ascalon in the Kunstgewerbemuseum Köln, illustrated by Walter Spiegl, Glas des Historismus, 1980, p.90, fig.104 and the lost example from the Hohenzollern Museum in Berlin illustrated by Gustav Pazaurek, Gläser der Empire- und Biedermeierzeit, 1923, p.56, fig.37. The present lot would appear to be previously unrecorded and therefore represents a significant addition to the artist's oeuvre. The present lot would appear to be previously unrecorded and therefore represents a significant addition to the artist's oeuvre. The source for the battle scene or the precise battle depicted has not been positively identified, but it would appear to depict one of the Polish Legions in combat during one of the battles of the Napoleonic Wars.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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