Lidded goblet with crucifixion group inside, Innsbruck Court Glassworks, 1570/90. H. 25 cm. Cabinet of Curiosities, 3314. © Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Kunstkammer

The glass covered goblet has a base decorated with gilded lion masks, a cylindrical bowl, and a domed lid with a baluster finial. The bowl is decorated in a diamond pattern with the double-headed eagle, vegetal motifs, and twisted cords. The base, bowl, and especially the lid are richly decorated with figurines, flowers, and mascarons. Inside the goblet is a vitreous glass depiction of the Crucifixion of Christ with Mary and John, as well as the two thieves on the cross.

Goblets like this one, with their small-scale figurative scenes inside, were treasures produced in limited numbers at the Innsbruck court glassworks and, more than other objects in the art collection, reflect the personal taste of their patron. Archduke Ferdinand founded the Innsbruck court glassworks in 1570; he brought artists from Murano, then the leading city in glass production, to Innsbruck. The glass masters Pietro dell'Orso, Salvatore Savonetti, and Andrea Tudin are documented as working there between 1571 and 1575. However, the glassmakers were expected to have little "imagination"; they were apparently primarily responsible for procuring materials and the technical processing, and less so for the artistic design, which had to conform to Ferdinand's vision. They brought with them from Murano some prefabricated glassware and materials that were unavailable in Tyrol but essential for achieving the desired transparency of the glass. The colorlessness of Venetian glass is due to the soda ash ("glass ash") obtained from the beach plants of the Mediterranean coast, with the addition of decolorizing substances, especially manganese and arsenic.