Goblet, Venice or Venetian style (Amsterdam or Antwerp), c. 1550-1625. Filigree glass, mould-blown. Samuel Courtauld Trust: Gambier Parry Bequest, 1966

LONDON - The fourth display in the Illuminating Objects programme at The Courtauld Gallery focuses on two kinds of filigree glass in The Courtauld’s collection of decorative arts. Both are drinking glasses: the first, a Venetian or ‘Venetian-style’ (façon de Venise) filigree goblet, drawing upon the technologies and shapes developed on the Venetian island of Murano. Murano glass techniques migrated to Northern Europe and this example could have been made by an Italian craftsman in either Antwerp or Amsterdam in the 16th century. The second piece is a Georgian wine glass, probably made in London in the early 18th century, of so-called ‘lead glass’ (glass with the addition of oxide of lead) and with a network stem of eye-watering precision.

Victoria Druce, the intern who has researched these objects, is currently completing an MSc in Science Communication at Imperial College, London, having trained as a chemist. She is interested in the materials involved in the making of glass and the various changes in glass composition (recipes) from country to country. This display will encourage close examination of these two examples of awe-inspiring craftsmanship in ornamentation. The glasses will be shown alongside the Courtauld’s collection of 18th century British and Italian paintings and English silver.

 Illuminating Objects is a series of internships offered by The Courtauld Gallery to postgraduate students at UK universities engaged in research primarily in disciplines outside the history of art. The internships are highly structured training opportunities, with students responsible for delivering their own single-object display in The Courtauld Gallery. Selecting a work from a group that matches their area of interest, they research and interpret the item, produce labels and copy for the website, a blog and a lunchtime talk. This interdisciplinary programme casts a different light on the objects in The Courtauld’s care, with interns from history and literature, the sciences and theology participating. Illuminating Objects is a collaboration between The Courtauld Gallery and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London; King’s College London; Imperial College; University of Kent; and University College London (UCL).

Wine Glass. Probably London, c. 1770. Lead glass with opaque filigree twist. Samuel Courtauld Trust: Wilfred Buckley Bequest, 1934