Hedwig glass
Thick beakers deeply cut with lions and eagles, believed in Europe to be saints’ relics.
One of the glasses is said to have belonged to St Hedwig of Silesia, who according to legend turned water into wine in it. Only about fifteen survive, often in church treasuries. Examples are in the Rijksmuseum and the British Museum.
Materials: Thick, faintly smoky glass
Manufacture: The beaker was blown thick-walled and the relief cut with wheels, so that the animals stand out.
The bold raised animals – lions, eagles and griffins – with hatched bodies.
The smoky tone and thick wall of the glass.