Detail of Goblet with lid, painted with coats of arms of noble families from Germany and the Austrian-Hungarian Empire (1863)

Attributed to Anton Ambros Egermann, 1863.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

 

Artwork type: goblet

 

Object numberBK-2002-1

 

Dimensions

diameter 18.4 cm, height 61.8 cm x diameter 19.5 cm

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A lavishly enameled goblet like this one, commemorating a Carrousel of 1863, may seem garish to modern eyes—its gleaming green glass, heraldic arms, and florid ornament calling more attention to itself than good taste might allow. Yet this ornate vessel opens a portal into a vanished world: the courtly, hierarchical society of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and its German aristocratic satellites in the mid-19th century.

 

Each name and coat of arms represents a princely house or noble lineage whose members took part in a ceremonial equestrian pageant—part chivalric revival, part dynastic theater. In its exuberance and specificity, the goblet stands as a glittering fossil of the old order in the final decades before modernity, nationalism, and war swept much of it away.

 

🏇 What Is a Carrousel?

 

A carrousel—from the Italian carosello and French carrousel—was a ceremonial equestrian pageant popular in European aristocratic courts from the late Renaissance through the 18th century. It was not a children's amusement ride (that meaning came later), but rather a choreographed, stylized spectacle of horsemanship, aristocratic display, and courtly symbolism.

 

At its height, the carrousel functioned as a theatrical expression of chivalry: an elaborately staged event where noblemen (and sometimes women) performed mounted exercises in formation, often in costume, complete with heraldic regalia, allegorical themes, and richly decorated horses.

 

📅 Heyday and Historical Context

 

The carrousel reached its peak during the 17th and early 18th centuries, especially in the courts of:

 

Louis XIV of France, who staged the Grand Carrousel of 1662 in Paris to display Bourbon prestige

 

The Habsburg courts in Vienna and Prague

 

Italian and German principalities where court culture remained theatrical and ceremonial

 

These events often commemorated:

 

Dynastic marriages

 

Births of heirs

 

Victories or peace treaties

 

Coronations or major jubilees

 

Unlike the jousts of the medieval tournament, carrousels emphasized pageantry over combat.

 

Though riders might perform mock battles with lances or swords, the emphasis was on precision riding, symbolic tableaux, and visual splendor.

 

️ Typical Features of a Carrousel

 

Knights in costume, divided into teams or "quadrilles," often themed (e.g., Greeks vs. Romans, Sun vs. Moon)

 

Banners and coats of arms on riders and horses

 

Musical accompaniment, often specially composed

 

Choreographed figures, such as circles, crosses, or spirals executed on horseback

 

Mock combat or tilting at rings, but usually bloodless

 

An audience of courtiers, diplomats, and sometimes the public, watching from raised platforms

 

⚰️ Decline and Afterlife

 

By the mid-19th century, the carrousel had become an anachronistic nostalgia act: part romantic revival, part dynastic theater.

 

The Carrousel of 1863 commemorated on the goblet you’re studying belongs to this late phase—a last brilliant flourish of aristocratic display before the upheavals of nationalism, democratization, and war dismantled much of the courtly infrastructure that had sustained such events.

 

Yet even in its twilight, the carrousel retained its function: rehearsing a world of inherited rank, martial honor, and visual grandeur, even as that world quietly faded into the past.

 

In the early 1860s, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria–Este—not to be confused with his more famous nephew whose assassination sparked World War I—emerged as the likely prime mover behind the revival of the aristocratic carrousel commemorated by the goblet dated 1863.

 

A scion of the Habsburg dynasty and a figure of great ceremonial influence, Franz Ferdinand was known for his devotion to court ritual, imperial pageantry, and dynastic pride. In an age increasingly dominated by industrial progress, liberal reforms, and middle-class assertiveness, the Archduke saw the carrousel not as a quaint reenactment but as a deliberate reaffirmation of aristocratic identity and values.

 

By organizing a carrousel—complete with heraldic blazonry, equestrian quadrilles, and the active participation of Europe’s highest nobility—Franz Ferdinand staged a living tableau of Habsburg continuity and chivalric order.

 

The 1863 Carrousel held in Vienna was a significant event, emblematic of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's aristocratic traditions. While specific newspaper articles from that time detailing the event are not readily accessible, such grand occasions were typically covered extensively in contemporary media. These reports often highlighted the opulence of the ceremonies, the distinguished participants, and the elaborate displays of horsemanship and pageantry. The Carrousel would have been portrayed as a testament to the enduring legacy and cultural sophistication of the empire's nobility.

 

The 1863 event coincided with a moment of growing instability within the empire: nationalist unrest in its Slavic territories, tensions with Prussia, and anxiety over the very legitimacy of a sprawling, multiethnic monarchy. In this context, the carrousel served both as spectacle and as symbolic resistance—a gesture that looked backward, not because it was blind to modernity, but because it sought to reaffirm the old order’s claim to permanence, elegance, and authority.

 

Here is a list of the individuals named on the 1863 Carrousel goblet, along with their titles, associated noble houses, the century each house originated, and whether the house is extant today:

 

1. Archduke Albrecht of Austria (Albrecht Erzherzog von Österreich)

 

Title: Archduke of Austria

 

House: Habsburg-Lorraine

 

Origin Century: 13th century

 

Extant Today: Yes

 

 

2. Princess Auersperg-Colloredo (Fürstin Auersperg Colloredo)

 

Title: Princess

 

House: Auersperg (originated in the 12th century) and Colloredo (originated in the 14th century)

 

Extant Today: Yes

 

3. Archduke Ludwig Viktor of Austria (Ludwig Viktor Erzherzog von Österreich)

 

Title: Archduke of Austria

 

House: Habsburg-Lorraine

 

Origin Century: 13th century

 

Extant Today: Yes

 

4. Countess Buquoy von Oettingen-Wallerstein (Gräfin Buquoy von Oettingen-Wallerstein)

 

Title: Countess

 

House: Buquoy (originated in the 13th century) and Oettingen-Wallerstein (originated in the 12th century)

 

Extant Today: Yes

 

5. Archduke Wilhelm of Austria (Wilhelm Erzherzog von Österreich)

 

Title: Archduke of Austria

 

House: Habsburg-Lorraine

 

Origin Century: 13th century

 

Extant Today: Yes

 

6. Princess Hohenlohe-Trautmansdorff (Prinzessin Hohenlohe Trautmansdorff)

 

Title: Princess

 

House: Hohenlohe (originated in the 12th century) and Trautmansdorff (originated in the 14th century)

 

Extant Today: Yes

 

7. Archduke Leopold of Austria (Leopold Erzherzog von Österreich)

 

Title: Archduke of Austria

 

House: Habsburg-Lorraine

 

Origin Century: 13th century

 

Extant Today: Yes

 

8. Baroness Stauffenberg-Lobkowicz (Baronin Stauffenberg Lobkowicz)

 

Title: Baroness

 

House: Stauffenberg (originated in the 13th century) and Lobkowicz (originated in the 14th century)

 

Extant Today: Yes

 

9. Prince Kinsky (Fürst Kinsky)

 

Title: Prince

 

House: Kinsky (originated in the 13th century)

 

Extant Today: Yes

 

10. Countess Claudine Hohenstein (Gräfin Claudine Hohenstein)

 

Title: Countess

 

House: Hohenstein (originated in the 13th century)

 

Extant Today: No

 

11. Prince Vincenz Auersperg (Fürst Vincenz Auersperg)

 

Title: Prince

 

House: Auersperg (originated in the 12th century)

 

Extant Today: Yes

 

 

12. Countess Amalie Hohenstein (Gräfin Amalie Hohenstein)

 

Title: Countess

 

House: Hohenstein (originated in the 13th century)

 

Extant Today: No

 

 

13. Prince Lamoral Thurn und Taxis (Prinz Lamoral Thurn und Taxis)

 

Title: Prince

 

House: Thurn und Taxis (originated in the 12th century)

 

Extant Today: Yes

 

 

14. Princess Eleonore Schwarzenberg-Liechtenstein (Fürstin Eleonore Schwarzenberg Liechtenstein)

 

Title: Princess

 

House: Schwarzenberg (originated in the 12th century) and Liechtenstein (originated in the 12th century)

 

Extant Today: Yes

 

These individuals represent some of the most prominent noble families of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and its German counterparts in the mid-19th century.

 

Their participation in the 1863 Carrousel reflects the enduring significance of aristocratic traditions and the display of heraldic lineage during a period of societal transformation.

 

Several of the noble families whose coats of arms adorn the 1863 Carrousel Goblet continue to exist today, maintaining varying degrees of public presence, titles, and heritage management roles. Most prominent among them is the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, once the ruling dynasty of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Its current head is Karl von Habsburg (b. 1961), grandson of Emperor Charles I, the last sovereign of the empire before its dissolution in 1918. Karl is active in cultural heritage protection and European affairs, continuing his family’s tradition of transnational leadership—albeit in a different key.

 

The House of Auersperg, an ancient Slovenian-Austrian princely family dating to the 12th century, is also still extant. It is presently headed by Prince Franz Josef von Auersperg, and retains historic titles and cultural visibility. The House of Colloredo-Mannsfeld, with roots in the Italian nobility and a significant presence in Bohemia since the 17th century, is led today by Prince Hieronymus von Colloredo-Mannsfeld (b. 1949), known for stewarding his family’s Czech estates and supporting public cultural initiatives.

 

Likewise, the House of Oettingen-Wallerstein, which originated in Swabia in the Middle Ages, still maintains its status. Its current head, Prince Carl-Eugen, represents one of the few noble families in Germany to have retained substantial cultural holdings. The House of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, which dates to the 12th century, is led today by Prince Philipp (b. 1970), a descendant of Queen Victoria who represents a blend of German aristocracy and British royal connection.

 

The House of Stauffenberg, made famous by Claus von Stauffenberg and the failed 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler, continues under Count Franz Schenk von Stauffenberg. Though not princely, the family remains symbolically potent and engaged in public discourse. The House of Lobkowicz, one of Bohemia’s most storied dynasties, is now represented by William Lobkowicz, an American-born descendant who repatriated to the Czech Republic after the fall of Communism and actively manages several palaces and a world-class art collection.

 

Other families represented on the goblet include the House of Kinsky, still present in Austria and the Czech Republic, and the House of Schwarzenberg, whose current head Karl von Schwarzenberg (b. 1937) served as Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs and was a 2013 presidential candidate. The House of Liechtenstein, uniquely among them, remains a reigning dynasty: Hans-Adam II is the sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein, with his son, Hereditary Prince Alois, serving as regent since 2004.

 

Finally, the House of Thurn und Taxis, famed for its control of early European postal services, is led by Prince Albert II (b. 1983), a media-shy but active manager of the family's Bavarian holdings and cultural legacy.

 

Together, these surviving houses offer a glimpse into the long continuity of Europe’s hereditary elites—many of whom, though dethroned politically, continue to shape cultural memory, manage historical properties, and maintain symbolic importance in the post-monarchical world. The Carrousel Goblet thus not only commemorates a moment of 19th-century aristocratic pageantry but also serves as a heraldic echo chamber for dynasties that, in surprising ways, are still with us.

 

 

The 1863 Carrousel goblet, attributed to Anton Ambros Egermann of Haida (now Nový Bor, Czech Republic), is a striking example of Bohemian glass artistry.

 

Standing at 61.8 cm tall, this green glass goblet is adorned with multicolored enamel-painted coats of arms representing noble families from Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, commemorating a ceremonial equestrian event known as a carrousel.

 

🏭 Maker and Place of Origin

 

Anton Ambros Egermann (1814–1888) was the son of Friedrich Egermann, a renowned glass technologist who pioneered techniques such as red staining and lithyalin glass. Operating in Haida, a prominent center for glass production in Bohemia, Anton continued his father's legacy, producing high-quality enamelled glassware.

 

Bohemia emerged as a major center of glass production by the 17th century, and its prominence only grew in the centuries that followed. Several factors explain this ascendancy. The region's abundant natural resources were key: forests provided wood to fire glass furnaces, while nearby deposits of quartz, silica, and potash furnished the essential materials for high-quality glassmaking. This ready access to materials allowed for the establishment of numerous glassworks in remote areas, especially in the mountainous northern districts.

 

Equally important was the tradition of skilled craftsmanship and innovation that took root in Bohemia. Unlike the closely guarded secrets of Venetian glassmakers, Bohemian artisans developed and shared a wide range of decorative techniques—engraving, enameling, staining, and cutting—that made their work highly sought after across Europe. Egermann himself was central to this culture of innovation, introducing new methods such as red staining and lithyalin, which gave Bohemian glass a distinctive identity apart from its Italian and French competitors.

 

Bohemia's inclusion in the Habsburg Empire also played a crucial role. Imperial patronage and access to elite courts gave Bohemian glassmakers a ready market, while the empire’s internal trade networks helped distribute their products widely. By the 19th century, towns such as Haida (now Nový Bor) had become synonymous with fine glass, and manufacturers there proved especially adept at responding to changing fashions. They produced everything from ornate luxury wares to more affordable items for the rising bourgeoisie, cementing Bohemia’s status as a glassmaking powerhouse—a legacy that endures in Czech glassmaking today.

 

️ Materials and Techniques

 

The goblet was crafted from green glass and decorated using vitreous enamel—a technique involving the application of finely ground colored glass mixed with a binder onto the glass surface.

 

After painting, the piece was fired at a temperature sufficient to fuse the enamel to the glass without deforming the vessel. This method allowed for vibrant, durable, and intricate multicolored designs, showcasing the technical prowess of Bohemian glassmakers.

 

This type of object falls under the category of "carrousel goblets," ceremonial glassware produced to commemorate aristocratic equestrian events. Such goblets were typically owned by the nobility and high-ranking individuals who participated in or were associated with these events, serving both as souvenirs and symbols of status within the courtly culture of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

 

In summary, the 1863 Carrousel goblet exemplifies the intersection of artistry, tradition, and social hierarchy, reflecting the opulence and ceremonial customs of 19th-century European nobility.

 

The exact number of surviving 1863 Carrousel goblets attributed to Anton Ambros Egermann is not definitively documented.

 

However, given their commemorative nature and the prominence of the event they celebrate, it's plausible that multiple examples were produced and distributed among the participating nobility.

 

These goblets, adorned with enamel-painted coats of arms of noble families from Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, served both as souvenirs and symbols of status within the courtly culture of the time.

 

While specific counts are unavailable, such pieces occasionally appear in museum collections and auctions, indicating that several have been preserved over time.

 

Postscript: Color Origins in the Carrousel Goblet

 

The rich green hue of the goblet’s glass body is most likely the result of adding iron oxide to the glass mixture. In low concentrations, iron oxide produces pale blue-green tints; in higher concentrations or under reducing (low-oxygen) conditions in the furnace, it yields a deeper, bottle-green color. This was a traditional and widely used method in Central European glassmaking. Occasionally, small amounts of chromium oxide could be added for more vivid or stable greens, though this was less common before the late 19th century.

 

The vibrant enamel colors painted onto the surface of the goblet were created by mixing finely ground colored glass (called frit) with metal oxides and a binding medium. These enamels were applied cold and then fired at relatively low temperatures to fuse them to the glass without melting the base vessel. The specific hues were produced using different metal oxides:

 

Cobalt oxide → deep blue

 

Copper oxide → green to turquoise

 

Iron oxide → browns, yellows, and warm reds

 

Antimony or tin oxide → white (as an opacifier)

 

Lead-tin yellow → bright yellow

 

Gold chloride → ruby red (rare and costly)

 

Manganese dioxide → purples or amethyst tints

 

The resulting palette could be remarkably bright and durable, allowing artisans to depict complex heraldic imagery and courtly finery in lasting detail. These enamel pigments were a testament to the technical sophistication of Bohemian glassmakers and their ability to merge artistry with chemistry.

 

An enameled glass goblet differs significantly from stained glass in both technique and purpose, despite both involving the coloration of glass.

 

Enameled glass is created by painting the surface of a finished glass object with finely ground colored glass powders—called enamels—mixed with a liquid binder. This decorative layer is then fired at a relatively low temperature, allowing the enamel to fuse onto the glass without melting the vessel itself. The result is a vividly colored, often opaque or semi-opaque design that sits on the surface of the glass. This technique was especially popular in luxury tableware and presentation objects, such as the Carrousel goblet, where coats of arms and pictorial scenes could be rendered in precise detail.

 

In contrast, stained glass refers to colored glass made by adding metallic oxides directly into the molten glass during its formation. Each color is inherent to a separate piece of glass, which is later cut into shapes and assembled into a panel using strips of lead called cames. Artists could add painted details—such as facial features or folds of fabric—using grisaille or silver stain, and these were then kiln-fired to fix the design. Stained glass was primarily used for architectural purposes, especially in the windows of churches and palaces, and was designed to be viewed with light shining through it. The resulting effect is luminous and atmospheric, often narrative in content.

 

The two techniques also differ in how they interact with light and wear over time. Enameled glass is meant to be viewed by reflected light, and because the decoration sits on the surface, it can wear away with use or abrasion. Stained glass, on the other hand, is inherently colored throughout the material and is typically far more stable over centuries, provided it is protected from environmental damage.

 

In essence, enameled glass was meant for personal use and close inspection, often as an object of aristocratic display, while stained glass served a more public and spiritual function, casting colored light and visual storytelling into sacred or grand secular spaces.

 

 

This text is a collaboration with Chat GPT

 

 

 

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