WELCOME CUP SHAPED AS A GUN
- Osredek, Croatia, 1882
- colourless glass
- length: 40 cm
- The welcome cup featured at the International Show held in Trieste in 1882.
The European glass making witnessed an abrupt development in the 19th c. Machines, new working methods, and many new glass types were being introduced into production. The European trend of reopening old and establishing new glassworks was joined by Croatia as well, particularly under influence of the Illyrian Movement.
The glassworks in Osredek were founded in 1839 by baroness Vilhemina Kulmer, a brave and entreprising woman, whose estate had all the makings of a successful business because it included large forests, while there was sufficient white quartz in the area as well.
Apart from all kinds of utility glass objects, the glassworks were also producing unique luxury items. They were displayed in bourgeois living-room cabinets, as was customary at the time. The Osredek glassworks' most characteristic product were the welcome cups. They were used for welcoming guests with wine. Apart from those of simple shapes, there were also bizarre forms such as guns - the so called "Croatian Welcome Cups", boots, or barrels. The Osredek glassworks were put in operation at the peak of the Croatian Illyrian Movement. It was only natural therefore that they were producing glasses with patriotic inscriptions, the Illyrian coat of arms or that of the Triune Kingdom. As time went by, the glassworks were changing owners, but their business was nevertheless successful, so that they even appeared at the International Show held in Trieste in 1882; the Millenial Show held in Budapest in 1896, and the World Show held in Paris in 1900. The glassworks in Osredek were closed down in 1904.