1985.R.261.a-b, Footed Dish, Bohemia, c. 1730-1750

Bohemia is the only European glass-making region that rivaled the fame of Venice. Rich in woodlands that could fuel the industry , the region (now in the Czech Republic) has been producing glass since the Middle Ages. By the 16th and 17th centuries, Bohemian glass dominated the northern European trade. Furthermore, adjacent areas like Silesia (part of Bohemia until 1742) worked in the Bohemian idiom. Such a transfer of style and technical skill was possible because glassworkers often moved from furnace to furnace in and outside the country. As a result, much of the glass made in Germany, Austria, Russia, Scandinavia, and the Netherlands is closely related to Bohemian products. 

This footed dish reflects the importance of Bohemian glass in the 17th and 18th centuries. Bohemia produced many shell-shaped dishes. During the Renaissance, such pieces carved from rock crystal were highly prized. By the 17th and 18th centuries, glass examples were being produced to satisfy demand. The faceted stem and radiating cutting on the foot seen here are characteristic of Bohemian examples, as is the cut decoration on the shell. 

Dallas Museum of Art, Decorative Arts Highlights from the Wendy and Emery Reves Collection (Dallas, Texas: Dallas Museum of Art, 1995), 79.

Until 1985: Emery Reves (1904-1983) and Wendy Reves (1916-2007) (owned jointly), La Pausa, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France [1]

From 1985: Dallas Museum of Art, The Wendy and Emery Reves Collection, gift of Wendy Reves (1916-2007) [1]

[1] According to: Olivier Meslay and Martha MacLeod, From Chanel to Reves (Dallas, Texas: Dallas Museum of Art, 2015), 4-5.