Standing cup with cover 1835 - 1855

This standing cup with cover was crafted in the 19th century by August Böhm, using clear glass. Its form and decoration are laden with symbols echoing through time. The shape itself, a vessel elevated on a stem, evokes ancient chalices used in sacred rituals. The wheel-engraved frieze featuring deer and foliage represents nature's bounty. The deer, a symbol of regeneration and renewal, harkens back to pagan and early Christian art. Consider how these motifs have traversed history, evolving yet retaining their core essence. The deer, once a symbol of the hunt in classical antiquity, became associated with spiritual purity. We see how such symbols, deeply embedded in our collective memory, resurface in new contexts, their meanings subtly altered by the passage of time. These images, charged with emotional weight, tap into subconscious associations, engaging us on a profound level. The cyclical progression of symbols like the deer, and forms like the chalice, demonstrates how images evolve, resurface, and acquire new meanings across time, connecting us to the past in unexpected ways.