Sophia Dorothea-pokalen
Artists:
- Heinrich Gottlieb Köhler
- Nøstetangen glassverkManufactured by
- Creation date: 1776
About
This engraved glass goblet has a unique and remarkable story. In fact, two stories: one of a dramatic escape, and another of its path back to Norway.
The “Sophia Dorothea goblet” was commissioned by Jacob Juel (1744–1800), who was a timber merchant and businessman. In 1776 a large ship built for Juel in Arendal was launched. The ship was christened the Sophia Dorothea, the same name that is engraved on this very goblet. On the opposite side is the three-masted full-rigged ship itself, bearing the Danish-Norwegian flag and the monogram of King Christian VII: C7. Each side of the oval name shield features a mythological figure: on the left Mercury, the god of trade, with a staff in his hand and wings on his helmet, and on the right Neptune, the god of the sea, holding his trident. The symbolism here signifies that the Sophia Dorothea was a merchant vessel. Jacob Juel planned to use the ship to transport valuable Norwegian timber to North America to sell.
Crime and flight
As a businessman, however, Jacob Juel lived a bit too dangerously. In 1774 he was appointed Government Paymaster; in other words he was in charge of Norway’s national treasury. The money in the treasury had been collected in Norway as taxes and duties on behalf of the government in Copenhagen. At a time when there was no banking system in the modern sense, anyone who wanted to invest had to borrow money from other sources. Juel yielded to the temptation of borrowing money from – naturally – the national treasury itself. In 1784 a deficit of 556,000 riksdaler was discovered, and when Juel was unable to replace that amount he was arrested and detained in Akershus Fortress. He managed to escape the night of 15 September, and fled over the border into Sweden with the aid of several accomplices and a carefully devised plan. He established himself as an ironworks owner in Värmland. Juel had powerful allies in his native country, who made a great effort to enable him to return to Norway, but they did not succeed. He remained in Sweden for the rest of his life.
Back to Norway
But what about the goblet? It was probably commissioned to mark the launching of the Sophia Dorothea, the ship that shared a name with both Juel’s wife and his mother. It was customary to design valuable goblets of this type to commemorate important events such as weddings, anniversaries or the formal opening of a new house. The goblet was used for making toasts, and was passed around the table to use when paying tribute to guests and hosts with speeches and toasting songs. The richly detailed, narrative decoration was engraved by Heinrich Gottlieb Köhler, who worked as an engraver at Nøstetangen Glassworks, where the goblet was made. Juel’s family most likely brought the goblet with them when they joined him in Sweden. The goblet was entirely unknown in Norway when, after 200 years, it appeared on a Swedish TV programme in 1996, and in 1998 it was borrowed for the exhibition “Skål for Norge!” [“A Toast to Norway!”] at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Oslo. At an auction at Sotheby’s in London in 2010, the goblet was purchased by a Norwegian buyer, who then sold it to the National Museum. This is how the dramatic story of the goblet ended with its return home – at last.
- Creation date:
- 1776
- Other titles:
- Sophia Dorothea-pokalen (NOR)
- Object type:
- Pokal
- Materials and techniques:
- Blåst glass med gravert dekor
- Material:
- Glass
- Dimensions:
- Height: 34.7 cm
- Diameter: 12.6 cm
- Keywords:
- Tableware, Tableware
- Classification:
- 264.2 - Spising og spiseredskaper, 272 - Drikker, 323.6 - Glassproduksjon, 323.61 - Glassblåser, 531.51 - Glassgravør
- Motif:
- Maritime
- Motif - type:
- Architectural, Boat study
- Style period:
- Rococco
- Motif - person:
- Juel, Jacob (owner), Christian 7 av Danmark og Norge (monogram, initials, coat of arms, name in inscription)
- Production place:
- Nøstetangen, Norge
- Inventory no.:
- nmk.2010.0022
- Cataloguing level:
- Complex object/artwork
- Acquisition:
- Kjøpt 2010
- Owner and collection:
- Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design, The Design Collections
- Photo:
- Anne Hansteen
Nasjonalmuseet's collection catalogue is a living resource of information gathered since the 1830's. Some records may contain language or ideas that today could be perceived as outdated, offensive or discriminatory with regard to for instance gender, sexuality, ethnicity or disability, and that may be at odds with the museum's values regarding equality and diversity.
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Other works by Heinrich Gottlieb Köhler
PokalHeinrich Gottlieb KöhlerMellom 1751 og 1756
PokalHeinrich Gottlieb KöhlerMellom 1752 og 1756
Struensee-serienNøstetangen glassverk, Heinrich Gottlieb Köhler1770
Wine glassHeinrich Gottlieb Köhler, Nøstetangen glassverk1770
Omsted-pokalenHeinrich Gottlieb Köhler, Nøstetangen glassverk1768
PokalNøstetangen glassverk, Heinrich Gottlieb KöhlerMellom 1765 og 1770
Sophie Magdalene-pokalenHeinrich Gottlieb Köhler, Nøstetangen glassverkCa. 1760
No I. JordbrukNøstetangen glassverk, Heinrich Gottlieb Köhler1771
No X. KanonstøperiNøstetangen glassverk, Heinrich Gottlieb Köhler1771
Fiske No IIINøstetangen glassverk, Heinrich Gottlieb KöhlerMellom 1770 og 1777
Jakt No IIINøstetangen glassverk, Heinrich Gottlieb KöhlerMellom 1770 og 1777
Handel No VIINøstetangen glassverk, Heinrich Gottlieb KöhlerMellom 1770 og 1777
Other works by Nøstetangen glassverk
Wine glassNøstetangen glassverkFør 1759
SmørkoppNøstetangen glassverkSiste halvdel av 1700-tallet
KurvNøstetangen glassverk1753-1772
PokalNøstetangen glassverk1770-tallet
Wine glassNøstetangen glassverk1743
Wine glassNøstetangen glassverkMellom 1741 og 1777- MuggeNøstetangen glassverk1750-1777
Wine glassNøstetangen glassverkMellom 1765 og 1799
Wine glassNøstetangen glassverkMellom 1748 og 1753
KanneNøstetangen glassverkMellom 1766 og 1777
PokalNøstetangen glassverk1749
SukkerdrysseNøstetangen glassverkMellom 1753 og 1770
















































































