Sophia Dorothea-pokalen
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Artists:
- Heinrich Gottlieb Köhler
- Nøstetangen glassverk (Manufactured by)
- Creation date: 1776
- Object type: Pokal
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.
Sources
Randi Gaustad, Skål for Norge! Nøstetangens spennende billedverden [A Toast to Norway! Nøstetangen’s Exciting World of Images]. Oslo 1998.
Norsk biografisk leksikon [Norwegian Biographical Encyclopedia], article on Jacob Juel.
Artists/producers
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Nøstetangen glassverk
Glassworks
Nøstetangen Glassverk holds a very special place in the history of Norwegian glass. It was the first professional glassworks in Norway. Nøstetangen was the only producer of fine glasswares in the country at the time.
Nøstetangen glassworks was located in Hokksund near Drammen. It was established to utilise Norwegian natural resources in industrial production. The Norske Kompani (full name Det Kongelig Allernaadigst Octroyerede Nordske Compagnie) was founded in Copenhagen in 1739. "Octroyerede" indicates that the company was granted royal privileges or a right or permission which only the king could bestow. The company's mission was to establish Norwegian industries in different sectors, but most of its projects remained in the planning stage. The glassworks were an important exception.
Clear glass and green glass
As the production of glass demanded large amounts of fuel, it was established in Norway, a sparsely populated land with large tracts of forest. Nøstetangen supplied fine table glassware to all of Denmark–Norway, including to the king in Copenhagen and the Danish nobility. This type of glassware was referred to as ‘clear glass’ (‘hvittglass’) to distinguish it from the green and brown glass (‘grøntglass’) used to produce utility items such as bottles. Imports of foreign glassware were banned between 1760 and 1803, leaving the Norwegian glassworks with a monopoly on supplying Denmark–Norway with high quality glasswares. Nevertheless, we know that foreign glass was imported illegally during this period, from Germany, England and elsewhere.
Nøstetangen and European glass
Nøstetangen's monopoly reflected the economic ideas in Europe in the 18th century. This is referred to as mercantilism, and was based on protecting national industry and value creation through policies such as tariffs and privileges. This does not mean, however, that Nøstetangen's glassware did not derive inspiration from abroad. On the contrary, the Nøstetangen's designs were largely based on the styles and techniques of Venitian, English and German glass, all of which represented flourishing glassware industries. The first glass foundry at Nøstetangen was started with German expertise, and the finest glass produced resembled English lead crystal. In 1755, the Norske Kompaniet sent Morten Wærn to England to conduct industrial espionage. Wærn was imprisoned, but managed to lure the English glassblower James Keith to Nøstetangen. Keith brought with him knowledge and techniques from the English glassware industry.
In the same way, the German engraver Heinrich Gottlieb Köhler emigrated from Germany via Copenhagen to Nøstetangen. Köhler was a highly skilled engraver, and decorated many of the beautiful objects preserved from Nøstetangen. Köhler's apprentice Villas Vinter, whom we believe to be Norwegian, also worked as an engraver at Nøstetangen until around 1770. He later worked for the glassworks at Hurdal, but was not a permanent employee there.
The golden age of goblets
One product that is still strongly associated with Nøstetangen is the lidded goblet. A goblet is a large drinking vessel that passed from guest to guest when making toasts. Theyusually had lids, though these may not always have survived. At Nøstetangen the top of the lid was often designed as a hooped crown, as you can see here (link to OK-1994-0089). The goblets could be elaborately engraved with pictures and text that commemorated important events or occasions. Towards the end of the 18th century, the lidded goblet fell out of use in Norway, somewhat later than in continental Europe.
The glassworks at Nøstetangen was closed in 1777, and production was moved to Hurdal, where it continued until 1808. One of the major reasons for the move was the glassworks' need for better local access to fuel. Although the techniques, expertise and glassware models from Nøstetangen were continued at Hurdal, production here was simpler and less expensive.
Work info
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