Museum visitors can now see replicas of three glass goblets bearing the Radziwill family coat of arms. The surviving originals are kept in museums in New York and Warsaw. The Naliboki manufactory was established in the 18th century, where local craftsmen mastered foreign techniques and quickly became skilled in glass molding and engraving.
«Glassware produced in Naliboki was sometimes regarded more highly than Saxon or Bohemian glass. It was an achievement of the highest caliber, comparable to the renowned Slutsk belts,» Boris Lazuko said
Craftsmen at the Naliboki manufactory worked with ordinary and multilayered colored glass, including ruby glass, and also produced crystal.
«Naliboki craftsmen developed their own ceremonial goblet distinguished by the elegant proportions of its bowl, stem and foot,» the expert explained
The replicas on display were created by cutters, engravers and artists from the Neman Glassworks, whose specialists produced the molds, cast the glass and applied the decorative engraving that gives each piece its finished appearance.
At its peak, the Naliboki manufactory produced a wide variety of items, including not only wine glasses, goblets, forks and spoons, but also special plates for serving fruit and vegetables, which were highly fashionable in the 19th century.
«The manufactory also produced mirrors, personalized tableware and commemorative goblets marking important occasions such as weddings and other significant alliances. Overall, its goods can be divided into several categories: luxury tableware, commemorative and gift items, and so-called novelty tableware. The novelty tableware had distinctive features. For example, some drinking glasses had a bowl and stem but no foot, meaning they had to be emptied before being set down, otherwise the drink would spill onto the floor or ground, which was considered an insult to the host. These glasses were called perakulyanka (from the Belarusian verb meaning ’to tip over’). Other pieces had two drinking openings, with liquid spilling from the second opening when someone tried to drink, which people of the time found amusing,» the expert said
Boris Lazuko emphasized that a replica is not an exact copy, but rather an interpretation inspired by photographs of original museum pieces.
Photo courtesy of the Research Museum of Belarusian Art and Culture of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus«Those who created these replicas successfully conveyed the shape, decoration and character of the originals,» he concluded.
