Nachtmann - Drinking set (4) - Crystal

Set of four wine glasses/Römer in glassware with a two-layer, lead-crystal lining. An inner transparent layer is coated by an outer layer in intense cobalt blue, green, orange and purple. The pattern is created by carving into the colored layer to reveal the clear crystal beneath. It features motifs from wine tradition: a grape cluster, finely tooled vine leaves, and geometric tendrils. The stem is monumental, hexagonal, and richly faceted in geometric shapes, designed to reflect and refract light. The circular base sits on the ground and is edged with a starburst, carved in a star pattern. This is a high-level manufacture specialized in hand-ground lead crystal. Glassware of this exact silhouette and quality has historically been produced in the Germany region (Bavaria) or the Czech Republic (Bohemia). Produced by Nachtmann glassworks. Era: Second half of the 20th century (roughly the 1960s/1970s). Nachtmann is one of the most important manufacturers in Germany, closely tied to the artisanal mastery of Bavaria. The company was founded in 1834 by master glassmaker Michael Nachtmann under the name F.X. Nachtmann. Initially, production began in small glassworks (Hütten) scattered in the suggestive and wooded Bavarian Forest region (a historically rich area in timber and silica, ideal raw materials for glass). The first historic sites were Unterhütte, Ödhütte and Seebachhütte. In 1900, the company was acquired by Zacharias Frank, who made a crucial decision for brand expansion: he moved the headquarters to Neustadt an der Waldnaab (in the Upper Palatinate). This city would become the true “cradle” of Nachtmann crystal and the historical seat of the company for over a century. The bombings of World War II severely damaged the production facilities. In 1945, with great tenacity, Nachtmann rebuilt the Neustadt and Riedlhütte factories, specializing and perfecting the formula for Bleikristall (lead crystal with 24% lead). It was in this prosperous postwar period (specifically the 1940s/50s) that the Traube model was born (the goblet in your possession). With its cut on color-mashed glass and the majestic hexagonal stem, it immediately became the firm’s absolute bestseller, turning into a status symbol in European bourgeois homes and a timeless classic for over 75 years. In 1983, a technologically advanced plant was inaugurated in Weiden, combining industrial production with manual finishing. In 1995, Nachtmann acquired the historic Amberg site from the famous porcelain company Rosenthal, further expanding the capacity to produce high-end crystal goblets. In 2004, the Austrian glass giant Riedel acquired 100% of Nachtmann. Under Riedel, Nachtmann has become the group’s “lifestyle” brand, keeping the brand identity intact: producing Bavarian luxury crystal at accessible prices, blending the ancient art of manual engraving with modern ecological techniques (the factory today is ISO 14001 certified for environmental protection). Size: height 21 x diameter 7.3 cm. Fun fact about your goblet: Nachtmann vintage “Traube” goblets like yours are regarded as masterpieces of Central European craftsmanship precisely because, unlike modern machine-made lines, they were mouth-blown by a team of glassmakers and then ground entirely by hand by engravers who spent years mastering the precision needed to avoid cracking the crystal during grinding under pressure.