Wine goblet

Showing a genre scene of three women seated at a table, this goblet is engraved with a toast to the well-being of Johanna Francisca de Roij (1734–1816). Born into a Roman Catholic family in Amsterdam, in 1765 she married Johannes Baptist Theodorus van Eeckhout (1737–1798) who adhered to the same religious beliefs. Glasses were frequently engraved in honor of family occasions such as birthdays, engagements, weddings, and childbirth. It is not clear for which event this glass was commissioned. Given the fact that the fiancé and later husband of Johanna Francisca is absent, it probably was not made for their engagement or wedding. Johanna Francisca is presumably the center figure; the two women flanking her are thought to be her sisters.

Although the maker is unknown, the goblet was most likely embellished in Amsterdam where Johanna Francisca de Roij was baptized and where she later married. The decoration shows the artist to have been highly skilled in the difficult technique of wheel engraving. Using a lathe, the engraver held the goblet with both hands against the underside of a rotating wheel, coated with abrasive powder, to cut into the surface of the glass. Differently sized wheels were selected to create different effects. Certain areas are highly polished, such as the samovar and cups and saucers on the table, giving them the appearance of shiny precious metal or porcelain.

On the side opposite the domestic scene, is a small concave circular lens surrounded by a radiant pattern to focus the viewer on the face of the protagonist.