The Hedwig Glasses - A Saintly Enigma National American Glass Club Seminar Baltimore, Maryland Francis N. Allen May 20, 2003 Introduction: It’s not easy to speak before a group of collectors and motivate their interest about glass that is so incredibly rare that no one can collect it. As for what do I collect in its regard? - Only information about it. Let me start off with a quote. “These are puzzling vessels insofar as they form a tightly coherent group but are unlike any other medieval objects of glass or rock crystal, whether from the Islamic world, Byzantium, or Western Christendom … Despite the puzzling aspects of the Hedwig beakers, two things are known about them: WHERE they were found or first recorded, and approximately WHEN they were made.” (David Whitehouse Exhibition Catalog for Glass of the Sultans, 2001 (p. 160)) WHO WAS SAINT HEDWIG? The Bavarian village of Andechs - lying midway between Munich and the Alps to the south - is a pilgrimage site known for its Benedictine Cloister and Church of the Holy Mountain plus - its commanding view over an azure lake, the Ammersee. Andechs is also a resort area and is known for a really great beer. Historically, the Holy Mountain was the ancestral seat of the Counts of Andechs, a line spanning barely a hundred years and all but lost to obscurity. Andechs occupies a seldom-visited corner of glass history - it was the birthplace of Saint Hedwig, Duchess of Silesia and Poland - and after whom, a series of very famous glasses was named. 03 Hedwig was born in 1174. She was one of three daughters born to Agnes and Berthold 4th, Count of Andechs and Duke of Meran. At an early age Hedwig was placed in a monastery and when she was twelve taken to marry Henry, Duke of Silesia, himself eighteen at the time. The couple lived and governed at the ducal capital of Wroclaw in Lower Silesia, in present-day Poland. They had seven children of whom only one, Gertrud, survived their mother. Hedwig was a devout woman who dedicated her life to God, helping those less fortunate, giving to the poor and performing other works of charity. She often fasted and engaged in strict self-denial. A legend associated with Hedwig wherein Henry, aware of her fasting, was told she took only water with her meals instead of wine. Concerned, Henry immediately went to her table and tasted her cup. He found it to contain wine, although she had filled it with water. It was in such a glass as we speak of today that the miracle was supposed to have happened. The earliest record of the miracle occurs in the Hedwigs Codex of 1353 as shown on your left. The illustration on your right is a woodcut of the same event by Konrad Baumgarten in 1504. Hedwig was canonized by Clement 4th in 1267. WHAT ARE THE HEDWIG GLASSES? The Hedwig Glasses are a unique set, carved in high relief and, for decades, thought to be of Islamic origin, especially of the Fatimid period (970–1171). However, more recently, a theory has emerged that they were actually produced in Europe. I share that theory from the sheer weight of evidence based mainly on find spots and iconography – all comfortably within Europe. Since at least the thirteenth century these glasses have been revered as holy. Some were fitted with elaborate silver or gilded mounts and used as reliquaries to hold sacred objects or otherwise they resided as the prized possessions of church treasuries throughout Europe. In all, twenty- eight Hedwig glasses are believed to have existed. Despite a thousand years of their existence virtually all that has been written about the Hedwig glasses has occurred during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In 1891 Eugen von Czihack was the first to write about them as a group, followed by Robert Schmidt in 1910 and, lastly, by Carl Johan Lamm in 1930 – shown on the left is a page from his monumental work with the equally monumental title, Mittelalterliche Gläser und Steinschnittarbeiten aus dem Nahen Osten. Except for my research, published in 1987, most information about the Hedwig Glasses today is published in languages other than English and few scholars have treated the broader view of their origins and histories. WHERE ARE THE HEDWIG GLASSES? – Let me briefly review for you where the Hedwig Glasses are today - where they have been found or where they were supposed to be. Each glass is a story in itself but time limits the telling. However, we’ll be revisiting some of these images during the talk. Minden, Germany – There is a Hedwig glass in the treasury of the Cathedral at Minden, in Westphalia, Germany, and it has been there for centuries. However, its earliest record dates only to 1823 when it was recorded as “...an old chalice full of relics.” Krakow, Poland - On your left is the Wawel Cathedral, which is part of the Royal Castle complex and dates from 1142. Its treasury houses a priceless collection of immense historical significance to Poland including the Krakow Hedwig glass as shown on your right. Amsterdam - The Hedwig glass now at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, has been there only since 1875. Prior to joining the museum's collection, it resided with the families of the Princes of Nassau- Orange, descendants of Stadtholders at Oranje Woud in the Province of Friesland. Nuremberg - The Hedwig glass at the Germanisches National Museum originally surfaced in Switzerland in 1875, later it was taken to Stuttgart, Germany. Lorenz Gedon, a German sculptor and architect bought the glass for 45 guilders (about $200) after he learned "...a foreigner had made a higher offer for it." Gedon gave it to the Germanisches Museum in where it occupies a case unto itself today. Corning - The Corning Hedwig glass first came to light around 1820 during repairs to the sacristy of the cathedral at Halberstadt, in the former East Germany. It was acquired by a commissioner of police and, eventually, came into possession of a bookbinder in Hartzberg who is said to have used it as a glue pot. The glass later turned up in Erfurt and eventually purchased by Alexandrine de Rothschild, of the banking family. In 1967 it was auctioned at Sotheby’s and the Corning Museum of Glass was the lucky bidder. Wroclaw, Poland (formerly Breslau) - The history of the Wroclaw Hedwig glass can be traced to a sixteenth century repository at the Wroclaw Town Hall. This glass is held as one of at least three directly associated with Saint Hedwig. It subsequently became part of the collection of the Museum of Silesian Antiquities. According to a museum catalog of 1872 the Wroclaw Hedwig was described as “A large glass, with a silver enclosure borne underneath by three kneeling angels. Saint Hedwig is supposed to have used this glass.” Unfortunately, the Wroclaw Hedwig glass disappeared in 1944 and presumed to have been destroyed, along with the rest of the city. According to Grünhagen (in 1871) there were two Hedwig glasses in Wroclaw, the home of Henry and Hedwig. We’ll cover the second later in this talk. Halberstadt – The aforementioned Cathedral at Halberstadt, shown on your left, still houses one of a pair known to have been there. This one remains in the Cathedral treasury; the other is at The Corning Museum of Glass. This old photograph, on your right, clearly shows its abstract design. Asseburg, Brakel, Germany - The Asseburg Hedwig glass, on your left, was “lost” since World War II, however, it surfaced late last year and was purchased by a German collector. It has since been loaned to the Corning Museum of Glass where it is on display today. According to a privately published history By Count Rothkirch of Hinnenburg, there were three such glasses in the Asseburg family. The second, or your right, the Hinnenburg Hedwig glass, shares the same family tradition as its companion. It, too, was purchased by the same collector and loaned to the Corning Museum. What sets the Hinnenburg beaker apart from all other recognized Hedwig glasses is that it is completely plain. If the Hinnenburg beaker stems from the same source as the other Hedwigs, it is an uncut one - left as it was when broken from the punty. Nysa, Poland - According to tradition the Nysa Hedwig Glass, is one of the three believed to have belonged to Saint Hedwig. For a time the glass was at Opole but was returned to Nysa for permanent installation in the museum there. Its earliest date of record is the date 1578 engraved on its first mounting along with a likeness of Saint Hedwig enclosed in a medallion. That mounting was replaced with one completely enclosing it when the glass was shattered sometime before 1750. Coburg, Germany - In the collection of Veste Coburg, as shown here, is a famous Hedwig glass with a well documented past placing it as close to the revered Saint as few others. This glass is said to have belonged to Elizabeth of Hungary (later canonized) , who lived from 1207 to 1231. She was the daughter of Gertrud and niece of St. Hedwig – the glass descended through the House of Wettin in Thuringia and came to be known as Elizabeth's Glass. The slide on your left, which is a copy of one I received from Sean McNalley, is a panel depicting St. Elizabeth which is part of a triptych that John La Farge installed in the Caldwell House chapel, Newport, Rhode Island in 1887. It was moved in the early thirties to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Fall River, Massachusetts where it is presently set in a small convent chapel. It depicts the legend of the roses wherein Elizabeth, forbidden to take food to the villagers, was stopped by her husband Louis 4th. When he pulled the cover from her basket he discovered it was full of roses. That event resulted in his conversion. Later the glass was called Luther's Glass after Martin Luther (1483-1546), also a previous owner. Martin is the portrait on the right in this slide taken in his bedroom at Veste Coburg where… …the glass is presently incased in that mighty fortress. Namur, Belgium – The only pair of Hedwig Glasses in existence - one each in the figurative and abstract groups – the figurative on your left and the abstract on your right, is cared for by the Sisters of Notre Dame in Namur. They are part of The Treasure of Saint Nicolas d'Oignies sur Sambre and their history centers around one Jacques de Vitry who lived between 1170 and 1240, It is said he may have sent these glasses in 1224, along with other treasures, from Acre, Syria, where he had become a Bishop. If true, this would provide the only middle-eastern provenance for such glasses. London - This Hedwig glass is at the British Museum and is the first twentieth century discovery for such a glass. According to the Museum the earliest record of its existence places it in Thuringia, Germany around the First World War where it is alleged to have belonged to a minister. It surfaced in 1949 in a private German collection and purchased by the British Museum in 1959 from Dublin-based antique dealers who acquired the glass in Switzerland. Novogrudok, Belarus - Excavations between 1956 and 1963 near Novogrudok, no too far from Minsk, in present-day Belarus, yielded a great variety of artifacts, including about 2/3 of a Hedwig glass. Also recovered was a fragment of a second Hedwig Glass at a nearby dig, plus what may have been a piece of an unworked glass. The Novogrudok finds led to Russian speculation that all such glasses were made in that region. This begins the archaeological period for the Hedwig Glasses.  Weinsberg, Germany - Between 1959 and 1961 restoration of the remains of Weibertreu Castle resulted in the recovery of over 33,000 artifacts. Among them were two shards of honey-yellow glass carved in high relief. It has since been determined that the shards represent pieces of yet another Hedwig glass to be discovered in the 20th century. Pistoia, Italy – Three contiguous pieces comprising about 1/3 of another Hedwig glass were discovered in 1984 during archeological excavations in the Tuscan City of Pistoia. The finds were made at the site of the ancient Palace of the Bishops in stratum dating from the thirteenth century. Burgundy, France - An ancient undated and untitled inventory at the Archives de Lille, provides a very detailed account of the belongings of Phillip the Good, in the slide on your left, who lived from 1419 to 1467 and, his son, Charles The Bold, who lived from 1433 to 1477. Of the 1,987 items attributed to the household, one, no. 2753 ??, undoubtedly refers to a Hedwig glass,“ Item, a cut glass of an eagle, of griffon and of a double crown, finished in silver, half gilded and half plain…” A weight was also given, in an old French system, which is comparable with that of a Hedwig Glass. The combination of images cited in the account appears on no other known Hedwig glass. Although the actual glass has not yet surfaced, this record was too good to ignore. On your right is the Minden glass’ palmette, which also has been described as a double crown. Loreto - The likely existence of a Hedwig glass at Loreto, in the Ancona region of Italy, as shown on your left, is based almost entirely on a single letter, dated February 2, 1614. The letter was from Archduke Carl of Austria in Nysa who was also the Bishop Wroclaw of, to Duke Christian Johann von Brieg (1609 to 1639). In the letter the bishop tells of a glass that "once belonged to St. Hedwig." It was shown to him during a visit to the duke's palace in Ohlau, Poland, and, with the local count's permission, he took the glass and requested permission to retain it. Grünhagen states this glass was one of two in Wroclaw. Later research by Joseph Gottschalk in 1955, places the glass at Loreto, in the Church of the Holy House. The Holy House itself is enclosed by the present-day church, shown on your right. No Hedwig Glass exists there today, however, a church inventory dated between 1660 to 1690 does list “…a beaker of St. Hedwig.” St. Adalbert, Wroclaw, Poland – Equally enigmatic as the Loreto Hedwig is the alleged Hedwig Glass of St. Adelbert’s church in Wroclaw. An inventory, dated 1524, at the Dominican Monastery in Wroclaw included a Hedwig Glass at St. Adelbert's Church in that city as follows: “Item: Saint Hedwig glass with a silver base and top.” Ewald Walter thoroughly researched this bit of history in 1975 and has reasonably concluded that such a glass did – in fact – exist at St. Adelbert’s Church. It is, most likely, one of the two known to have existed in that city. Budapest – As shown on your left, a single fragment of a Hedwig Glass was reported among artifacts recovered during post World War II archeological excavations in Budapest, Hungary. The shard, dating from the second half of the 12th century, represents part of the upper breast of an eagle, characteristic of those on Hedwig glasses, as shown on this Amsterdam Hedwig Glass on your right. An account of this find was published in the Journal of Glass Studies from which the illustration on the left was taken.  Göttingen, Germany - Another fragment of a Hedwig glass was unearthed in Göttingen, in 1984, in the area of the Stadtburg Welfs. Although this, too, is but a single shard, its identification with the famous series is reinforced by its color (smoky-topaz) and a high relief carving of part of a stylized palmette similar to the central motif of other Hedwig Glasses. Hilpoltstein, Germany – The fragments of three distinctly different Hedwig Glasses were excavated at the 12th century site of noble landowners. One bluish fragment indicates the glass bore an eagle. Another shard is colorless and bears part of a griffon, as shown on this slide of the London Hedwig Glass on your right. The third is yellowish with details of an abstract figure. The combination of designs and color indicates these fragments to represent three different Hedwig glasses. Oberursel – Germany – The last glass is the Oberursel fragment, which is colorless. I have no slide for this glass fragment, however, it has been described as somewhat plain except for some cross- hatching - and cannot be tied to a known figurative or abstract Hedwig Glass at this time.  Two other so-called Hedwig Glasses, one at Hocheltern, in Germany, on your left, and another at the Kestner Museum in Hannover, on your right were originally included in the group. Their histories parallel those of the Hedwig Glasses, however, since their iconography is different and are carved of rock crystal, I have chosen to exclude them from this discussion. I have examined the one on your right, which appears to be a lamp. The Hedwig Glasses could have been produced in Syria, or Egypt or Persia, and, the cutting technology supports that. But, as I’ve said before, the weight of evidence, that is, where whole or fragmentary samples have been found, goes against that proposition as the slide on your right shows. The story of Jaques De Vitry notwithstanding, the total lack of material evidence, argues against their having been produced in the Levant or North Africa. The slide on your left shows the larger region of the Islamic world surrounding the find spots as we know them today (R. Lierke slide). Basil Gray, Former Keeper of Oriental Antiquities at the British Museum, originally ascribed a Syrian origin for the Hedwig glasses in 1969. However, he later developed an alternative theory moving their provenance to Sicily where they may have been ordered by Frederick II, the Norman King who had lived in Palermo. Gray’s argument was based largely on the glasses’ iconography and he presented these later thoughts at the Basel Colloquium in 1988. It should be noted that the Corning Hedwig Glass was omitted form their exhibition Glass of the Sultans in 2001. WHY WERE THEY MADE? Hedwig Glasses seem to have originally been grouped into pairs. This pairing, one with figurative, that is, zoomorphic iconography, for example, lions, eagles and griffons and the other - with abstract designs, consisting of, swags, loops and palmettes. An attractive suggestion for this combination - for me at least - is that the glasses were made for presentation to male and female members respectively of noble couples. I believe they were presentation pieces for services rendered or for deeds to nation or sovereign. Weddings are another possibility. Good candidates for original pairings are: Corning and Halberstadt (note missing glass in the monstrance in the slide on your right) Wroclaw and St. Adalbert Nysa and Loreto. On the right the Holy House is depicted in this mural being borne by angels. Namur numbers 11 and 12 (presently a pair) Novogrudok and the “other fragment” At least two of the three Hilpoltstein finds Another set theory arises from design features. It is impossible to determine the number of individual artisans or workshops involved with the production of the Hedwig glasses, nor the period over which they were produced; the differences in each suggest a number of possibilities. Being made by hand no two vessels are exactly alike; they differ in detail and size. However, within the figurative group, as shown in these lions, there exist similarities allowing grouping into sets of common origin. So far, at least four sets are distinguishable. Set 1 - Namur (11), on your left and Minden on the right: The pattern of parallel cuts forming the animal's fur is nearly identical on both glasses. Most noticeable is the elongated "V" shaped series of grooves extending from the top of the lion's back to the top of their front legs, a pattern not found on other glasses. Also, the front legs are cut as longer and more graceful than on other glasses. The shields of the Minden and Namur glasses are close, each with gently bowed tops and containing a single triangle. Set 2 - Krakow, on your left and Nuremberg on the right. As in the previous set, the grooved patterns of the animal's fur are similarly arranged and the lion's legs on both glasses are cut alike. The shields on these glasses are close, each with somewhat sharply arched tops and containing single triangles. The nearness of the shields to the lions' tails on both glasses should be noted. Set 3 - Amsterdam, on your left and Corning (on your right). As before, similarly arranged fur patterns are the factors bringing these three glasses together. Also, the look-alike complexity of their shield designs is another linking factor. Another glass falling into this set is the Wroclaw Hedwig Glass. Set 4 – London, on your left and Novogrudok: The similarity between these two pieces was noticed early on following the excavation of the latter. Not only are the fur patterns similarly arranged on both pieces, the overall style of cutting is quite close - note the way in which the animal's feet and legs are represented by graceful sweeping cuts near the foot ring. Shields: As I previously mentioned, a variety of shield designs occur on Hedwig glasses – often varying in complexity depending on the size of the glass. The larger the piece, the more field there is for design. Shown in the slide on your right are the different shields found on the Hedwig glasses depicting lions. On your right is an example of their placement. Perhaps individual groups were (a) the products of a single craftsman or workshop or, (b) one glass was used as a model for another made at a later time. It has already been suggested that some of the glasses may be copies. WHEN WERE THEY MADE? There is ample evidence to support dating, that they were made sometime between the 10th through the 12th centuries based on appearance and decorative techniques. Both factors compare well with their individual histories. 1 MINDEN For centuries. First recorded 1823 2 KRAKOW 14th C. 3 AMSTERDAM First recorded 1643 4 NUREMBERG Found in 1875 5 CORNING Discovered in 1820 6 WROCLAW Centuries, recorded in 1872 7 HALBERSTADT 13th C. 8 ASSEBURG Possibly 10th c. 9 NYSA Probably 13th c. 10 COBURG Probably 13th c. 11 NAMUR I 13th C. 12 NAMUR II 13th C. 13 LONDON Ca. 1914 14 NOVOGRUDOK Strata of 12-13th C. 15 WEINSBURG Strata of 11th C. 16 PISTOIA Strata of 13th C. 17 BURGUNDY 15th C. 18 HOCHELTEN 10th C. 19 HANNOVER 10-11th C. 20 HINNENBURG Possibly 10th C. 21 LORETO Letter of 1614 22 ST. ADELBERT Inventory of 1524 23 BUDAPEST Strata of 12th C. 24 GOTTINGEN Strata of 12th C. 25 HILPOLTSTEIN I Strata of 12th C. 26 HILPOLTSTEIN II Strata of 12th C. 27 HILPOLTSTEIN III Strata of 12th C. 28 OBERURSEL Strata of 13th C. HOW WERE THEY MADE? Tradition has it the Hedwig Glasses were blown and then cut on a revolving wheel. Recently, however, an alternative production method has emerged through the research of a glass historian and technologist, Rosemarie Lierke. Lierke proposes that the glasses were produced using molds and a pottery method to fill in the features as shown here in her slides. Lierke says some, if not all, were produced in this way with the possibility of after-the-fact cutting for surface detail such as fur textures, etc. as is done today with inexpensive, mass produced so-called “cut glass.” Shown in these slides by Lierke are examples of her evidence of the pottery method. The slide on the left shows the Nuremberg beaker with a slight lap along the rim which, according to Lierke, could only happen during the molding process as she proposes. On the right is the Minden beaker with interior horizontal undulations allegedly occurring during the pottery molding process. My personal examination of two Hedwig Glasses, London and Corning as shown here, did not leave me with the impression they were other than cut, especially the latter where I specifically looked for evidence of molding rather than cutting. In my opinion, at least the Corning Hedwig glass was cut.  In conclusion, The slide on your left shows a rare grouping of Hedwig Glasses, taken at a Colloquium sponsored by the British Museum in Basel, Switzerland where I was invited to present my paper on this topic in 1988. On the right. . . imagine a little shop in the country, on a dimly lit case way in the back. Could it be? No - This picture was not taken in a little country shop; it was taken in the basement of the British Museum during one of my visits there. This is the London Hedwig Glass which was temporarily removed from display for exhibition at the Basel Colloquium. As new Hedwig Glass finds come to light, one can only hope they will be joined also by discoveries in literature and art, to provide answers or clues about the origins and purposes of these unique vessels, and possibly help us sort out this Saintly Enigma. Many thanks to Rosemarie Lierke for bringing the latter finds to my attention.