Der Vogel im Goldfischglas

Biedermeier art glass is usually defined by small beakers, bowls, and plates, and occasionally by decanters and vases. But there is an intriguing group of goldfish bowls, standing up to 50 centimeters tall, that has not been closely studied. Two are painted entirely in gold, several in transparent enamel, and one in black enamel (Schwarzlot) of very high quality. Most of these objects show seascapes, and they were made mainly for export. These aquariums were a combination of birdcage and fishbowl. A bird would enter the interior and either fly or sit “in the water” surrounded by fish. The concept of these hybrids dates back to the late 1500s, but the objects themselves were fashionable mainly between 1825 and 1840, serving as a forerunner to the “aquarium craze” in the mid-19th century. Thirteen of them can be traced today. Six retain the original birdcage, and three of these are elaborately enameled. Unpainted examples are shown in works from the 1860s and 1870s by the Dutch painter Alexander Hugo Bakker Korff. Others are in museum collections or documented in journals and trade catalogs. The leading producer of decorated glass in northern Bohemia, Friedrich Egermann in Haida (present-day Nový Bor), probably made many of the painted examples.