Flask

A rectangular glass flask with a long neck. The vessel was made of glass mass tinted in green, slightly contaminated by air bubbles and several lumps (which is recognised as a defect in the molten glass). The main decoration is the bevelling on the neck and, first of all, the engraved and gilded Mniszech coat of arm on the front. Vessels of this type, also referred to as carafes, were used to serve alcohol and all banquet guest had such a flask placed in front of them. The shape of the item made it easy to put it in a special portmanteau and take it on a trip.

The flask was manufactured at Huta Kryształowa (Crystal Factory), the first magnate-owned facility producing luxury glass and established by Adam Mikołaj Sieniawski in 1717. As from the early days of operation, the emphasis was put on top-quality goods made of crystal glass and decorated with the use of techniques that were popular at the time, i.e. polishing and engraving. After the death of the factory owner and his wife, the office of the starost of Lubaczów, where the facility was located, was taken over by Jerzy August Wandalin Mniszech (1715–1778). It was for him that the set of fashionable bevelled and tinted glassware was manufactured, as evidenced by the family's coat of arms. The added panoply in which a sharp eye will spot marshal's staves makes it possible to date the glassware with relative precision, since Mniszech held of the office of the Court Marshal of the Crown in the following period: 1742–1767.

The Wilanów collection comprises another analogous flask (Wil.5609) and a goblet that came in one set (Wil.5638). The vessel was purchased in 2005, but it is possible that similar items were previously included in the collection. One of the residents of the palace, Aleksandra née Potocka, was the great granddaughter of the first owner of the set. Other items from this unique set can be found in other museums in Poland.