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Teruska Glas A Backward Glance

The clever way in which our ancestors combined the decorative with the useful is apparent from the way they laid the table. The Teruska Bollen Glass collection models itself on glass drinking vessels from the 16th and 17th century. They are hand-blown and hand-made in specially chosen Czech glassworks. Each and every glass is unique with its very own history.

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These carefully made Teruska Bollen glass objects do more than bring old traditions to life. They also enrich a laid table and can be used as drinking glasses and vases. They are available in clear glass and in transparent wood-green, some even in transparent ruby-red.

"Waldglas" is what these glasses are called. As the name suggests they come in a forest green colour but more than that they have been made since the 13th century in glassworks which were to be found in deepest middle- and westeuropean woods. It is there that the typical softly green glass with tiny internal bubbles was developed. And the useful was combined with the decorative. Crenated thread overlay which resembles pearl chains embrace the glass drinking cups more or less systematically. Nops, especially those of berries, decorate the feet of the wine glasses and cups. The effect is beautiful but makes the glass easy to handle, even with greasy hands!

One has to remember that at the time when these glasses were developed people still ate with their hands. That is to say, with the left a well cooked drumstick of a "Kapaun" might have been held and with the right the glass of wine may have been raised in order to toast the food and drink, i.e. to "roem" it - as the dutch called it. This gave the name "Roemer" to the typical round wine glass with nops of berries around the feet. Before that was the "Berkemeyer" glass with conical shaped goblet. The stemmed glass with overlay of pearly chain was also called "Passglas" because it was possible to control the amount of drink. Even today, just like in those far-away times, you can recognise the mouth-blown glass by its chipped edge were the blow-pipe was attached below the conical bottom. Further proof of the hand-made quality is the uneveness of the glass shape or internal glassbubbles.