A very rare late 19th-century Moser claret jug, dating to approximately 1880, beautifully decorated with an intricately engraved stag and doe in a woodland landscape, enriched with 22ct-style gilded decoration.
Produced in Karlsbad, Bohemia, this exceptional jug displays the refined craftsmanship for which early Moser glass is renowned. Its striking emerald-green glass gradually fading to clear provides a beautiful ground for the deeply engraved woodland scene.
The stag and doe are rendered with remarkable delicacy, surrounded by foliage and forest details. The engraving is particularly impressive when viewed closely, with the varying depths of the cutting creating subtle changes in light across the animals and landscape.
The body has an attractive optic-lens effect, adding further visual interest to the green glass.
The jug has a distinctive clear glass handle with an angular, architectural character reminiscent of the geometric forms that became fashionable in late 19th-century European design.
The neck rises elegantly to the pouring lip, while the base is formed as a hollow, stepped construction with three rounded tiers, echoed by the original clear glass stopper with its matching stepped form and finial.
The overall effect is exceptionally elegant: a highly decorative object that would have been equally at home on a sophisticated Victorian dining table or within a serious collection of Moser glass.
A wonderful Moser hunting subject
The woodland stag and doe motif is particularly appealing and forms part of a broader tradition of 19th-century European glass decorated with hunting and natural-history subjects.
I have also listed a French gilt-bronze jewellery casket from the same period featuring woodland stags, together with a group of six Moser hock glasses with engraved stag and forest decoration, shown in the final photograph.
Measurements
Height: 15½ in. (39.4 cm)
Width: approximately 5 in. (12.7 cm)
Weight: approximately 850 g
Condition
Excellent antique condition.
No chips noted. There is some expected rubbing to the gilding in places, consistent with age and use. There is also a small amount of clouding within the hollow base.
Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description.
About Moser
Moser was founded by Ludwig Moser in Karlsbad in 1857, initially as an engraving and polishing workshop. The firm became celebrated for its highly sophisticated engraved, gilded and enamelled glass and developed an international reputation for luxury crystal.
Moser received important international recognition during the late 19th century, including recognition at the Vienna International Exhibition of 1873, and subsequently became associated with prestigious royal and aristocratic commissions.
In 1893, Moser acquired its own glassworks, allowing the company to expand from decorating glass blanks into the production of its own glassware.
The firm's reputation continued to grow into the 20th century, and Moser remains one of the best-known names in European luxury glass.
A remarkable decorative glass
With its emerald-green-to-clear glass, deeply engraved woodland scene, rich gilding, unusual stepped base and original matching stopper, this is a particularly striking example of late 19th-century Moser glass.
An exceptional addition to a collection of Moser, Bohemian glass, Victorian art glass or engraved hunting-themed decorative arts.
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