The main decoration on the wall of this beaker is the enameled coat of arms of the Schiltl family of Amberg, a town in the Bavarian region of southern Germany, and of the Portner von Theurern family. This vessel belongs to a large group of similar glasses that have arms of south German, Austrian, and Bohemian families.
A French visitor to Germany in 1688 explained how drinking vessels would be displayed:
You must further know, that the Glasses are as much respected in this Country as the Wine is beloved. They place them all en ParadeĀ
and the glasses are ranged about upon the Cornish [cornice] of the Wainscot, like Pipes of Organs. They begin with the little, and end with the great Ones.
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