Colorless and transparent ruby glass; mold-blown. With colorless hemispherical shaped cup atop a red, open cylindrical stem that widens slightly to domed foot.

Designed by the well-known German architect and industrial designer, Peter Behrens, this rare set of seven drinking glasses with ruby-glass feet was made in 1900–1901. The early Modernist set was produced by the Rheinische Glashütte in Cologne-Ehrenfeld. It contains drinking glasses for champagne, white wine, red wine, beer, water, and liqueur. Behrens practiced as a painter in Munich in the 1890s before embarking on a career in architecture and design. In 1899, he was invited to join a newly established artists’ colony in Darmstadt with the goal of developing new, modern and forward-looking forms of construction and living. Behrens designed his own house, including the furniture and accessories. He designed this iconic drinking set for the dining room. Behrens played a major role in charting a course for design in the first decade of the 20th century, and this set of drinking glasses represents an important moment in the development of modern design in Europe.