Clear bubbly glass with greenish-yellow tinge; free-blown, enameled and gilded. Almost cylindrical body tapers downwards and at rim, with high pushed up base having rough pontil mark, applied foot ring; enamel decoration: covered with very intricate multicolored decoration and a long inscription representing and referring to the Westphalian Treaty; on the obverse is the German Emperor flanked by the King of France and the Queen of Sweden, all three in full length and clad in rich garments; above the platform on which they stand is a three leaf white clover on which there are inscriptions.

Humpen were large cylindrical glasses that held several quarts of beer. They were also some of the most popular enameled drinking vessels. Martin Luther, commenting on the custom of draining Humpen in a single gulp, called them “fools’ glasses” and “obscenely large welcome cups.” Most of these glasses were made in Bohemia, Germany, and Austria from the mid-16th to 18th centuries. The decoration on this fine Humpen commemorated the Peace of Westphalia (1649). The treaty ended the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), which established France as the most powerful nation on the Continent. The scene shows the Holy Roman Emperor joining the hands of the king of France and the queen of Sweden, surrounded by kneeling ecclesiastics and laymen, beneath a heavenly assembly. The vessel also features inscribed biblical quotations and a prayer of thanks.