Prunted Beaker (Krautstrunk)

Iridescence and a considerable buildup of minerals mark this beaker's glass surface. This vessel was excavated from the earth, and the damp environment had caused the glass to deteriorate. A sixteenth-century Lutheran priest referred to these glasses as Krautstrünke, literally "cabbage stalks." Krautstrünke were frequently used either for drinking or as reliquaries. The short, squat form of this beaker seems unsuitable for a drinking vessel, suggesting that it may have been intended instead to serve as a reliquary, holding bits of treasured bones.