Engraved Ruby-stained Base

A ruby-stained souvenir weight attributed to the Teplitz glassworks in Bohemia with an engraving of the “Greek Chapel” in Wiesbaden, Germany. The “chapel” is, in fact, a Russian Orthodox Church built by the Duke of Nassau in memory of his young bride, Elizabeth (a niece of the Tsar, Nikolaus I), who died in childbirth at the age of 19.. Possibly made to commemorate the consecration of the church in 1855, or as a souvenir for the numerous Russian visitors to this well-known spa. A foliate garland encircles the engraving and the German inscription below it: “Griech. Kapelle bei Wiesbaden”.
(For an identical type of garland see page 233 in Peter von Brackel’s book “Classic Paperweights from Silesia/Bohemia”)
The weight has a flat, lens-like profile with a deep, concave base.