The Foster Goblet
- Gallery: Room 46
- Culture: London
- Made in: London (England) (engraved in)
- Date: 1718
- Object type: goblet
- Materials: glass
- Museum number: 2002,0401.1
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This is "The Foster Goblet," a striking piece of early 18th-century English glassware. Made in London in 1718, it is crafted from colorless glass and finely engraved with a diamond-point technique. At the center of the goblet is a detailed profile of Queen Anne, last of the Stuart monarchs. Her portrait is framed by floral scrolls and a crown supported by small angels, or putti.
Encircling the figure are two Latin inscriptions—one above reading "MEMENTO. ANNA REGINA," and another within an oval border: "HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE," which means "Shame on him who thinks evil of it." These phrases may reflect political expressions of the time.
The goblet is signed and dated by its maker: Felix Foster created it in 1718. Its ornate stem and foot reflect the fine craftsmanship of the period, and it remains a rare and remarkable example of Jacobean-era glasswork in England.
See it in person
The Foster Goblet is on display in Room 46 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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