An engraved römer for Huygens

In 1621 the poet and scientist Constantijn Huygens had a römer beautifully engraved for his childhood sweetheart Dorothea van Dorp. The decoration comprises several flowers, a dragonfly and a shell, interspersed with an elegant inscription. The lines are drawn with graphic precision, yet seem to have been rendered swiftly and fluidly. This highly skilful work was done by Huygens good friend Anna Roemers Visscher (1584 - 1652), who was among the first in the Netherlands to take up glass engraving as a hobby. For the calligraphy, she occasionally used one of her own poems, another form of artistic expression for which she garnered considerable praise and a highly unusual pastime for women in that period. Only five glasses decorated by Anna survive today, three of which are in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.