Passglas

The Passglas was both a drinking vessel and a drinking game popular across northern Europe from the 16th to 18th centuries. Tall and cylindrical, the glass featured a series of evenly spaced horizontal rings along its body—like a refined measuring cup for merrymakers. Enjoyed by both the elite and everyday drinkers, the Passglas made frequent appearances at weddings, feasts, hunting parties, and other festive gatherings.

Whether filled with wine, beer, or something stronger, the goal was simple to explain but tricky to master: take a single draught and stop precisely at the chosen ring. If you hit the mark, the glass passed to the next player. Fall short or overshoot, and you had to keep drinking until you reached the next line—or finished the glass entirely.

Examples of Passglass in paintings and in the decorative arts can be found in museum collections all around the world. Explore some examples from our friends at the Art Institute of Chicago, Maurithuis in the The Hague, the Corning Museum of Glass in New York, National Gallery in London, and the Rijikmuseum in Amsterdam.