The collection shows the court silverware and table settings, which were passed to the Republic of Austria after the end of the Habsburg monarchy. Valuable glassware, silver, and porcelain, as well as cooking and baking utensils from the court kitchen, provide fascinating insight into the imperial dining culture. Lobmeyr founder Josef and his sons Josef and Ludwig were given the title “Imperial and Royal Court Glassware Purveyor”, and Lobmeyr was in fact the sole supplier of glass to the imperial court from the mid-nineteenth century until the end of the monarchy.
The Silver Collection therefore includes several historic Lobmeyr services. One of these is the Hofburg Service, a prism cut set of drinking glasses in use after 1835 that includes an astounding 4,000 pieces. A table set with the service can be seen on display in the Imperial Apartments. Starting in around 1870, a leaf cut set was used (1,500 pieces), and a muslin glass one as of 1892 (1,800 pieces). The latter was used at the most lavish of imperial banquets. The Kaiser Service, designed by Ludwig Lobmeyr and Josef Storck for the 1873 World’s Fair, was purely for show and is considered a true highlight of Austrian craftsmanship. Glass dessert coupes and bowls filled directly by the royal confectioner were also in regular use at court. The historic Baroque service was personally ordered by heir to the throne Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Fotocredits: Burghof with Cafe Hofburg ©Severin Wurnig