The detail at the bottom of the glass.

Published 15 September 2026 · WHV · Public-source editorial note

From the side, the glass is quiet. Look through its base and a field of cut diamonds appears. Not gemstones, but a pattern worked into the glass itself.

Quiet form, concentrated workmanship

Adolf Loos designed Drinking Set No.248 for Lobmeyr in 1931. The current range retains the contrast between restrained walls and a hand-cut, matt-polished base. Lobmeyr’s workshop account shows how the initially rounded bottom is ground flat, cut with a wheel and polished to achieve that particular finish. The hidden surface is not an applied decorative print.

There is a useful lesson here for anyone beginning to collect design. Importance need not announce itself from across the room. It may be carried by proportion, an unexpected treatment of a familiar material and a design that still has a place at the table. The water and whisky tumbler is one practical way into the series without acquiring an entire service.

Begin with one glass

Start with one and live with it. Notice its balance, the light through the base and whether it makes an ordinary drink more attentive. For older examples, distinguish documented age and condition from a seller's use of the designer's name. Current production gives the design a life beyond the vintage market. That continuity is part of its interest, not evidence of future resale performance.

Source and context.

Lobmeyr: Drinking Set No.248 ↗

Lobmeyr: The Loos cutting ↗

No hands-on assessment. A current glass is not a 1931 specimen. Do not infer crystal chemistry from the site navigation label alone.

Source checked 15 September 2026. WHV interpretation is distinct from the source’s account.