The first Bohemian glassworks appeared in the 13th century, in the still virgin forests of the Ore Mountains and Lusaka, in the western Giant Mountains and on the Orlice hills. The glassworks in the Bohemian forests became important in the 17th century, when the quality of the products increased considerably with the contribution of craftsmen from Bavaria, Austria, France and especially Italy. The Bohemian glassmakers wanted to imitate Venetian glass, but their melt was too dense and had a reduced plasticity range due to its silicate-potassium composition. In their desire to improve the quality of the glass produced, the Bohemian glassmakers discovered, through numerous experiments, the formula of the silicate-potassium-calcium composition, by adding calcium oxide. This recipe produced the hardest glass known at the time, which allowed it to be engraved and cut in depth, like rock crystal. It was a gradual, mutual and independent process of perfecting the material. Bohemian crystal became highly sought after and initiated a real fashion in all centers of Europe.
Bautemps, whom J. Barrelet considered "one of the most remarkable glass technicians in the 19th century", transmitted, in one of his writings, the composition of Bohemian glass, as applied by French glassmakers who worked "à la façon de Bohême": crushed and ground quartz sand ... 100 parts, potassium carbonate ... 38 - 42 parts, slaked lime ... 18 parts, potassium nitrate ... 1.25 parts, arsenic ... 0.75 parts.
The unprecedented development of glassmaking in Bohemia was possible due to the ability of local artists to meet the most demanding requirements regarding form and decoration, subordinating their own ideas, inspiration, and creativity to the wishes of their customers.
A brilliant experimenter, Friederich Egermann (1777 – 1864) considerably enriched the art of glass through numerous inventions in the field of technologies and decoration techniques. He adapted the art of enamel painting of porcelain, which he had learned in Meissen, to glass. He is credited with the introduction of soft horsehair brushes, which contributed to the obtaining of refined decorations, “in the Meissen style”. Among Egermann’s inventions are also red glaze, for which he granted exclusivity to the company “Vogelsang und Müller” from Frankfurt am Main, lithyalin and hyalith glass (which imitated malachite, carnelian or agate), the application of a drop of colored glass (generally yellow) on the surface of a colorless piece, its polishing and engraving, and many others. Egermann’s inventions are still successfully used today. In 1842, 200 glassmakers worked in his workshops, decorating between 136 and 170 tons of glass annually.
The Egermann piece owned by the Peleş National Museum, namely the "engagement cup", has a dedication inscription in German, made of crystal, on a polylobed base, with a short, faceted foot, a bulbous body with eight pentagonal facets on the upper part, on which drops of yellow glass were applied, which, after fusing with the base glass and polishing, were engraved with symbols of love, peace, and health.