THE FLUTE

Much like the coupe, the taller and skinnier flute can also be dated to the 17th century, thanks to still lifes and portraits from the time. In the Dutch painting Breakfast with a Lobster by Willem Claesz Heda (1594– c1680), for example, an elongated drinking glass is clearly visible. ‘The flute was dominant in that era, especially with urbane gentlemen, who would display the glass alongside their microscopes, books of poetry and nautilus shells,’ says Andy McConnell. ‘It continued to be popular until the end of the 19th century when the coupe became more fashionable. No one knows whether the coupe or the flute came first, but both glasses are historic and have been with us for hundreds of years.’