Friedrich Winter held an honored position as 'glass cutter and stone polisher' in the court of Count Christof Leopold Schaffgotsch, the ruler of a wealthy glassmaking region of Silesia. In 1688 the count established a workshop with water-powered glass-engraving tools; Winter directed, assisted by ten to twelve engravers. Winter's mastery of the art of intaglio and relief cutting in glass was a great source of pride to Count Schaffgotsch, and he protected the engraver's work with a special decree stating: "I certainly do not want glass to be cut anywhere but at Winter's workshop lest the art be made too common. I ask you, therefore, to protect anyone, whoever he may be, on my domains from daring to cut glass without my prior knowledge and permission, much less elsewhere, on pain of certain punishment ."

Cover and cup have been exhibited twice:

- 'Sechs Sammler stellen aus', Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, 1961 (see catalogue, p. 147, cat. 134)

- 'Meisterwerke der Glaskunst aus internationalem Privatbesitz', Städtische Kunsthalle, Düsseldorf, 1968-69 (see catalogue, p. 71, cat. no. 192, no image)

Compare with a closely related, though smaller goblet with cover, from the Ruhmann Collection, Vienna, now in the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles (see F.X. Jirik, Führer, p.101ff, no.7; European Glass in the J.Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, 1997. J. Vavra, 5000 Years of Glass-making, 1954, pl.76, no.187, pl.77, no.190). Also see cup and cover by Friedrich Winter at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna.