Catalogue no. BBG093
Glasses decorated bowl
Exhibit information
Glass style Goblet A stemmed glass with a broad bowl, traditionally associated with stronger Belgian beers, particularly Trappist and abbey ales.
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Explainers
Capacity 33cl (unmarked)
Manufactured 2006 Curator’s Notes This distinctive Chimay goblet is a departure from the brewery’s more familiar glass designs. Its broad bowl and sturdy stem provide the canvas for a striking wraparound artwork, with bold colours and abstract forms creating a visual design unlike typical brewery glassware.
Created in 2006 as part of a limited-edition collaboration between Chimay and an artist, the design explored the theme of the five senses and the role they play in the experience of tasting and appreciating Trappist beer. The artwork transforms the glass from a simple serving vessel into a piece of contemporary beer-related design, where the visual experience becomes part of the enjoyment of the beer itself.
I discovered this unusual glass at a Brussels brocante for just 50 cents. Its bold colours and striking design immediately caught my attention, partly because they seemed so different from the familiar Chimay glassware tradition. After bringing it into the collection, I contacted Chimay to discover the story behind its unusual appearance and learned that it was created as part of a 2006 limited-edition artistic collaboration inspired by the five senses.
As of August 2026, my best guess is the artist who designed this glass could be Herve Di Rosa - a French artist known for cartoonish anthropomorphic eyes/mouths/body parts. The evidence remains circumstantial as I have not yet been able to find documentary evidence that Di Rosa collaborated with Chimay. I have contacted his agents to try to get confirmation.
