The Charles II beaker, in date 1671, is without ornament. It was made a year after the infamous secret treaty of Dover, when Charles II became a pensioner of Louis XIV to the tune of £150,000 down and £225,000 a year.
JAMES I BEAKER. 1606.
CHARLES II BEAKER. 1671.
CHARLES I BEAKER. 1631.
Marks (illustrated [p. 361].)
(By courtesy of Messrs. Elkington & Co.)
The process of evolution is plain. First the tall shape with the spreading foot, followed by the squatter form with less ornament where the foot disappears, and is succeeded in a short time by the plain type. Here we have the precursor of the glass tumbler. What the silversmith made was obviously too expensive for the ordinary person. The glass workers introduced by the Duke of Buckingham from Venice in the reign of Charles II found a fashion ready to their hands. This silver beaker of the days of the Merry Monarch stands as a prototype of the modern glass tumbler. The succession of forms is something to be proud of in the history of a country. The peculiar usage of words, the continuance of old observances, and the development of costume, have each found exponents to specialize on the evolution of types and the succession to present forms. But who has idealized the glass tumbler of the public-house bar? Here in silver is the definite prototype, and no glass maker has invented anything more suitable. For wear and tear he has made the base thicker, or shall we say to disguise the fact that the glass contains less than it purports to hold?
The Wine Cup