Old Glass and How to Collect it

by J. Sydney Lewis

In point of shape the Venetian and English glasses of this period differ very little, but there is a considerable difference in the character of the metal. The glass from Venice is colder to the eye, whiter and softer than the English, which is more brilliant and of a peculiar steely lustre, while it is far weightier—a fact probably due to the use of a considerable proportion of lead. The English glasses, too, are heavier in appearance, with stems, thick and lumpy, of the baluster type. Often, too, the bulbous stem is blown with a bubble,

FIG. 3.—AN EARLY GLASS FEEDING CUP.

FIG. 4.—A SIXTEENTH CENTURY PANEL GLASS, WITH PORTRAIT OF CHARLES II.

often of considerable size—a primitive attempt at ornamentation. Not unseldom a coin is inserted in the bulb of the stem or the knop of the cover. One famous example of Caroline glass is the magnificent posset cup in the possession of Miss Whitmore Jones, which is shown in Fig. 2. This unmistakably dates from the time of Charles II. and is a genuine example of English art. It was probably, as to design, copied from a Venetian model, but the texture of the glass and the weight of the piece are strong evidences of its English origin. With the accession of William, the craft was further stimulated by the importation of many models, and possibly craftsmen from the Low Countries. Speaking generally however, the vessels of the reigns of William and of Anne are but improved specimens of those of Charles. Some, however, have spiral lines cut round the stems, and are, to this extent, the prototypes of the twisted stems of the eighteenth century.

The illustration of a feeding cup ([Fig. 3]) provides an excellent example of the work of this period. Its admirable shape and style and its exquisite workmanship will readily appeal not only to connoisseurs but also to all who are capable of appreciating artistic merit.

In Fig. 5 we have portrayed the prototype of the modern tankard. Judging by the shape and style it was probably an ale glass. But that it was intended rather as a specimen to be preserved is evidenced from the fact that a coin of the period has been blown into the base. Fig. 6 is a photograph showing the coin. Such a piece has almost the value of a dated specimen, for though it was, of course, possible to insert a coin of any previous date, the reason for doing so is by no means obvious. It is hardly likely, for example, that anyone living in William’s reign would have so enthusiastic a regard for Charles II. as to cause a coin of that monarch to be embedded in a piece that he had made as an heirloom. This specimen is in the British Museum, whose mark appears to the right of the photograph.