Other sets of decanters with engraved festoons and similar decorations of the same period are equally graceful both in design and execution. The stoppers are flat pear-shaped drops, and are doubtless of the Adam period. Another feature is their long, thin necks, which made them more suitable for private houses than inns. They usually stand from 12 to 18 inches in height, and when standing grouped together have a charmingly graceful appearance. They are rarely now to be found in fours, and it is doubtful if they were so made. I have only seen them in pairs. They are not particularly rare, many small houses possessing specimens.
It was at this period also that finger bowls came into fashion. The first ones made in this country were probably copies of old Roman coloured bowls. The earliest of all had two lips, used either for pouring out the contents or for resting a spoon upon. These specimens are, as a rule, exquisite both in style and shape, and it is, fortunately, within the power of the ordinary collector to acquire a specimen or so at a reasonable figure. They are the larger and more ornamental pieces, some unique in design and others possessing historical associations, that are priceless. The old chandeliers often found will give some idea of the fine cutting of the period. The magnificent pear-drop-shaped lustres, the fine work on the stem, and the cross-over chains are characteristic of the lavish ornament of the age. Such have often been converted into pendants for electric light. Although no ordinary collector may hope to acquire them, they are not without interest as examples of a bygone fashion.
Through the kindness of Miss Whitmore Jones, I am enabled to reproduce from her beautiful collection at Chastleton House the posset pot shown at page 42 ([Fig. 2]). It is surrounded by a band of masks and roses and surmounted by a crown. It is an excellent example of the work of its period and one of the most admirable and beautiful specimens in existence.
Fig. 15 is an interesting illustration of the candlesticks and tapersticks formerly so widely used.
Tapersticks were used to hold the tapers used
FIG. 15—CANDLE AND TAPER STICKS.
(From the Rees Price Collection, by permission of the Connoisseur.)
in sealing letters. That on the left is nearly perfect in style and ornamentation. Tapersticks are, of course, frequently found in Georgian silver and also in china, generally with the ink tray, snuffers, and powder box to hold the sand used in drying the writing. The glass tapersticks were generally about 7 or 8 in. in height and had domed feet.