Possibly some of the earliest Waterford glass was gilt, for in 1784 one John Grohl obtained a concession for this purpose. A native of Saxony, he probably brought with him the secret of his art, for the “disclosure” of which he and a certain John Hand were rewarded by the Dublin Society. The finest diamond cutting, strawberry cutting, and flat fluting were done at Waterford; but pieces were not always cut at their place of manufacture. Thus we hear of a Waterford dish going to Cork for ornamentation with the characteristic designs of the factories there. The cutters, too, had often to decorate their pieces to the purchaser’s taste.
There seems to have been little coloured glass made in Ireland, although specimens are not unfrequently offered for sale. The writer was offered recently, on the Continent, some “Old Irish glass” of perfect colouring—deep blue, red, and yellow, with fine heavy cutting—but the lightness of the pieces proved them modern, probably from some Dutch factory.
In concluding this chapter a word may be given to Scottish glass, which is very like Irish in texture, although its existence is commonly ignored by collectors and writers alike. As an industry glass-making was, of course, of little importance in Scotland, but it is interesting to learn that in the reign of James VI., John Maria dell’ Aqua of Venice was appointed Master of the Glass-Works in Scotland. The famous liqueur glass shaped like the flower of the thistle was probably from a Bohemian original. It is heavily cut, with an acorn bottom upon a round stem, and reproductions can be seen in almost every shop window that displays glass. Early examples are difficult to obtain and their genuineness equally difficult to guarantee. It is assumed that many of the Jacobite glasses were manufactured in the Scottish factories. Secrecy being absolutely essential, it is hardly necessary to state that no authentic records of production are to be found.
The courtesy of the authorities of the Dublin Museum has enabled me to add another, and, from a collector’s point of view, a most interesting, section on the subject of Irish glass.
The museum possesses one of the finest collections of Old Irish glass in existence, many pieces from which are reproduced in the illustrations to this chapter. These illustrations are of pieces as nearly perfect as it is possible to obtain, and are therefore useful in enabling the collector to form a standard as regards this particular form of glass.
The three decanters illustrated in Fig. 34 are undoubtedly Cork glass. Apart from the fact that the centre one bears an inscription, “Success to Cork Yeomen,” which seems to indicate that it was made about the time the Irish Brigade was being raised—early in the nineteenth century—it bears all the distinctive characteristics of the Cork factories.
The drinking glasses ([Fig. 12]) are also undoubtedly Irish, of about the same period, and probably came from Waterford. The reader should carefully note the cutting of the two end pieces; they are of totally different types, each being perfect in its own style. That on the left has the hobnail cutting common in England about the time when the Irish factories were first established. It was probably imitated from an English model or made by one of the English craftsmen who were largely responsible for the introduction of glass manufacture into Ireland.
The end glass on the right-hand side is an excellent example of the grace, beauty, and simplicity associated with the best Waterford pieces; its flat-cut sides are characteristic of its place of origin. I have occasionally seen similar specimens in London, and they have always appealed to me as the most perfect examples of the Irish drinking glass of the eighteenth century. The other two specimens are of the same type as the English rummers or punch glasses; they are prettily engraved, and make an effective contrast to the other glasses of the same period.
Irish cut-glass decanters and stoppers, such as the specimens illustrated in Fig. 34, are not difficult to find nowadays if one is expert enough and careful enough to avoid the many imitations that exist. High prices are demanded for genuine pieces in which the cutting and colour are good, and which satisfy the tests by which the connoisseur judges the antiquity of his finds.