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Newcastle glass

Wine Glass c. 1734

Lead glass | 19.0 x 8.4 x 8.4 cm (whole object) | RCIN 39766

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  • A tall wine glass, with tapering, conical bowl engraved with the Royal coat of arms, supported on a double-knopped stem, on a plain, flat, circular foot. The glass is engraved '2' suggesting it was originally one of a pair.

    Wine glasses of this period typically had a conical bowl, a slender stem with a ball knop and a conical foot, the form being heavily influenced by German manufacturers, who dominated the markets of Europe in the early part of the century. Such glasses appear for example in Laroon's Dinner Party (RCIN 403539), loaded on the full tray carried by a serving boy, and lining the buffet to the side of the room. However, the lead glass industry in England in the 1730s was still relatively young, and form and technique were subject to experimentation. English manufacturers were keen, for example, to exploit the high refractive index of lead glass by capturing air bubbles in the stems of their glasses, as in this example, to enhance the brilliance of the material (known as the metal).

    Glass manufacturing had been established in Newcastle in the seventeenth century, and the glass was renowned for the softness, weight and colour of its metal, which made it highly suitable for wheel-engraving. Many Newcastle glasses were exported to the Netherlands to be engraved and it is possible that this example was one such. The glass may be a souvenir of the wedding in 1734 of Anne, Princess Royal, to William, Prince of Orange.

    Text adapted from The First Georgians; Art and Monarchy 1714 - 1760, London, 2014.
    Provenance

    Traditionally thought to have belonged to Anne, Princess Royal; purchased by Queen Mary before 1952.

  • Medium and techniques

    Lead glass

    Measurements

    19.0 x 8.4 x 8.4 cm (whole object)


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