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All About GlassBy Judith Miller The production of fine drinking glasses in Britain dates back to the late 17th century, when George Ravenscroft perfected his formula for making lead glass. Known as 'flint glass' at the time, lead crystal had more clarity and weight than either potash or soda glass and was easier to work.The majority of antique stemware on the market today dates from the mid-18th century and the sheer diversity can be a dizzying prospect. It helps to think of an antique glass in three separate pieces: the bowl, the stem and the foot. The most common bowl types are the self-explanatory conical shape and the trumpet, which widens more dramatically towards the rim. The earliest glasses invariably had baluster stems, a device borrowed from the architectural world that resembles an elongated pear. It was frequently inverted when used by glassblowers, so that the bulbous part is at the top. Many stems incorporate bulges, called 'knops', in a variety of shapes and later examples have stems cut with multiple facets. Before 1745 the majority of glasses had folded feet, providing a base that was twice as thick as the body, for strength and stability. However, the British Crown began to tax glass by weight and the folded foot became a casualty of economy. Glasses with these thick feet are easy to recognise, and tend to be worth more than other examples. One of the most striking features of early stemware is the elaborate twist work that features prominently from around 1750. Many glasses had air bubble, or 'tear', inclusions before this date, and the air-twist was an extension of this motif, whereby air was drawn through the stem to form a spiral design. When two such spirals interlace, this is known as a 'double-series' twist. The next stage in this development was the opaque twist, which substituted strands of white enamel for the beads of air. Eventually, manufacturers were able to include coloured strands within their stems - the most common colours being ruby, blue and green. The most sought-after colour-twist glasses use just a single strand of colour - among these, black and canary yellow are the most scarce. Prices start at under £100 for the simplest designs but rise quickly as decoration becomes more elaborate. Facet-cut glasses can be found for around £200-300, and those with twist stems start at £300. The highest prices are reserved for examples of particularly fine craftsmanship, or those with historically significant engraving, and can run into many thousands of pounds.  Jeanette Hayhurst in London carries an extensive range of antique glass. Dreweatt Neate in Newbury and Lyon and Turnbull in Edinburgh have regular sales of good quality glassware.Picture Above : A mercury twist wine glass, of drawn trumpet form, the stem with a pair of spiral tapes, on a conical foot. c1750, 6.5in (16.5cm) high, £350-450 RP, £500 DN. The Price Guide Company/Dreweatt Neate Information courtesy of 20th Century Glass by Judith Miller, published by DK, £20 |
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