the golden age of english glass

Foreword 9

Preface 11

Acknowledgements 12

A Brief History of Glassmaking in England 14

Tools of the Glassblower 46

Drinking in England 48

Seventeenth Century English Objects of Lead Glass 58

Cat. 1 A small helmet-shaped jug with opaque white spiral twistsCat. 2 A pair of ribbed vases with silver-gilt mountsCats. 3–4 A basin and small jugCat. 5 A serving jugCat. 6 A lead glass wineglassCats. 7–9 A goblet, wineglass and small jugCats. 10–11 A flute glass and a wineglass

Gadrooning 82

Cat. 12 A small cup or beaker with portraits of King William III andQueen Mary II

Cat. 13 A giant gadrooned gobletCat. 14 A large gadrooned lampCat. 15 A punch bowl with pincered gadrooningCat. 16 Six gadrooned wineglassesCat. 17 A gadrooned covered sugar or preserves jarCat. 18 Mug with pincered gadrooning

Drinking Glasses with Heavy-Baluster Stems 99

Cats. 19–21 Three goblets or wineglasses on heavy-baluster stemsCats. 22–23 Two giant goblets on heavy-baluster stemsCats. 24–26 Three goblets with coins in the stemsCats. 27–29 Three wineglasses on heavy-baluster stems Cats. 30–32 Three wineglasses on heavy-baluster stemsCat. 33 A goblet on a mushroom-knopped heavy-baluster stemCats. 34–37 Four drinking glasses on acorn-knopped heavy-baluster stems

Contents

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Diamond-Point Engraving 122

Cat. 38 A pair of diamond-engraved covered gobletsCat. 39 A wineglass with diamond-engraved portrait of Queen Anne

and the façade of St. Paul’s Cathedral

Wheel-Engraved English Glass 136

Cats. 40–41 Two wheel-engraved drinking glasses with heavy-baluster stemsCats. 42–43 Two glass hand bells, one with a wineglass bowlCat. 44 A large bowl on a heavy-baluster, annulated-knop stem

Panel-Moulded Stems 146

Cat. 45 A goblet commemorating the coronation of King George I, diamond-engraved with the Fall of Adam and Eve

Cats. 46–47 Two wineglasses with panel-moulded stems made to commemorate thecoronation of King George I

Cats. 48–49 A goblet and wineglass on panel-moulded stemsCats. 50–52 Two sweetmeat glasses on panel-moulded stems and

a jug with panel moulding

Jacobite Glass 162

Cat. 53 The “Ogilvy of Inshewan” Amen wineglassCat. 54 The “Gregson of Tilliefour” Jacobite gobletCats. 55–56 Two drinking glasses with wheel-engraved Jacobite emblemsCat. 57 A wineglass with a wheel-engraved depiction of King Charles II

hiding in the Boscobel OakCat. 58 A goblet with diamond-engraved decorationCats. 59–60 A sweetmeat glass and a wineglass (?)

Glasses with Internal Spirals in Their Stems 184

Cats. 61–62 A tall wine (champagne?) glass and a pair of wineglasses onair-twist stems

Cat. 63 A set of six wineglasses on air-twist stemsCat. 64 A small wineglass with wheel-engraved toast to the King of Prussia

Gilding on Glass 194

Cats. 65–66 A wineglass and tumbler with gilt decorationCat. 67 A wheel-engraved covered “grog” tumblerCat. 68 A cut glass epergne or “sweetmeat pole”Cats. 69–71 A paperweight or grinder, covered bowl and salt dishCat. 72 A green glass chamber pot or urinal

The Golden Age of English Glass 1650–1775


Glass Candlesticks, “Branches” and Chandeliers 212

Cats. 73–75 Three candlesticks and a taperstickCat. 76 A set of four large candlesticks with acorn knopsCat. 77 A candle “branch” with four arms and separate baseCat. 78 A pair of candlesticks with panel-moulded stemsCats. 79–81 Five panel-moulded candlesticksCat. 82 A candlestick with red-and-white twist stemCats. 83–84 Two candlesticks and a taperstick with opaque-white twist stemsCats. 85–86 Four facet-cut candlesticks and a taperstickCat. 87 A chandelier with six solid arms and mould-blown elementsCat. 88 A cut glass chandelier with six arms and faceted elements

Window Glass, Plate Glass and Mirrors 250

Cats. 89–90 Two diamond-engraved window-glass panelsCat. 91 A mirrored panel diamond-point engraved with a rhyming version

of The Lord’s PrayerCat. 92 A looking glass with reverse-painted green and gold Chinoiserie

decorationCat. 93 An overmantel looking glass with silvered glass frameCat. 94 A looking glass with carved, polished and silvered glass frame

and removable glass candle armsCat. 95 A looking glass with carved mirror plate and removable glass

candle armCat. 96 A pocket bottle with diamond-engraved inscriptionCats. 97–99 Three decanters

English Black-Glass Bottles 286

Cats. 100–104 Five bottles, c.1650–1675Cats. 105–108 Four sealed bottles, c.1684–1705Cats. 109–113 Five bottles, c.1710–1725Cat. 114 A bottle with scratch-engraved decoration, dated 1739Cats. 115–116 Two sealed “bladder” bottles, c.1720–1730Cats. 117–120 Four sealed bottles, c.1731–1769Cats. 121–122 Two bluish-opalescent bottles, c.1715–1770Cats. 123–127 Five sealed bottles, c.1770–1809

Appendix Chemical Analyses of the Glasses by Robert H. Brill 316

Notes 323

Bibliography 343

Index 367

Contents


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lass was first made in Englandby Roman craftsmen. After thefall of the empire in the earlyfifth century AD, some crafts -men may have continued to

work in the English forests, especially inAnglo-Saxon Kent, producing glass vesselsdesigned for coarse tribal lives. They includeconical drinking glasses with no feet (Figure 1)

or, at most, vestigial and unstable feet.1 Theequivalent of drinking horns,2 these glasseswere used in the consumption of vastquantities of beer and mead and had no needof feet because the contents would be entirelyconsumed before the vessels were set aside(upside down) on their rims.

Glass for windowsChristianity reached England in the seventhcentury and the church became the primary clientfor glassmakers. Although glass was probably stillbeing made in Kent, the Venerable Bede recordedthat the Abbot of Monkwearmouth broughtglassmakers from Gaul in AD 676 to:

… lattice [glaze] the windows of the churchand of the galleries and upper rooms … nordid they only complete the required work,but familiarised the English too with thistype of work henceforth, and taught them acraft by no means ill-suited to [the makingof ] lamps … or vessels for a great variety ofpurposes.3

Glassmaking may have continued in Englandduring the eighth to eleventh centuries, but little isknown about production and almost no glasssurvives. There is, however, evidence of glass -making in Belgium and France in the eleventhcentury and workers and glass were almostcertainly imported into England. Between thetwelfth and fourteenth centuries glass productionincreased in the Surrey/Sussex Weald and otherareas to serve the needs of the church and thegentry.4 Glass windows became more common in

A Brief History ofGlassmaking in England

G

Figure 1. Cone beaker.Anglo-Saxon England,Kent, 7th century; foundin the King’s Field inFaversham, Kent, the siteof an important Anglo-Saxon cemetery. Height615⁄16in. (17.6cm). TheCorning Museum ofGlass (85.1.4)


15

the homes of the wealthy, but it was the greatcathedrals being built throughout Europe (includ -ing England) that required the largest expanses ofglazing. Constructed of small pieces of colourlessand brightly coloured flat glass and held togetherin a framework of lead strips (cames), many of thechurch windows were decorated with scenes fromthe Old and New Testaments of the Bible usingblack enamel and yellow and amber-colouredmetallic stains (which has resulted in the descrip -tive term “stained-glass windows”). Factories pro -ducing household window glass also made somevessels including bottles using greenish glass.5

Venetian glassTo understand what occurred in Englishglassmaking during the fifteenth century, it isnecessary first to understand what was happeningin Venice. In the thirteenth century Venetianglassmakers mastered the production of a nearlycolourless glass called cristallo (crystal) andexported it to the wealthy throughout Europe.6 Bythe fifteenth century, Venice (or more accurately,

the island of Murano, where glass making wasmoved in 1292 to protect the city from fire) becamethe single most important centre for theproduction of luxury glass table ware in Europe. Avariety of new glass formulas was perfected, manyhaving transparent jewel-like colours, and theproduction of colourless cristallo increased.Venetian glasses were elaborate in form, and manyof them were decorated with gilding and colourfulenamels (Figure 2).

Venice dominated the world market forluxury glass for nearly three centuries – untilthe late seventeenth century. Venetian glasswas imported into England before 1399,7 andthe English nobility were among those whoacquired Venetian glass at great expense duringthe 1500s. King Henry VIII owned more than600 pieces of Venetian glass by 1547 when theywere enumerated in an inventory; theyincluded “standinge Cuppes of blewe glasse wth

covers to theym paynted and guilte” and “Twoogreate glasses like boles standing upon feete ofblewe and white partelye guilte”, all of

A Brief History of Glassmaking in England

Figure 2a-c. Cristallo andcoloured glass gobletswith enamelled and giltdecoration. Venice, late15th century. Height(right) 713⁄16in. (19.9cm).The Corning Museum ofGlass (79.3.193, 79.3.185,

79.3.170, bequest ofJerome Strauss)


spirally ribbed. Plain or hollow handles may also have projectingthumb rests. The differences in handles perhaps indicate the workof different glassblowers, since there is no functional differencebetween them. Most of the handles that do not have projectingthumb rests have indentations for metal mounts on the tops of thehandles (Figure 40); three examples have hinged metal covers, oneof which bears hallmarks of a silversmith working in about 1681 inThe Hague, while another has late seventeenth century Germanhallmarks. None of the handles with projecting thumb rests hasindentations for metal cover attachments.

Other variations in Type 1 decanter-jugs are more subtle. Theseinclude the impressed designs on the pincered fins, which may bean all-over waffle pattern that is either vertical/horizontal in its

orientation or diagonal (Figure 41), while others have parallelridges (Figure 42). The feet are also pincered with two differenttools; one has no incised pattern (Figure 43), but others havenarrow ridges created by incising the edge of the tool crosswise(Figures 44 and 45). It seems likely that these variations are theresult of using different tools, rather than different glassblowers ordifferent glasshouses. There has not, however, been a systematicstudy of surviving decanter-jugs to correlate these differences withother details of form, material and construction.

Type 2 decanter-jugs have moulded vertical ribbing on the body,which may extend from bottom to top or be limited to thelower part of the body and impressed on a second gather ofglass (Figure 45). Handles may be plain and hollow or solid and


72

Figure 40. Indentation onthe top of the handle ofthe jug illustrated in Cat.5. The indentation wasmade for a pin at the topof the strap attachmentfor a hinged metal cover;the pin prevented thestrap and cover fromrotating.

Figure 40.

Figure 43. Figure 44.



spirally ribbed; most appear to have indentations on the tops formetal mounts. One example also has trailed vertical bands onthe sides that have been pincered into fins. The feet may bepincered with a ridged or plain tool. One of these jugs haswheel-engraving on the upper body (Figure 45).

The third type of decanter-jug (not illustrated) is the same asType 2, except it does not have any rib-moulded or pincereddecoration (apart from a trailed rigaree collar at the base of theneck and a pincered foot). Type 3 decanter-jugs may have asolid, spirally ribbed handle or a plain hollow one, and manyhave indentations for metal mounts. The feet may be pinceredwith a ridged tool or plain. Four of the seven recorded exampleshave wheel-engraved decoration, in one case of considerable

quality. Three retain hinged metal covers, one with hallmarks ofa silversmith in The Hague datable to 1681.

The fourth type of decanter-jug is illustrated in Figure 46. Type4 decanter-jugs differ from the other types mainly in having atrailed foot ring that is not pincered. The bodies of some ofthese jugs have no moulded decoration, while others havemoulded ribbing or pincered diamonds on the lower parts of thebodies. Several also have trailed threads around the shoulder orpincered chain-work bands (Figure 46). None of the handles isspirally ribbed and all but two of the known examples havehandles with thumb rests. Those without do not haveindentations on the handles for metal mounts. Four of the tenknown examples have loose blown-glass stoppers (Figure 46).

Seventeenth Century English Objects of Lead Glass

73

Figure 41. Close-up detailof pincering on a decanter-jug (detail of Cat. 5).

Figure 42. Close-up detailof pincering on a similardecanter-jug. TheCorning Museum ofGlass (60.2.34)

Figure 43. Close-up ofplain pincering on thefoot ring (detail of Cat. 5).

Figure 44. Close-up ofribbed pincering on thefoot ring of a Type 2decanter-jug. England,c.1675. The CorningMuseum of Glass(83.2.39)

Figure 45. Type 2decanter-jug withengraved hunting scene,probably by a Dutch orGerman engraver.England, probablyglasshouse of GeorgeRavenscroft, c.1675–1680.Height 91⁄4in. (23.5cm).© V&A Images/Victoriaand Albert Museum,London (C.89–1969)

Figure 46. Type 4decanter-jug. England,c.1680–1685. Height 71⁄16in.(18cm). Museum ofLondon (34.139/6)



79a, bPair of panel-moulded colourless glasscandlesticks with separate save-alls

(a)Overall height 97⁄8in. (25.1cm)Diameter of the foot 413⁄16in. (12.2cm)Diameter of the drip pan rim 27⁄16in. (6.2cm)

(b)Overall height 93⁄16in. (23.3cm)Diameter of the foot 413⁄16in. (12.2cm)Diameter of the drip pan rim 21⁄2in. (6.4cm)

(Candlesticks)Nozzle with eight slightly slanted ribs; inverted baluster knopcontaining two circuits of small bubbles, one above the other(ten bubbles in each circuit); small inverted baluster segmentcontaining two circuits of bubbles, one above the other (ninebubbles in each circuit);1 domed, panel-moulded foot (eightpanels) with pyramidal diamonds on the shoulder; plain(unfolded) foot rim; rough pontil mark underneath the foot.Blown and moulded colourless lead glass.

(Save-alls)Vertically ribbed (eight ribs); flat bottom with rough pontilmark underneath. Blown and moulded colourless lead glass.

P R OV EN A N C E

Delomosne and Son Ltd., LondonJohn H. Bryan, Chicago, IL

PA R A LLEL S

1. Museum of London, Garton collection (34.139.429)2. Hughes 1930, p.235, fig.73. Hughes 1956, fig.247c4. Victoria and Albert 1962, pp.44, 45, pls.8A.2 and 3, 10A5. Anonymous collection, Sotheby’s (London), 4 Dec. 1967,

lot 283

6. Anonymous collection, Sotheby’s (London), 16 Oct. 1972,lot 37

7. Anonymous collection, Christie’s (London), 7 June 1988,lots 55, 57

8. Winterthur Museum (86.129): Palmer 1993, p.299

80a, bPair of panel-moulded colourless glass

tapersticksEngland, c.1720–1730

(a)Height 411⁄16in. (11.9cm)Diameter of the foot 29⁄16in. (6.5cm)

(b)Height 43⁄4in. (12.1cm)Diameter of the foot 211⁄16in. (6.8cm)

Nozzle with in-folded rim; domed, eight-sided, panel-mouldedfoot with pyramidal diamonds at the tops of the ribs; plain(unfolded) foot rim; rough pontil mark underneath the foot.Blown and moulded colourless lead glass.

P R OV EN A N C E

Anonymous collection, Sotheby’s (London), 22 Oct. 1973, lot 78

Private collection, NYCMallett & Son Ltd., LondonJohn H. Bryan, Chicago, IL

P U B LI S H ED

Sheppard and Smith 1990, p.43, no.55

E X H I B I T ED

Glass from the Restoration to the Regency, Mallett & Son Ltd.,London, 1990, no.55

PA R A LLEL

A transparent dark amethyst taperstick with inverted panel-moulded stem (Figure 124): Fox collection, Bonhams (London),8 Dec. 2004, lot 139; Newell 2005, p.15; Crabtree collection,Bonhams (London), 16 Dec. 2009, lot 812

81Panel-moulded green glass candlestick

Height 815⁄16in. (22.7cm)Diameter of the drip pan 23⁄4in. (7cm)Diameter of the foot 415⁄16in. (12.5cm)

Vertically ribbed nozzle (eight ribs); hollow inverted balusters atthe top and base of the stem; domed, panel-moulded (eightpanels) foot with pyramidal diamonds at the shoulder; plain(unfolded) foot rim; rough pontil mark underneath the foot.Blown and moulded transparent emerald-green lead glass.

P R OV EN A N C E

Probably Michael Parkington collectionExhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum, LondonMallett & Son Ltd., LondonJohn H. Bryan, Chicago, IL

Glass Candlesticks, Branches and Chandeliers

233

79‒81Five panel-moulded candlesticks

England, c.1720–1740


85Four candlesticks

Overall height 97⁄8 to 10in. (25.1 to 25.4cm)Diameter of the foot 93⁄16 to 91⁄4in. (23.3 to 23.5cm)Diameter of the drip pan rim 31⁄16 to 31⁄8in. (7.8 to 7.9cm)Height of the save-all 27⁄16 to 23⁄4in. (6.2 to 7cm)

(Candlesticks)Domed foot; plain (unfolded) foot rim; rough pontilunderneath the foot; each nozzle is inscribed with the numbers1, 2, 3 or 4 in diamond-point engraving inside. Blown and cutcolourless lead glass. Minor foot rim chips.

(Save-alls)Cylindrical tube with cup-shaped drip pan, open and polishedat the lower end. Two blown and cut colourless lead glass(original); two blown and cut non-lead glass (replaced).

P R OV EN A N C E

Maureen Thompson, LondonJohn H. Bryan, Chicago, IL

PA R A LLEL

Hughes 1930, p.237, fig.17 (bottom row, second from right)

86Taperstick

Height 51⁄16in. (12.9cm)Diameter of the drip pan rim 17⁄8in. (4.8cm)Diameter of the foot 31⁄4in. (8.3cm)

Integral drip pan, domed foot; plain (unfolded) foot rim; roughpontil mark underneath the foot. Blown and cut colourless leadglass. Small foot rim chips and minute chips on the rim of thedrip pan.

P R OV EN A N C E


PA R A LLEL S

1. Thorpe 1929b, pl.144.2 (lower photograph)2. Hughes 1956, pp.330, 332, fig.263

3. Elville 1961, p.179, fig.259 (which is so close in size, formand cutting that it may originally have been the mate tothe taperstick in Cat. 86)

4. Wills 1968, p.5, fig.45. Lanmon 1978, p.72, no.69

6. Sheppard and Smith 1990, p.84, no.1167. Anonymous collection, Sotheby’s (London), 18 May 1999,

lot 293

Glass Candlesticks, Branches and Chandeliers

239

85‒86Four facet-cut candlesticks with loose save-alls and a taperstick


The candlesticks illustrated in Cat. 85 are very stately in scaleand, when they were used, candlelight would have been reflectedand refracted in countless shafts of light and rainbows across aluxurious table top. Not only are the candlesticks faceted from

top to bottom, but so are the removable save-alls. Theelaborately cut feet on the faceted candlesticks are similar tometal candlesticks in the rococo style with petal and shell feetdating from the same period (Figure 125).

Figure 125. Pair of rococobrass candlesticks withshell bases. England,c.1745–1770. Height 101⁄2in.(26.7cm). John H. Bryancollection


283

97A panel-moulded cruciform pint decanter

or serving bottleEngland, c.1730–1740

Height 913⁄16in. (24.9cm)Overall width 31⁄2in. (8.9cm)Capacity 0.4 UK fluid quarts, 16.7 UK fluid ounces (0.47 litres)

Panel-moulded body with cruciform cross-section (the mould is in the form of ahorizontally stretched “X”) and rounded vertical indentations at the interstices;rough pontil mark on the underside. Small chip on the coiled neck ring. Blownand moulded in a dip mould, colourless (greyish) lead glass.

P R OV EN A N C E


PA R A LLEL S

1. Lloyd 1969, p.42 (bottom centre)2. Noël Hume 1969b, pp.199, 200, fig.66

3. Lazarus 1971, p 68, fig.24. D. Davis 1972, p.36, no.165. Anonymous collection, Christie’s (London), 12 Oct. 1977, lot 396. Anonymous collection, Christie’s (London), 22 Nov. 1988, lot 557. Anonymous collection, Christie’s (London), 23 May 1989, lots 22 and 23

8. Anonymous collection, Christie’s (London), 13 Feb. 1990, lot 48

9. Winterthur Museum (70.265): Palmer 1993, p.126, no.82

10. Beresford 1999, p.48, fig.1311. Bossche 2001, p.355, pl.294

12. Harvey’s Wine Museum, Bonhams (London), 1 Oct. 2003, lot 313. McConnell 2004, pp.68, 69, pls.93, 95

98A panel-moulded mallet-shaped serving bottle with handle

and stopperEngland, c.1720–1740

Overall height 81⁄2in. (22.1cm)

(Decanter)Height 73⁄8in. (18.7cm)Overall width, from corner to corner 41⁄4in. (10.8cm)Overall width of the octagonal body, from panel to panel 33⁄16 to 31⁄4in. (8.1 to8.3cm)Capacity 0.3 UK fluid quarts, 12.5 UK fluid ounces (0.36 litres)

(Stopper)Height 13⁄16in. (2.7cm)Maximum diameter 21⁄4in. (6cm)

Blown in an octagonal mould (the sides of uneven widths); the bottom withslight concavity and rough pontil mark; the stopper with tapered, un-ground

shank; the tip cracked off, with rough-ground edge; the ball finial with twocircuits of small bubbles (eight in each circuit), encircling a single centralbubble. The stopper is of the same period as the jug but is not original to it.Blown in a dip mould, colourless lead glass.

P R OV EN A N C E


PA R A LLEL S

1. Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Hughes 1956, p.278, fig.210

2. Lazarus 1971, p.67, fig.1 (centre)3. Mortimer 1975, p.18, fig.34. Fitzwilliam 1978, p.91, no.220b.5. Anonymous collection, Christie’s (London), 7 Oct. 1980, lot 38

6. Mortimer 1984, p.55, fig.17. Anonymous collection, Sotheby’s (London), 1 July 1985, lot 442

8. Glass Circle 1987, p.13, no.33

9. Glass Circle 1997, p.31, fig.4 (left)10. Newman 1997, p.91

11. Lloyd 2000, p.32, pl.21 (right)12. McConnell 2004, p.67, pl.89 (left)

99An onion-shaped decanter with fitted (ground) stopper


Overall height 111⁄8in. (28.3cm)

(Decanter)Height 91⁄2in. (24.1cm)Diameter 69⁄16in. (16.7cm)Capacity 1.5 UK fluid quarts, 50.0 UK fluid ounces (1.42 litres)

(Stopper)Height 211⁄16in. (5.2cm)Diameter 111⁄16in. (4.3cm)

Faintly incised ring just below the rim; the inside of the neck ground andpolished to fit the stopper; slight concavity on the bottom with rough pontilmark; the glass is very striated (“cordy”); the stopper containing two rows ofsmall bubbles (six bubbles in each circuit); tapered shank with rough, cracked-off end and rough-ground edge; the sides of the shank are ground and polishedto fit the decanter, giving it a very tight fit (i.e., it is original to the bottle).Blown colourless lead glass; ground and polished stopper shank.

P R OV EN A N C E

Maureen Thompson, LondonJohn H. Bryan, Chicago, IL

PA R A LLEL S (both objects are probably the same decanter. The stopper fitsloosely in the bottle; it is not ground to fit):1. Anonymous collection, Sotheby’s (London), 30 June 1980, lot 82. Anonymous collection, Sotheby’s (London), 18 July 1983, lot 44

97‒99Three decantersEngland, c.1720–1740


Height 71⁄8in. (18.1cm)Diameter 61⁄8in. (15.6cm)Capacity not measured

The rim cracked off and lightly fire-polished; very deep,rounded kick on the base, with a large rough glass pontil markon the underside; unidentified paper collection label on thebottom, inscribed “327”. The rim chipped. Blown transparentheavy dark olive-green non-lead glass; scratch-engraved.

The densely scratch-engraved decoration on this bottle includesthe date and name “1739 [heart] Iohn: Lt. Tittler:” (?) (Figures 178a, b, d); the remainder of the surface filled with numerousflowers and other motifs, including:

• a woman with both arms raised, holding a bouquet in onehand and a steaming cup (?) in the other (Figure 178a)

• a man smoking a pipe, a jug in one hand, resting it on afabric-covered table, a dog underneath and a birdbehind (Figure 178b)

• a child riding a dog (?) at the lower left side of an urn(Figure 178c)

• a carnation, rose and tulip emerging from an elaborateurn (Figure 178c)

• a large thistle and a flowering tulip plant growing fromthe ground (Figure 178d)

P R OV EN A N C E

Lt. John Tittler (?)Jonathan Horne, LondonJohn H. Bryan, Chicago, IL


304

The extraordinary bottle illustrated in Cat. 114 is unique andheretofore unpublished. The naïve but charming decorationcrowded on to the surface of the bottle was produced byscratching, but the width and depth of the lines suggest it wasnot done using a diamond. Anything harder than glass willscratch it, so the tool used to produce the decoration may havebeen a sharpened steel point or even a piece of flint or quartz.

The name inscribed on this bottle is difficult to decipher becauseof the presence of two small “T”s inserted after the capital “L”,one being placed horizontally above the other. The name couldbe Littler, but it is also possible that the name is Lt. Tittler. Nobiographical information has been discovered about either name.

The engraved flowers bear a familial resemblance to needleworkproduced in the same period by young girls in schools. Thedepictions on the bottle, however, are more lifelike and realisticthan those typically appearing on samplers. (See also Cat. 90 fora diamond- engraved panel with depictions of carnations

resembling needlework samplers.) The presence of both a thistleand a heraldic rose on the bottle may reflect the Union of theScottish and English kingdoms in 1707. The presence of thethistle might also suggest a relationship to the Jacobite movementwhich was active during the first half of the eighteenth century,but the date 1739 is not significant in the history of the movement(see pages 162‒167).

This bottle should not be confused with the crudely stippledbottles produced between about 1820 and 1890, a century laterthan the bottle in Cat. 114. They were the product of anunknown worker or workers living near the Alloa Glass Worksin Scotland.1 Those bottles have crude pecked decorationproduced by tapping a sharp-pointed tool, perhaps a hammer ornail, against the surface of the bottles.

Although the shape of the bottle is related to typical Dutch bottlesof the 1730s,2 the form of the string rim and the deep, rounded kickare consistent with bottles of British origin of about 1725.

Figures 178a–d. Details ofCat. 114.

114A quart bottle with scratch-engraved decoration, bearing the name Lt. John Tittler (?) and

possibly decorated by himEngland, c.1725, the engraving dated 1739

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the golden age of english glass

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