J. Sydney Lewis

“ The final stage with which we are concerned is that of blowing, since all table glass, worthy of being called table glass, is blown. In other words, every decanter, vase, tumbler, and wine glass of the better sort begins its existence as a bubble of molten glass at the end of an iron tube—the glass-blower’s tube—and owes its form to the delicate touches of simple tools held in a skilful hand and guided by a trained eye. It is this fact which gives glass its individuality. There is no hard-and-fast rigour of line, no mechanical uniformity of shape, such as is associated with machine-made goods ”

“ Thus an ale glass would be adorned with ears of barley or bunches of hops; a wine glass with vine leaves or bunches of grapes; a cider glass with sprays of apple blossom, and so forth.
Champagne was, in the eighteenth century, a wine of comparatively recent introduction, and was drunk only by the rich and great. Probably at first no special glasses were used for it, the more elegant of those already in existence, presumably bell-shaped and air-stemmed, being pressed into the service, but about 1730 special glasses were made, with wide, shallow bowls, of the double-ogee variety and a baluster. ”

“ It is no very difficult task for an enthusiast to find to-day excellent specimens of Bristol ware. Its characteristic features are an extraordinary fineness in colour and texture, coupled with a delicate taste both in hue and form. The ware, too, has a peculiar softness to the touch which is quite characteristic, and provides the amateur collector, once he has recognised it, with an excellent test as to the genuineness of the specimen under consideration. ”

“ Artificial light, too, is a very treacherous medium in which to examine glass of any kind. Any find should be examined by daylight and side by side with other pieces of whose authenticity there is no doubt. ”

“ The problem how to distinguish real old glass from modern imitations is one that besets the collector at every stage of his progress. A few specimens supply their own testimony in the shape of a date, but it is by no means impossible to engrave a date on a piece of specious-looking real antiquity, and so give it a fictitious value, by making it appear “the thing which it is not.” ”

“ But for the moment it may be said that the best test of genuineness is neither shape nor any particular design—for these can be closely imitated—but the colour. There is a curious tint in old glass which the new never quite achieves. The would-be small collector will be well advised if, before riding his hobby, he goes through a brief course of eye-training under the guidance of an expert, until he gets the exact tone of the old glass firmly impressed upon his memory. As an additional factor, it should always be borne in mind that the old glass is invariably heavier than its modern imitation. ”

“ The strong refractive powers of the new glass made it specially suitable for cutting, which brought out a wonderful fire and sparkle that even the finest art of Bohemia and Venice had not been able to attain. At first, of course, the English craftsmen were far inferior in artistic merit—both as regards design and execution—to those of Bohemia; but the superior brilliancy of the metal atoned to a great extent for the deficiencies of the workmen, and Early English cut wine glasses and punch glasses are by no means to be despised. ”

“ EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY GLASS THE eighteenth century is the “Golden Age” of the collector of English glass. At the beginning of the century glass manufacture was already a flourishing industry. Vessels of all kinds for ornament, keepsakes, and for domestic use were being produced in great quantities, and there was a strong and growing competition between the native craftsmen and the glass-workers of Venice, Bohemia, Germany, and the Low Countries, a competition which, thanks to the superiority of the new English “flint” glass, was steadily trending in favour of the English product. ”

“ A short time limit is only fair, as the seller must protect himself against a possible loss of sale.
One word as to judging glass. It is not necessary to assume that a glass is old because{186} it “rings” well; yet this is a common belief. The clearness with which a glass will ring depends on many things, the most important being its shape. Thus finger basins, rummers, large glasses, bowls, and preserve jars invariably ring well whether ancient or modern. The expert will judge by texture, the colour peculiar to the variety of glass, the shape, and the style of decoration. ”

“ There is, of course, much old glass stored, more or less inaccessibly, in ancient houses up and down the country, and every now and again some such hidden treasure is brought to light. But it may be generally said that, in view of the fierce light the modern craze for antiques has thrown upon such hiding-places, the prospects of the present-day collector of finding, say, a “Fiat” glass are so remote as to be practically negligible. ”

“ Again, glass is cheap, being literally made from the dust of the earth; it is transparent, and so can be used in buildings, transmitting light whilst protecting from the inclemency of the weather. Its transparency, too, combined with its high refractive power,{11} make it of inestimable value in the manufacture of optical instruments. It is this high refractive power, too, which gives to cut glass its beautiful lustre and sparkle, and one aim of the glass-founder is to increase this refractive power and so enhance the brilliancy of his product. ”

“ The subject of frauds and imitations in Old English glass is of quite sufficient importance to warrant a chapter to itself. There is, probably, no department of the “antiques” beloved of the collector in which there is so much room for fraud as in Old English glass, and there is certainly none in which imitation has been carried to a finer point.{167}
One can hardly blame the manufacturer for this. The demand for old glass is much larger than the supply, and the collector, who is desirous of nothing so much as to complete his “set,” is insistent in his inquiries. ”

“ Moulded glass with its heavy, thick appearance and its rounded edges lends itself easily to imitation. But the reproductions are often made in common glass, which gives itself away to the touch. One need hardly be an expert to detect common glass by its feel and texture.
It must not be assumed that the best method{177} of forming a collection is to pick up those pieces which appear to be cheap. Real old glass, like other genuine antiques, is greatly sought after and commands a highly respectable price. This question of price is really a considerable factor to the amateur collector. ”

“ Points to be considered are the colour of the metal, the perfection of the twist, its opacity, and the character of the foot. The colour and weight of the glass are probably the best criteria. The forgeries are generally light, and the beautiful mellow tone of the real old English glass is replaced by a cold white tint or even a tinge of green. The twist is often more translucent than in the genuine pieces, and is frequently imperfectly produced, becoming looser as it descends, the loosening being particularly pronounced just before its junction with the foot. ”

“ Yet a price, though high, need not necessarily be excessive; a genuine specimen acquires value in proportion to its rarity rather than its beauty of design or build. As to genuineness, a decent firm will readily give a guarantee by writing upon the bill something of this nature, “We guarantee this article to be genuine old —— glass, made and decorated at ——, about the year ——, and in the event of the purchaser wishing to return it within one week, we will refund in full the amount paid, provided the article is returned in perfect condition.” ”

“ Many have a knop or button in the middle, others are ornamented with twisted lines, either hollow or filled with glass of different colours, interwoven in spirals, twists, networks and plaits in all kinds of ingenious ways.
Of course, all these things being distinctive are imitable, and here the peril of the collector begins. The expert is rarely deceived as to{60} whether any specimen is genuine old glass; but so pervasive and so perfect are the imitations that exist, and so plausible the conditions under which they are found, that it behoves the amateur to use the extremest caution. ”

“ It is almost impossible to obtain authentic examples of the work of individual Irish factories. Nor can one state with any degree of certainty that a certain pattern, cutting, or style is identified with any one factory or another. Both the Waterford and Cork glass firms came from England, and brought with them English workmen. Hence it is pretty certain that the designs and styles adopted by them were replicas of those utilised in England, and not peculiar to Ireland or copies of ancient Irish relics. ”

“ As to the character of the glasses themselves, shape alone is no criterion of age. Apart from the possibility of deliberate imitation, it does not follow that because a piece is ponderous, clumsy in appearance and, to a modern eye, unduly capacious, that it is necessarily an early piece. Right from the beginning of glass manufacture in England, two qualities, at least, were undoubtedly manufactured ”

“ And although much of it bears such obvious traces of its origin that “he who runs may read,” yet much is so perfectly cut and so similar in appearance to the genuine ware that the amateur is likely to be deceived, and particularly the amateur who, having learned the characteristics of this make of glass, looks for them in his “find.” He will certainly discover them, for is it not the business of the astute manufacturer of fakes to see that they are there? ”

“ The best training for the amateur collector is to spend a few weeks in examining a really good collection, say that in the British Museum or in the South Kensington Museum. Thus the eye becomes educated to the colour, shape, texture, style of decoration, etc., of the various kinds of glass, and is less likely to be deceived by even the best of modern imitations. ”

“ Such examples, which cannot fail to interest the lover of art as well as the collector of antiques, amply testify to the strides which glass manufacture had made in England, and are also useful as indicating the nature of the finds a collector may even yet make in out-of-the-way places, provided he will first take the precaution to acquire such knowledge of the characteristics of old glass as will serve to protect him from being deceived by modern reproductions. ”

“ In the seventeenth century the whole process was revolutionised by the introduction of a large proportion of oxide of lead, making what is technically known as “flint” glass—a glass much more brilliant than any other, a quality due partly to its transparency and partly to its increased refractive power, which renders it specially fitted for “cutting”—a process which enhances its beauty by increasing the number of ways in which the light rays falling on the glass are dispersed. ”

“ There is to-day such a craze for what is old, that it is difficult to find anything that is not faked. I often wonder, when dining with friends, if they are aware of the real nature and origin of the glass they use. ”

“ Silica is probably the most widely distributed substance in nature. Silicate of alumina is, for example, the basis of all clayey soils, and silica, in the pure form of quartz, is the chief constituent of the sand of the sea and of all those rocks which are known as sandstones. Rock-crystal, amethyst, agate, onyx, jasper, flint, etc., are all varieties of silica. Crystalline silica is hard enough to scratch glass—a fact utilised, as we shall see, in the sand-blast which is used for the purpose of engraving patterns on glass. ”

“ As a result, the collector is at once on firmer ground. His knowledge of earlier periods had been gleaned haphazard from drawings, paintings, tapestries, mosaics, and historical documents, with only here and there a specimen, and that of dubious authenticity, to guide him. From this{56} time he is able to observe at first hand, compare, classify, note differences, excellences, and defects. There is no longer any lack of material, either of the finer sort suitable for the tables of the great and wealthy, or of the coarser kind whose only merit was utility. ”

“ Pressed glass is also essentially English, no other kind, save flint glass, being suitable for treatment in this way. It is, in the first place, essential to obtain a metal which has a low melting point, and one which does not shrink in solidifying, as that would draw it away from the sides of the mould, and so effectively spoil the design. The low melting point of the metal enables the product to be “fire polished.” In this process it is reheated to a point sufficient to melt a thin surface layer, and so remove any roughness due to the process of moulding, and leave a smooth bright surface. ”

“ Specimens are fairly easily obtainable, the thickness of the metal and the stoutness of the design carrying them safely through the dangers to which they were specially liable. Apart from their age they have no special merit. The metal is as inferior as the form.
Tumblers were less frequently made in the eighteenth century than were wine glasses, and in the early part, at any rate, those that were met with were chiefly foreign importations. It is possible that the plain lines of the tumbler did not appeal to tastes accustomed to the graceful outlines of the wine glasses. ”

“ A nucleus is soon formed, and, that accomplished, the collector is in the toils of his hobby, and unless he is an utter failure, one of those hopeless and helpless folk who can never learn to discriminate between the true and the false, he speedily acquires a collection which has not only provided him with a delightful recreation but is a source of considerable pride. ”

“ 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. ”

“ In the same year Sir Richard Mansel, a man of considerable standing in the realm, who had been experimenting in glass-making with the aid of Venetian workmen, was granted a licence for making glass with coal, and set up furnaces in London and at Purbeck, Milford Haven and Newcastle. It is a matter for regret that no product of his furnaces is known to exist to-day, a fact the more surprising in that his licence was renewed at various times, and so covers a considerable stretch of the most interesting period of the art. ”

“ An old Waterford cut-glass jug is, provided its cutting is perfect, certainly worth a five-pound note. A very common dodge is to sell an old Waterford jug with a cracked handle, the crack being where it is least likely to show, i.e. at the top or bottom of the handle close to where it joins the body. For an ordinary spiral wine glass 7s. 6d. to 10s. is a fair price, but glasses with baluster stems are easily worth a guinea. Most expensive of all are the real “Fiat” glasses: £9, £10, £15, and{189} even more may be paid for one. ”

“ The simplicity of the manufacture has also given rise to hosts of modern imitations, largely from the Continent. In a great number of these the spirals turn to the left, which has given rise to an idea that all glasses with right-handed opaque spiral stems are modern imitations, which is by no means the case. All such specimens, however, are sufficiently suspect to demand careful scrutiny, and the amateur, before purchasing a right-handed spiral opaque-twisted glass, will do well to submit it to the judgment of an expert. ”

“ Instead of the beautiful clarity and perfect transparency we are accustomed to associate with glass, there is often a streakiness or cloudiness visible in the material, together with numerous bubbles and flaws. If the striations are horizontal, the glass is of an earlier type than if they are perpendicular. The sides of the bowl are often irregular, and the stems are often clumsy, uneven, badly balanced, and altogether disproportionate in point of size to an eye accustomed to the slenderer style of modern glassware. An important point is the junction between the bowl{24} and the stem. ”

“ But artfully concealed in the band of decoration round the rim was a series of small holes, through which, when the glass was tilted, the liquor ran, soaking the drinker’s waistcoat instead of finding its way down his throat.
Possibly the old coaching glasses may fitly find a place in this connection. They are without feet, the stem ending in a bulb which was often cut. When, in the old coaching days, the vehicle pulled up at a wayside inn, the landlord brought out his tray with the glasses inverted upon it. ”

“ In spite of such occasional finds as this, the amateur who in pursuit of his hobby makes a habit of raiding old country cottages, shops, and inns, must be exceedingly wary and look upon exceptional discoveries with an exceedingly sceptical eye. An amusing experience that befell a friend of the author’s—a foreign glass merchant—is perhaps worth recounting in this connection. ”

“ Rent, rates, and large salary lists preclude any possibility of cheapness there. And further, if I may venture to let my readers into a secret, there are hundreds of so-called antique dealers in our principal cities who are as incapable of telling the real antique from the artful fake as the veriest tyro. Their statements, about glass in particular, are often utterly unreliable. There are good firms to be found who have expert knowledge and whose judgment may be relied upon, but they are few and far between. ”

“ At the beginning the craftsmen of Bohemia were probably far superior to those of England, but as soon as the special suitability of the English glass was demonstrated, the native workmen speedily outdid all foreign competitors. The quality of the glass and of the cutting gradually improved, until at the close of the eighteenth century practically all English glass of any importance was ornamented in this fashion, and the English product was famous all over the Continent. ”