Georgian Glass

Collecting Antique Georgian Glass offers rare opportunities to the antique glass collector, buyer or seller.

So, what is Georgian Glass ...

The georgian period spanned the years 1714 to 1830 and included the regency period of 1811 to 1820.

In the Georgian period the first four Georges reigned as Kings of England.

Collecting Georgian glass is very popular and can be very lucrative.

During the Georgian period the English became famous for the excellence of their lead glass, which was either invented by George Ravenscroft in the late 17th century or by him and an Italian glass worker, Seignior Da Costa.

Ravenscroft set up a partnership with da costa, to produce a new glass in a glass factory at Savoy, London in 1673.

The introduction of lead glass almost entirely replaced Venetian soda glass which had dominated the European market for centuries.

Georgian drinking glasses were normally made in three different pieces - the base, the stem and the bowl.

A hierarchy existed amongst the Georgian Glass craftsmen.

• A junior would be assigned to make the foot
• A master craftsman had the task of creating the stem
• While the top job belonged to the gaffer who shaped the bowl and then joined the individual pieces together.

During the manufacturing process several typical marks were left in the glass and today these can help prove the authenticity of a Georgian glass object.

The most significant mark is the pontil mark which is the glass scar normally found on the base. This was created when the glass was broken free of the blowpipe.

In addition vertical lines running down the bowl and striations in or around the bowl are among the other identifying features.

Georgian glasses always have a foot that is wider than the bowl

And collectors should check carefully to make sure the foot has not been ground down or interefered with in any other way.

Grinding down the foot rim is a common method of removing and disguising a chipped foot.

To achieve a comprehensive understanding of antique Georgian glass we can do no better than recommend you read John Ainsley's ..,

• An introduction to Georgian drinking glasses and
• Identifying Georgian drinking glasses.

If you're looking to add to your glass collection, why not flick through our Georgian Glass for sale section.