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 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 serve to prove an objects authenticity.
The most significant is the pontil mark which is the glass scar
where the foot was broken away from the pontil rod.
In addition vertical lines running down the bowl and striations
in or around the the bowl are other identifying features.
Georgian glasses always have a foot that is wider than the bowl
and collectors should check careful to make sure this has not been
ground down or interefered with in any other way.
To achieve a comprehensive understanding of antique georgian glass
we can do no better than recommend you download and read John Ainsley's,
introduction
to georgian drinking glasses and identifying
georgian drinking glasses.
If you're looking to add to your collection, why not flick through
our Georgian
glass for sale section.
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