Topic: Cut blue drinking glass or posy vase with star cut square base

[glassobsessed]

This arrived in an auction lot a couple of years ago but has remained a mystery to me. I think it was described by the auction as a drinking glass but a posy vase seems as likely.

3 inches tall, relatively thick walled and heavy, the rim is cut horizontally and on the outside edge vertically - can't remember seeing that before. Plenty of wear around the outer edge of the foot.

Any suggestions regarding function, age and origin would be great. There are a few items to be found on the board that have square and cut bases but they are much larger and made in clear glass.

John

[Ivo]

No idea what it's for -  the concept of flower vases is relatively recent - but the square base was popular 1790-1820, give or take a few years.

[Paul S.]

doesn't ring any bells for me either  -  but occurs to me that the lack of a stem might discount the drinking glass idea.......    I'd go for simply a decorative piece or small vase.            If it equates to any particular shape at all, then a jelly might be the nearest approximation  -  I'd suggest the shape is wrong for a salt.
the body cutting looks to be a modern take on scale cutting.         I wonder if it started out life with a lid??

don't get the impression that Ivo was suggesting seriously that this might have been British, late Georgian/Regency  -  condition looks way too good for that sort of age despite the comments about wear  -  and Bristol blue is a colour that appears never to have been out of fashion, so age wise it could be from almost any time.
 
the star cuts appear to lack sharpness - might they be moulded perhaps?  -  and does it have a ring when flicked?

How about an egg cup for ducks eggs

[Ivo]

I was more thinking of Ireland or Belgium. Not a salt, and did not have a lid as the inside is not suited to it. Might be a mustard, then.

[Paul S.]

yes, mustard is a possibility - they had lids, usually, and there would have been a cut-out in the lid, to accommodate the spoon handle...........  but since we don't have a lid..........

[ju1i3]

That looks fab - intense cobalt blue, heavy, well-made IMHO. My impression is late 18th/early 19th century.

[Paul S.]

Hi Julie  -  are your thoughts based on the colour alone?                Forgive my ignorance, but is cobalt blue the same as Bristol blue - or is there a perceptible difference?          I think we're still waiting for Chris to comment whether this is lead glass or not.........     from that period we might expect it to be.
Does the cutting and condition look to be almost too good for 200 year old glass?

[glassobsessed]

Thanks all that is great,  no wonder I was floundering with this as it is way outside my comfort zone. In terms of colour only I would describe the blue as cobalt, it has a lovely purple tone when held up to the light.

It feels 'weighty' enough to be lead but I am not sure, it also rings with a nice enough tone but then does not resonate for long.

Made in three parts, the star on the base is definitely cut and not moulded.

Who is Chris?

John

[Paul S.]

having a senior moment there John - sorry

my humble opinion is that your glass is not as old as might be first thought  -  i.e. bristol blue - square foot, star under, overlapping cutting etc. implying late Georgian.
To my eyes it looks in far too good condition to be period -  those corners of the foot and the sharp arises and lack of damage to the intersections of the scale cutting, which to my eyes looks too deep.              Also don't quite like the not so good accuracy of the bevelling on the square foot.

But not easy when looking at the screen, I know, but just one of those gut feelings - which could be wrong.              
Perhaps it's a Georgian 'lick'

[brucebanner]

I have a fair few square based glasses, it makes no difference I have found on any of them regardless of age they have one thing in common, chips. Something 200 years old will be chipped on a square base unless it's been buried from new or in a museum from new, in my opinion there are too many upper and lower edges and corners not to be damaged. Here is an old glass that has been on here before, a 50's or early 60's wine glass (I would love to know the pattern of as I have a set of six) and a Webbs shot glass from the 80's all chipped in the right places.

The square base has been around for years.

Lovely looking glass John.

Yours could have been tinkered with though, re cut and polished. I see a lot of that in cut glass although the original  base would have to have been big in order to polish a chip out, that assuming it had been damaged in the past.

If you look at the edge on the last base picture it looks like 3mm is missing to me on the edge of the tip of the star points?.