Topic: Cordial glass help

[Kazmichelle]

Hi all, can anyone shed any light on these two cordial glasses . They are quite crude and slightly wonky with bubbles and inclusions . Some movement wear to base.

[Paul S.]

hi  -  you don't provide any dimensions for these  -  but my opinion is that they don't look tall enough, at least in the stem, to be for cordial  -  although not to say they categorically aren't  ...............   they also perhaps lack the finesse of cordials, which averaged 5" - 5.5".
Cordial and ratafia were potent beverages, often with as much as 50% alcohol by volume, hence the small bowls.         
my opinion is that possible these are either dram glasses or sham-drams  -  the latter used when the drinker wished not to consume a full bowl full, and this very thick bowl bottom might possible be that, but difficult to be sure.               Dram glasses are associated with gin or whiskey, brandy etc., and are generally shorter than cordials and have a more robust and thick-set appearance - also probably soda glass and not lead  -  so these won't ring when flicked.

From the description the quality sounds more tavern-like than something from a Georgian drawing room.             Can't see from your pix whether the foot has the remains of a scar or ground/polished depression, not that this will tell us a great deal, unfortunately, and 'some movement wear to base' doesn't suggest a great age, and taking a rather uneducated punt I'd suggest second half C19.   Think I can see striations to the foot, but don't think this really helps to date.

As you've no doubt gathered, drinking glasses can often be a minefield when trying to id -  serious collectors usually keep to the known shapes and designs, and mostly don't collect beyond c. 1830 ..............    this makes for less mistakes and more attractive glasses  -  but comes with a bigger price tag.
It goes without saying you will never know the maker, or even possibly the country of origin.           Sorry this isn't really what you wanted to hear  -  perhaps other people might offer better information.

[Kazmichelle]

Thanks Paul
The bowl is 4cm across (edge to edge) and ౩cm deep
The stem is 4cm and the base is slightly concave, smooth with no pontil scar or ground pontil.

[Paul S.]

thanks Karen  -  this inclines me more toward the suggestion of a dram glass - and likely an example intended for, or used in, a tavern.

As we've discussed, the almost limitless variation of drinking glasses, from Europe, made in the C18 and C19 centuries, really is a study in it's own right, and then there are the later copies - so you're going to need to learn a vast amount in order to even begin to feel that you are making some headway.
It now needs a lot of luck and knowledge to find the real deal for small money  -  the days of picking up genuine period glasses at boot sales and bric-a-brac venues are virtually gone, and if you want such things you will have to pay real money.
Get a copy of Bickerton, perhaps G. Bernard Hughes 'English Glass for the Collector', and pick up and examine as many pieces, in the flesh, as you can.
Unfortunately, there are very few members here who will respond to these requests  -  Peter (Oldglassman) will, provided your glass is C18:-) - so mostly we're on our own, which is why you must teach yourself  ---   and then you can help me

But  -  your glasses are a piece of real history, made when the world was vastly different, and holding such pieces gives a glimpse backward to a long forgotten world and those who peopled it...........   so keep them, in many ways they are priceless.           (Strueth - doesn't he tick on)