Collector's Insights

From Baluster to Silesian: The Evolution of the English Drinking Glass Stem 1680–1750
Introduction The period from approximately 1680 to 1750 represents one of the most dynamic and consequential chapters in the history of English glassmaking. In the space of seven decades, the dominant stem form of the English drinking glass passed through a remarkable sequence of development — from the bold, sculptural heavy baluster of the late 17th century, through the lighter and more varied baluster forms of the early 18th century, to the architecturally distinctive Silesian stem introduced around 1714, and finally to the transitional balustroid forms that bridged the gap... Read more...
Air Twist Stems: A Collector's Guide to Types, Dates and Values
Introduction Of all the stem types produced during the golden age of English drinking glass, the air twist is perhaps the most immediately captivating. Trapped within the stem, columns of air have been drawn and twisted into spirals of extraordinary delicacy — a feat of glassmaking skill that, once understood, makes the finished object all the more remarkable. Air twist glasses were produced for approximately three decades from around 1740, and in that relatively short period English glassmakers developed a vocabulary of twist configurations of remarkable variety and ingenuity. For... Read more...
Opaque Twist Stems: White and Colour Twists in English Antique Glass
Introduction If the air twist stem represents the ingenuity of the English glassmaker in capturing and manipulating air, the opaque twist stem takes that ingenuity a step further — replacing invisible columns of air with rods of brilliant white or richly coloured enamel glass, twisted into patterns of extraordinary variety and precision. Produced from approximately 1745 and dominant from the mid-1750s to around 1780, opaque twist glasses are among the most decorative and collectible objects in 18th-century English glass. Their crisp, graphic stems — white against clear glass, or colour... Read more...
Antique Roemer Glasses: History, Forms and the Art of the German Drinking Vessel
Antique Roemer Glasses: History, Forms and the Art of the German Drinking Vessel
IntroductionThe Roemer is one of the most distinctive and immediately recognisable forms in the history of European glass. Squat, generous, and covered in the characteristic applied blobs known as prunts,... Read more...
Gothic Revival Stained Glass: Motifs, Colours and How to Identify It
IntroductionStained glass is one of the great art forms of the medieval world — and one of the most successfully revived. The Gothic Revival movement of the 19th century produced stained glass of extraordinary ambition and quality, drawing on medieval precedents while bringing to them the resources, scholarship, and aesthetic sensibilities of the Victorian age. For collectors and enthusiasts today, Gothic Revival stained glass presents both an opportunity and a challenge: an opportunity because fine Victorian stained glass panels are available at prices that reflect neither their quality nor their... Read more...
Baluster Stems: The Golden Age of English Drinking Glass Design
Introduction Before the delicate spirals of the air twist and the crisp geometry of the opaque twist, there was the baluster — bold, sculptural, and possessed of a physical presence that no subsequent stem form quite matched. Produced from approximately 1685 to 1725, baluster stem glasses represent the first great flowering of English lead glass design, and the finest examples are among the most impressive objects in the entire canon of English decorative art. For collectors, they offer a direct connection to the earliest years of the lead glass tradition... Read more...
Silesian Stems: Origins, Identification and the Hanoverian Connection
Silesian Stems: Origins, Identification and the Hanoverian Connection
Introduction Among the stem types of 18th-century English drinking glass, the Silesian stem stands apart — not for the delicacy of its construction, as with the twist stems, but for... Read more...
The Ancient History of Glass: From Discovery to Daily Utility
Introduction Glass is so thoroughly embedded in the fabric of modern life that it is easy to forget what a remarkable and improbable material it is. Transparent, hard, smooth, and infinitely formable, it is made from one of the most abundant substances on earth, silica (sand), transformed by heat into something that has no obvious precedent in the natural world. The history of glass is, in a sense, the history of humanity's relationship with fire and with the possibilities that fire unlocks. It stretches back further than most people imagine,... Read more...
Lynn Glasses: The Distinctive Rings of King's Lynn
Introduction Among the regional variations in 18th-century English glassmaking, Lynn glasses hold a special place. Produced in the Norfolk port town of King's Lynn, these distinctive drinking glasses are immediately recognisable by the horizontal rings moulded into their bowls — a feature found nowhere else in English glass production of the period. Relatively rare, visually striking, and with a clear regional identity, Lynn glasses are among the most sought-after pieces in the field of antique English drinking glass. What Is a Lynn Glass? A Lynn glass is a drinking glass... Read more...
Deceptive and Illusion Glasses: The Trickster's Art in 18th Century Glass
Illusion Glasses Not all antique drinking glasses were made in the spirit of generous hospitality. The deceptive glass — also known as the illusion glass — was designed with a rather different purpose: to deceive the eye, confound the guest, and provide its owner with a quiet advantage at the table. These ingenious objects, produced from the late 17th century onwards, are among the most charming and characterful pieces in English glass collecting, combining fine craftsmanship with a very human sense of mischief. What Is a Deceptive Glass? A deceptive... Read more...
Firing Glasses: History, Identification and Why Collectors Love Them
Introduction Compact, robust, and full of character, firing glasses are among the most immediately recognisable forms in antique English glassware. Their distinctive heavy feet and short, sturdy stems set them apart from the elegant drinking glasses of the same period, and their association with lodge meetings, regimental dinners, and political gatherings gives them a social history as rich as their physical form. For collectors, they offer an accessible entry point into 18th-century glass — relatively affordable, highly displayable, and with a story worth telling. What Is a Firing Glass? A... Read more...
Jacobite Glasses: Symbols, History and What to Look For When Collecting
Introduction Among the most historically charged objects in English glass collecting, Jacobite glasses occupy a unique place — part drinking vessel, part political artefact, part secret code. Produced for supporters of the exiled Stuart dynasty during the late 17th and 18th centuries, these glasses were used in clandestine toasting rituals and engraved with a vocabulary of symbols whose meanings were understood only by the initiated. For the collector today, they represent a rare intersection of fine craftsmanship, political history, and the romance of a lost cause. The Historical Background The... Read more...