Engraved Georgian Glass Tumbler c1780

Description

Heading : Engraved Georgian glass tumbler
Period : c1780
Origin : England
Colour : Clear
Bowl : Conical. engraved with a sunflower-like flower head and leaves and tendrils. To the reverse a bird in flight. 
Pontil : Snapped
Glass Type : Lead
Size : 
Condition : Excellent. no chips or cracks – one burst bubble to the inside of the bowl
Restoration : None
Weight: 159 grams 

Some may suggest this piece is of Jacobite significance. The sunflower is a common Jacobite symbol as. just as a sunflower follows the sun. the Jacobites saw themselves as following the divinely endowed House of Stuart.

The Jay is also a common symbol of Jacobitism. The more romantic theory is that it is a reference to Aesop’s fables wherein a Jay wears the fallen feathers of a peacock and thinks himself grand with his new found plumage; he is then pecked and picked at by the real peacocks and scolded by his fellow jaybirds who say “it is not only fine feathers that make fine birds.” The other theory goes that. being prone to creativity and originality. the Jacobites noticed that the first letter of the Old Pretender’s name (James) is J

However. flowers and birds were incredibly common themes for glass engravers of the period and we feel that to suggest this piece was engraved with coded references to the treasonous cause would lack credulity.