Anglo-Irish Glass Georgian Prussian Decanter c1800

Description

Heading : Anglo-Irish glass Georgian Prussian Decanter c1800
Period : Regency 
Origin :  Probably Ireland – see below
Colour :  Clear with grey-blue hue
Stopper : Proud moulded radial mushroom 
Neck : Three applied neck rings
Body : Prussian  
Base : Dip moulded
Glass Type : Lead.
Size :    26.7cm to top of stopper, 11cm diameter
Condition : Excellent, no chips or cracks – rocks slightly. on a flat surface
Restoration : None
Weight :  781 grams

Without marks attributing Irish origins to glass with a high degree of certainty can be tricky. This example has the distinctive blue hue which is, according to some, a cut and dry indicator of Anglo-Irish glass. The problem is it isn’t true. The so called “Derby Blue” lead which was indeed imported to Ireland for the manufacture of glass may have leant this unusual hue, however, it has been noted that glass fittings for epergnes from Sheffield have that selfsame colouring.

The origin of that particular myth is Hartshorne’s indomitable Old English Glasses published in 1897. Being such a seminal work, it is unsurprising that the myth has survived for so long and spread so far, but a myth it remains. It is likely that the lead itself is only part of the reason for the colouring as impurities can enter the metal in any number of ways.

The great Harry Powell noted that “The bluish tint in old glass is not exclusively Irish… in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the sand, lead, and alkali contained traces of iron and the glass mixture had to be doctored to neutralise the yellow or green colour… oxide of manganese was used in the form of powdered ‘hand picked’ pyrolusite. Pyrolusite varies considerably in quality; in some cases being practically pure oxide of manganese, in others containing impurities as iron, nickel, cobalt and copper… Does it not therefore seem probable that the material added to the glass mixture to neutralise the effect of iron, produced the black or blue tint?”

This being said – we are fairly confident that this decanter is of Irish origin based on our extensive experience. There is a certain Hibernian naivety that is common to the decanters of Irish origin, possibly due to the infancy of Irish glass making at the time. The appeal of Irish glass in the 19th century according the McConnell “lay in the price” – simply an inferior product produced at low cost.

References:

Irish Glass by M.S Dudley Westropp Pgs 158 + 159

The Decanter Ancient to Modern by Andy McConnell – the chapters on the Anglo-Irish period and Prussian decanters contains a number of examples similar to this.