Two Early 19th Century Gilded Bristol Blue Decanters

Description

Heading : Bristol blue brandy and hollands (gin) decanters
Date : c1810
Period : George III
Origin : English
Colour : A very deep inky blue
Stopper : Lozenge with bevelled edge and gilded ‘B’ and H respectively
Neck : A Gilded oval with dentil border surrounded by foliate swags.
Body : Club shaped
Base : Flat with large and deep polished pontil
Glass Type : Lead glass
Size : 23.3cm and 23.8cm tall
Condition : Excellent. no chips or cracks. clean and clear. minor losses to gilding. Very limited fritting on te leading. edge of the stoppers.
Restoration : None
Weight :760 grams

It is good to see two bristol blue decanters with the very deep blue hue. The cobalt required to dope the glass was imported via Bristol and was first used in that city to colour glass. Early examples have a deeper and richer colour. Early 20th century reproductions are literally pale imitations and invariable rely on naive chain link decoration.