18th Century Nut Moulded Liege Wine Glass c1720

Description

Heading : 18th century Liege wine glass
Date : Early 18th century 1710- 1730
Origin : Liege. Belgium
Colour : Clear
Bowl : Conical with nut moulding
Stem : Shoulder and basal knops
Foot : Conical & folded
Pontil : Snapped
Glass Type : Soda
Size : 5 1/8 inches tall with a 2 3/8 inch bowl and 2 11/16 inch foot
Condition : Excellent. no chips or cracks
Restoration : None
Weight : 74 Grams

These forms are Liègeois and can be attributed to the Nizet glasshouse. Some time around 1710. Nizet. formerly a wine dealer. established a glasshouse which rapidly overtook the fine glass business from the Bonhomme glasshouse. His invention was to introduce a thicker (more durable) and more limpid glass than that used by the Bonhommes. who still produced glass in the Façon d’Altare. Nizet was inspired by the English lead glass and his glasses (except those produced when production first began) contain a low level lead oxide.

During the second half of the 17th century. the Bonhommes generated most of their revenue from the production of simple. small glasses. The production of luxury Façon de Venise glasses was already on the wane. This may in part be attributed to poor economic conditions following a series of French invasions of Southern Netherlands. the last wave of which took place in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714). Style and practicality may also have played a role. consumers desired practical smaller glasses in which to enjoy their wine and in economical portions. With the coming of Nizet. the production of the most luxurious “verres d’apparat” was ceased altogether in the Low Countries and was left mostly to Bohemia. Germany and later England.

These glasses are successors of thinner verres de fougère produced in France. the Southern Netherlands and probably even in England. In the Low Countries they were made to enjoy Burgundy wine. This was imported from Burgundy via the river Meuse. It is believed that the barges returned to France loaded with Nizet glasses from Liège. It seems that they were very popular within the regions and this goes some way to explain why many of these glasses reside within French collections.

These glasses are called “verres fraisés”. When filled with Burgundy wine. which was probably of a lighter red than now. the bowls do indeed have a resemblance to strawberries!