Description
Heading : Unique set of four air twist wine glasses with Orlando Furioso engraving
Period : George II – c1750
Origin : England
Colour : Clear
Bowl : Round funnel – engraving explained below
Stem : Mutli spiral air twists with annular knops
Foot : Conical
Pontil : Snapped
Glass Type : Lead
Size : 14.7cm height. 5.2cm diameter bowl. 6.1cm diameter foot
Condition : No chips or cracks. Two feet have been polished. two glasses in excellent order
Restoration : None
Weight: 400 grams
Purchased at Bonhams 15th November 2023 Lot 29. Ex-Durrington Collection.
www.bonhams.com/auction/29288/lot/29/a-unique-set-of-four-engraved-airtwist-wine-glasses-of-possible-jacobite-significance-circa-1760/
Of tenuous Jacobite significance. Each of the glasses is engraved with the names of characters from Oralando Furioso a 16th century Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto. This is an extraordinary tale of Charlemagne’s armies fighting off invading Saracen hoards. One of the most influential pieces of Italian literature and it’s impact can be felt accross many genres to this day. having influenced Shakespeare. Walter Scott. and many modern fantasy writers.
A former owner of this set of glasses. one Mr Crumm. decided that the engraving was a somewhat baffling acrostic puzzle. He argued that an engraved elgantine along with ‘Hippalca’ (the glass with this engraving no longer exists) was a puzzle the solution to which was HAZARD and CHARLES. He was vociferous in his conviction and appealed to the legend of glass that was E. Barrington-Haynes. EBH was far less convinced and dismissed Crumm’s claims out of hand and later Jeanette Hayhurst would debunk Crumm’s fanciful theory.
Whether Crumm was correct or not this is a truly stunning set of wine glasses and their significance and uniqueness within the world of glass collecting cannot be questioned.
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