Jacobite Sympathy Facet Cut Wine Glass c1780

Description

Heading : Jacobite sympathy facet cut wine glass
Period : George III – c1780
Origin : England
Colour : Clear
Bowl : Ogee – cut. polished. and engraved rose with one closed bud dexter. to the reverse is a cut. polished and engraved lily of the valley. The petals and leaves all highlighted with diammond point engraving thoughout. Petal cut lower bowl.
Stem : Facet cut with meidal knop
Foot : Facet cut conical
Pontil : Snapped
Glass Type : Lead
Size :  14.7cm height. 5cm diameter bowl. 7.3cm diameter foot
Condition : Excellent. no chips or cracks
Restoration : None
Weight: 130 grams

References : Every element within the engraving are well established and documented within Jacobite symbology and require no elucidation thereon. We have always “underplayed” such glasses by describing them as “Jacobite sympathy” . We have been given a copy of “History in Glass. A coronation exhibition of royal. historical.. political and social glasses commemorating eighteenth and nineteeth century events. ” _ Arthur Churchill May 28th 1937.  For those lucky enough to possess a copy of a book with the longest title imaginable please take a look at plate 14 glass 63. The same engraving is simply described as “Jacobite”. despite the fact that the cause was a forlorn hope by the date of manufacture.

The claim that jacobites were motivated solely by the desire to reinstate the house of Stuart is wrong. this may be true for some English jacobites but for those presbyterians from the North East of Scotland who made up the bulk of rebel army it was a reaction against the act of union and the potential loss of rights for their own church. The army of papist highlanders is a myth accentuated by novels and film scripts. a romantic fiction.

The Act of Union itself only came about as a result of the Darien disaster. a failed Scottish imperialist attempt to create a colony in a Panamanian malarial swamp. This bankrupted Scotland and resulted in the biggest bail out of all time courtesy of the Bank of England. itself founded by a Scot ! There were significant protests in England too about the act of Union and the financial chaos caused by the unruly neighbour. Then as now many south of the border argued against the union. It is worth considering the outcome were there to be a referendum tomorrow in England about Scottish independence . the answer would most likely be a resounding yes. provided that Scotland repays its debt.

Eighteenth Century English drinking glasses an Illustrated Guide. By L.M Bickerton – Page 243 Plate 748.