Jacobite Sympathy Facet Cut Stem Wine Glass c1770

Description

Heading : An engraved Georgian wine glass with facet but stem
Period : George III
Origin : England 
Colour : Clear 
Bowl : Round funnel engraved with a carnation and moth
Stem : Elongated hexagonal facet cuts
Foot : Conical
Pontil : Snapped
Glass Type : Lead 
Size :  12.6cm height.  4.7 cm diameter bowl. 6.3cm diameter foot 
Condition : Excellent. no chips or cracks. There are shear marks still visible on the foot rim. Small particles of clinker
Restoration : None 
Weight:  103 grams 

The moth or butterfly represents the returning soul. It was believed that any Scot who died outside of his homeland would take the low road home and return via a subterranean route. It was a common belief in Britain that the pupae of moths and butterflies were born below ground on the carcasses of the dead and were thus returning souls. For the sake of completeness the high road is a metaphor for remaining alive.

We have often been asked why we refer to this and others as a Jacobite sympathy. The reason is simple. at the time of manufacture ‘the cause’ was a forlorn one. It has been argued that it always was. James II (VII of Scotland) was an undemocratic religious bigot intolerant of any belief system other than his own and a believer in the divine right of Kings. He did not endear himself to anyone.