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 :  11.8cm height.  4.5 cm diameter bowl. 6.2cm diameter foot 
Condition : Excellent. no chips or cracks.
Restoration : None 
Weight:  99 grams 

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.

It is the romance of the Jacobite case that still resonates. It has been forgotten that there were more English Jacobites than there were Scots. The reason Scotland was used by the Stuarts to stage forlorn attempts at regaining the crown was simple. The clan system was easier to exploit due to the anxieties and greed of the clans themselves. Bribes were all it took. It has also been forgotten that Charles for the most part was unwanted and unwelcome and when his ambitions were put to the sword once and for all this was for the most part at the hands of Scottish Regiments in the British army. The Jacobites lost more men at Culloden when in retreat. running away from the fight than they did on the battle field. The reality is far less romantic than some would wish it to be.