SOLD – Pair Jacobite Sympathy Engraved Opaque Twist Wine Glasses c1760.

Description

A superb PAIR of Georgian Opaque Twist Wine Glasses which date to c1760.

They have excellent lipped Ogee bowls which have been engraved with Forget-me-nots. Lilly of the valley and Sunflowers (see below) above double series opaque twists stems consisting of 12-ply spiral bands outside a pair of spiral threads.  Conical feet with rough pontils.

English lead. no chips cracks or restoration to either glass. they measures 5 7/8 inches tall with 2 1/8 inch bowls and 2 ¾ inch feet.

By 1760 hopes for the restoration of the Stuarts were still high. Fifteen years had elapsed since the last uprising. the “45”.Bliadhna Theàrlaich . Charles’s year. In 1759 the French drew up plans for an invasion of England and sought the support of Charles Edward Stuart who promised to deliver. The French dismissed this as many a highlander was in fact fighting against the French all over the world during the seven years’ war. forced conscripts in an English army. They still expected to garner the support of the remaining Jacobite’s upon arrival.

With Charles Edward still very much alive being outwardly supportive of the cause was still both seditious and treasonable. Jacobites still met as societies with names designed not to convey their allegiances. The “Farmers Society”. the “Buck” Club. The Act of Proscription of 1746 was not repealed until 1782 and many a Highlander unable to meet the fines outlined in the act found himself in the English army or quite literally enslaved on a Caribbean plantation. Even the wearing of highland dress was made illegal and the disarming of the clans was conducted with ruthless efficiency by the Duke of Cumberland. The search for weapons resulted in whole villages being raised to the ground.

Displays of allegiance to “the cause” required subtlety. The glasses are engraved with three types of flowers that would not ordinarily merit scrutiny. unlike the more obvious “Stuart roses and buds” with which the reader will be familiar. The flowers are forget-me-nots. and obvious reminder that had been used since the early 18th century on both glass and pottery. Lilly of the valley. symbolic of the return of happiness that will come with the restoration and of the “White Martyr” King Charles. The number of florets and their positioning is significant. It is a well know metaphor for the House of Stuart and the Jacobite succession. To the left the  floret for James 11 and the princess over the water Louisa. To the right James Francis the Old Pretender. and his issue. respectively Charles Edward and Henry. Finally a sunflower. which always “follow the light”. another piece of widely used Jacobite imagery. The association between the sun and Kings having been established for millennia.

Overall a superb pair which we feel deserve to stay together.