Georgian plain stem wine glasses and other plain stem drinking glasses are the most common of all 18th century period forms and have survived in good numbers but are not to be frowned upon. We have some clients who avidly collect only plain stem wine, gin and cordial glasses as they benefit from a far wider range of bowl type, engraving, applied decoration and foot type than any other form.
The thickened firing foot, terraced and over-sewn or over strung foot, folded foot and flanged foot and early tavern gin glasses are most commonly found on plain stems. There is incredible diversity within the size of drawn trumpet bowl glasses alone, from the 12 ¾ inch tall goliath to the dram glasses that are but a quarter of the height. The thin-stemmed toasting glasses are amongst the most delightful of all to use on that special occasion.
Lynn moulding is most commonly found on the bowls plain stem Georgian wine glasses and it is no coincidence that the Amen glasses and most true Jacobite glasses are of plain stem form. A Beilby enamelled plain stem Georgian glass is a true rarity, as are those gilded by the James Giles atelier. The hand blown two-piece drawn trumpet glass with a folded foot and snapped pontil mark – it may be argued – is the definitive and most iconic of glasses from the Georgian and Regency periods
