Richardson Thistle Decanter Wheel Engraved c1900

Description

Heading : Richardson thistle decanter
Date : c1900
Period : Victoria
Origin : Stourbridge. England
Colour : Clear . good grey tone
Stopper : Hollow thistle shaped stopper with an engraved band of thistles and a band of fine diamonds.
Neck : Slice cut
Body : Thistle shaped with a band of fine diamonds and an engraved band of thisltes. Short slice cuts on the neck. Panel cuts to base
Base : Star cut
Glass Type : Lead.
Size :  30.9  cm to top of stopper. 12.7cm base diameter
Condition : Excellent.no chips or cracks
Restoration : None
Weight :  1493 grams

It is tempting. whenever one is confronted with a thistle. to allow oneself to fall into the trap of immediately attributing a Scottish origin. Other than the lack of the Edinburgh Crystal mark there are a number of giveaways to the eagle eyed antiquarian that demonstrate this was in fact made south of the border.

It was around the time of the English manufacturer Thomas Webb’s purchase of Edinburgh Crystal that the Scottish producer first introduced their line of thistle decanters. One of Webb’s major competitors. the dynasty that was Richardson glass. had been producing thistle decanters from c1880. If one compares this example with the Edinburgh example we also have available for sale there are some key distinctions.

To start at the top the pourig rim on this piece is flat. whereas the Scottish example has a deeply concave almost bowl like appearance.The thickness of the area directly below the diamond cutting is far thicker on the Richardson examples than Edinburgh. The wheel cutting on the Richardson example vs the cheaper acid etching on the Scottish piece is another indicator of the difference in age and quality. Finally the metal is far darker on the Richardson example. another great indicator of age.

Both pieces are fantastic examples of a truly iconic piece of British design. however. the English example has those little touches of exceptional craftsmanship that make it superior to the Scottish from the perspective quality alone.