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Wine glass
George Bacchus and Sons - Enlarge image
Wine glass
- Place of origin:
Birmingham, England (made)
- Date:
1849-1851 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
George Bacchus and Sons (probably, manufacturer)
- Materials and Techniques:
Clear glass, engraved, with twisted, coloured threads in the stem
- Museum number:
4449-1901
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 122f, case 4
Object Type
This glass, probably for champagne, is in the 'Anglo-Venetian' style popularised by Apsley Pellatt IV (1791-1863). The coloured twist stem and double loop were supposed to be reminiscent of 17th-century Venetian stems. John Tallis, in his History and Description of the Crystal Palace (1852), described the 'delicate twisted stems' of Bacchus' glasses as 'novel and chaste'.
People
George Bacchus & Sons was a Birmingham firm, previously known as Bacchus, Green and Green. They were one of the leading British glassmakers of the mid-19th century, keeping up with and sometimes creating stylistic and technical developments. They were known for, among other things, flashed glass and transfer-printing on glass, and by 1848 they had become the first English firm to produce Venetian-style millefiore glass (made from composite sections of coloured glass cane).
Historical Associations
Bacchus' collection of glassware at the Great Exhibition was described as 'not large but well designed and executed'. He exhibited examples of coloured and cased glass, cutting, engraving and enamelling. The range of vessels included a flower-stand, vases (including some cased in green and in ruby), a tazza (or shallow bowl), wine glasses, an enamelled sugar bowl and butter dish, cut glass decanters and engraved goblets.
