Glass has been produced in the Indian subcontinent since antiquity, but little is known about its manufacturing centres or stylistic development. These cups belong to a set including a bottle bearing an extremely rare crest lightly incised into the gold vase from which flowers extend across its body (C.143-1936). This allows it to be dated to the early 18th century. The crest, a horse's head and crown, has been identified as that of John Deane, an English colonial administrator went on to hold the post of the English East India Company's President of Bengal from 1723 to 1726, and again from 1728 to 1732. He indulged in private trading which gave him a considerable income. Contemporary records record that he requested extra dinner and table allowances to meet his obligations to host members of the Company's Council, and it is probable that this bottle and its related cups and salver (C.140-1936, C.141-1936 and C.142-1936) were acquired by him during this period. Scientific analysis demonstrates that the glass is English; at this time, imported lump glass and ingots were beng exported from England to India, including Bengal and refashioned for the local markets. The precise place of manufacture cannot be given with certainty, but it could have been made in a Calcutta workshop, or in Patna or Lucknow which were both known glass-making centres.