Flask
1580-1620 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
Small glass flasks of this type were probably intended for the home, kitchen or even the laboratory or pharmacy. Although they would fit into a modern pocket, it is unlikely that there were carried about.
Materials & Making
The attractive swirling appearance of this green glass flask was a by-product of its manufacturing process. A small bubble of unpurified green glass on the blowing iron was dipped once more into the pot of molten glass. It was then quickly placed into an open ribbed mould, blown larger and twisted to form the spiral ribbing. Thus two essential attributes were quickly added to the fragile glass vessel: the body was strengthened and at the same time provided with a good grip for the hand. Such features became second-nature to forest glassmakers working throughout Europe at this period. Therefore, although this flask is said to have been excavated at Oxford, this does not rule out the possibility that it was imported from the Low Countries, France or Germany.
Small glass flasks of this type were probably intended for the home, kitchen or even the laboratory or pharmacy. Although they would fit into a modern pocket, it is unlikely that there were carried about.
Materials & Making
The attractive swirling appearance of this green glass flask was a by-product of its manufacturing process. A small bubble of unpurified green glass on the blowing iron was dipped once more into the pot of molten glass. It was then quickly placed into an open ribbed mould, blown larger and twisted to form the spiral ribbing. Thus two essential attributes were quickly added to the fragile glass vessel: the body was strengthened and at the same time provided with a good grip for the hand. Such features became second-nature to forest glassmakers working throughout Europe at this period. Therefore, although this flask is said to have been excavated at Oxford, this does not rule out the possibility that it was imported from the Low Countries, France or Germany.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Mould-blown glass |
| Brief description | Flask, clear green glass, England, 1590-1610 |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
Green vessel glass was the cheap alternative to Venetian-style crystal glass. Its production in England expanded between 1550 and 1600, when French glassmakers from Lorraine settled in the wooded Weald region of Kent. They established furnaces for the production of green vessel and window glass. On this flask the ribbing was formed in a mould, blown and twisted, adding both strength and beauty.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Given by Lt. Col. G. B. Croft Lyons |
| Object history | Probably made in England |
| Summary | Object Type Small glass flasks of this type were probably intended for the home, kitchen or even the laboratory or pharmacy. Although they would fit into a modern pocket, it is unlikely that there were carried about. Materials & Making The attractive swirling appearance of this green glass flask was a by-product of its manufacturing process. A small bubble of unpurified green glass on the blowing iron was dipped once more into the pot of molten glass. It was then quickly placed into an open ribbed mould, blown larger and twisted to form the spiral ribbing. Thus two essential attributes were quickly added to the fragile glass vessel: the body was strengthened and at the same time provided with a good grip for the hand. Such features became second-nature to forest glassmakers working throughout Europe at this period. Therefore, although this flask is said to have been excavated at Oxford, this does not rule out the possibility that it was imported from the Low Countries, France or Germany. |
| Bibliographic reference | R J Charleston, English Glass (1984) pl.18a |
| Other number | 1895 - Glass gallery number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.1-1910 |
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| Record created | December 13, 1997 |
| Record URL |
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