Wine glass

Object Type
Drinking glasses with cut stems date back to the 1760s. Until the making of the Prince of Wales service, however, no glass cutter had dared to treat the foot, stem and bowl as separate elements. In this service, each has its own geometric or curving design. The impact made by this design is shown by the fact that it was reproduced in the mid-19th century and again reissued about 1900.

People
In 1806 the Prince of Wales made a grand visit to Liverpool. This visit effectively endorsed that wealthy city's association with the contentious slave trade. In gratitude to the Prince, the Council ordered a huge suite of table glass for him from the local manufacturer Perrin, Geddes & Co. of Warrington. When it arrived, the Prince thanked them for 'the most beautiful and ornamental specimens he ever saw of this valuable manufacture'.

It seems probable that for such an extremely expensive service, which took over a year to make, other craftsmen may have been involved. The local glass-cutter John Unsworth, who styled himself 'Manufacturer to His Majesty and to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales', may have been one.

Ownership & Use
Ceramics are the most portable of household possessions. Exactly where the Prince first used this service is not known. The remains - thirteen coolers, forty four decanters of two sizes, and seventy one glasses of three sizes - are now at Windsor Castle. This particular example, which somehow escaped from the Royal Collections, appears to correspond with the original order for claret or wine glasses.