Object Type
This bowl is entirely functional and made for daily use. Extensive glass table services became increasingly popular towards the end of the 19th century. Cheaply made, in pressed glass, such sets were often elaborate and became widely available.

Materials & Making
The technique of press-moulding glass with the aid of a hand-operated machine was first perfected in the United States of America in the early 1820s. It took only two people to shape a measured quantity of hot glass in a heated metal mould. By simply depressing a lever, a metal plunger was lowered into the glass, forcing it into the patterned mould. By the 1830s this method had spread to Europe and Britain, giving rise to stylistic changes and revolutionising the availability of glassware. The technique made the mid- to late 19th century the first period of true mass production. In the 1890s the introduction of steam-powered presses improved quality while cutting costs even further.

Historical Associations
Benjamin Disraeli, who is portrayed on this bowl, played a prominent role in what was known as the 'Eastern Question'. Continuous unrest and insurgence between the Balkan countries was, for a time, resolved by the Treaty of Berlin in 1878, when Great Britain was one of the signatories to a considerable rearrangement of national boundaries.