English 18th-Century Engraved Glass
I.COVERED BOWL AND STAND ENGRAVED WITH ROSES AND HONEYSUCKLE. First half of the century.
2.THE BOWL OF A SWEETMEAT GLASS ENGRAVED WITH A FORMAL TRELLIS BORDER, CARNATIONS, ROSES AND
POPPIES.
First half of the century
DURING the last few years a handful of talented artists in various parts of the world have
revived the art of glass engraving. They have thrown in sharp focus the fact that engraving is
the most expressive and appropriate of all applied forms of glass decoration. Engraving on
glass has been practised since early Christian times. Pliny described it in the first century
A.D. in his book on natural history. Italian craftsmen employed the process for the carving of
rock crystal during the Renaissance, and during the 16th century Caspar Lehmann at Prague
revived its application to glass. Dutch and German craftsmen became highly proficient in the
art of glass engraving during the 17th century, and shortly afterwards it was adopted in this
country.
There are two styles of glass engraving : in one, a small metal wheel carried in a lathe and
fed with an abrasive material is used to grind away the glass surface; in the other a diamond
or a sharp steel point is used to scratch a design upon the glass. During the 18th century,
however, the method of glass engraving in this country was almost entirely with the wheel.
The process is a simple one and has varied little in principle since Roman times. The essential
component is a copper wheel rotated in a lathe operated by a foot treadle. An abrasive mixture
of oil with emery or carborundum powder is smeared upon the edge of the wheel, and the glass
brought into contact with it; the slightest touch is sufficient to grind a dull, greyish-white
mark upon the glass. The wheels used are interchangeable and of great variety ; the larger ones
are about four inches in diameter and up to a quarter of an inch in thickness, and the smallest
not much larger than a pin’s head. The edges are bevelled in various ways and are prepared by
the craftsman himself; much of his skill depends on their preparation and selection.
Unless the engraver is an exceptional craftsman, it is customary to mark out the design upon
the glass with a mixture of gum and chalk. The heavier portions of the design are then roughed
out; a coarse grain of emery and a wide wheel with a flat edge are used for this purpose. As
the design develops the wheels are changed, and a finer grade of emery is used to add the
detailed work in the design. In the case of a decoration requiring different shading effects
wheels of lead, wood, cork or rubber are employed to give varying degrees of polish to the
engraved surfaces.
Glass engraving calls for very patient and skilful work on the part of the craftsman. Not only
does his subject have to be depicted with good delineation, but much of the beauty of the work
depends on his decision as to the depth of the engraved lines, and as to which parts of the
design require to be left dull or to be polished. His difficulties are increased by the fact
that he is unable to follow with his eye the progress of’the work in hand, for not only has he
to press the glass against the underside of the wheel, but that part of the surface on which he
is working remains covered by the abrasive medium.
Considerable time, in some instances months, is necessary to produce a single specimen with
this type of decoration, and many are works of art in the true sense of the word. The process
has a wide scope: a design may vary from a simple sprig of leaves, for example, superficially
engraved on the glass surface, to deeply carved figure subjects such as those of the Portland
Vase.
Wheel engraving in this country followed much the same development as glass cutting. There is
no positive evidence that it was practised to any extent before the beginning of the 18th
century. No doubt the silversmiths and gem engravers occasionally applied their talents to
glass objects, but in the main wheel engraving as a craft can be regarded as beginning about
the end of the first quarter of the 18th century, when certain events occurred which greatly
influenced its development.
After the Treaty of Utrecht, in 1713, engraved and cut glass was imported into western Europe
on a large scale. It was then possible not only for merchants from Bohemia and other
glassmaking centres to export their wares westwards to such countries as Holland, with whom
this country had a close business relationship, but for engravers and cutters of glass to
exploit their knowledge of the craft in other countries.
3.GROUP OF GLASSES ENGRAVED WITH VINES, HOPS AND BARLEY, WHICH WERE POPULAR EMBLEMS ON
DRINKING-GLASSES THROUGHOUT THE CENTURY
Another important influence on English engraving was the accession in 1714 of George of Hanover
to the English throne. This event was responsible for the importation of many German customs
and fashions, of which wheel engraving was one; moreover, facilities for the infiltration of
German craftsmen were undoubtedly made easier after 1714. Yet, in spite of the stimulating
influence of the Continental craftsmen, the English style that eventually emerged was markedly
different from that of the Dutch and German schools. It would appear that the foreign influence
lay only in adoption of the idea, and not in its expression. English glass-makers at this
period had unbounded confidence in themselves and in their medium: they preferred to maintain
their own individuality and to adopt new techniques to their own style. In this manner both
Venetian and Continental styles were absorbed and reproduced with a strong native flavour.
But, because of this conservatism of English taste, there was never any attempt at the
elaborate design which marked the efforts of the Continental craftsmen. This may have been due,
of course, to a lack of artistic talent in this style of work, for native engraving at its best
appears amateurish: it lacks draughtsmanship, and never seriously approaches the artistic merit
attained abroad; it was the work of skilled craftsmen rather than of talented artists.
The early style of native engraving expressed itself in what may be termed the utility
glassware of the period, in conventional borders of scroll work, formal flowers, birds and
insects, described at the time by the term flowered glasses. The term was first used in 1742 by
Jerom Johnson : it is recorded in the Daily Advertiser of December 21, 1742: “At the entire
Glass Shop, the corner of St Martin’s Lane all cut and scalloped and flowered Glasses, shall
always be sold cheapest by the maker, Jerom Johnson.”
4. ALE-GLASS ENGRAVED WITH TWINING TENDRILS OF HOPS AND BARLEY, EXPRESSING THE FASHIONABLE
ROCOCO APPEAL OF THE MID-CENTURY
Johnson was one of the pioneers of English decorative glass. He practised between the years
1739 and 1761, and was the first Englishman to show that wheel decoration could be applied to
glass without foreign assistance. In most of his advertisements he described himself variously
as the ” workman,” the ” inventor,” or the ” maker,” and, because of this, claimed that he
could sell cheaper than other engravers and cutters. He advertised almost every glass article,
from a simple wine-glass to “the most magnificent lustre that ever was made in England.”
Johnson chose designs that expressed the flourish demanded by the Rococo appeal: his flowered
glasses were an appropriate subscription to a taste that at the time was sweeping Europe, but
he chose simple emblems that could be easily appreciated by his public to interpret it. The
roses, daffodils, hops and barley, carnations, honeysuckle, and grapes and vine leaves were in
themselves sufficient to express the Rococo fashion, but he freely employed curling leaves and
slender twining tendrils to emphasise it.
Examples of what must have been fashionable glassware in the 18th century are shown in Figs. 1,
2 and 3. The cup and cover in Fig. 1, engraved with the rose and honeysuckle, are typical of
those advertised by Johnson, The sweatmeat glass shown in Fig. 2 is engraved with carnations,
roses and poppies. There is a formal trellis border, a popular motif on drinking-vessels of all
types. The group in Fig. 3 shows variations of two of the most popular of all 18th-century
emblems on drinking-glasses hops and barley and the growing vine.
Grant Francis, in his book, Old English Drinking Glasses, has described the various positions
in which the fancy or art of the engraver placed simple ears of barley and hop blossoms. The
normal type of ale-glass on which the motif is found was given two simple ears of barley in
saltire, that is to say, with the stalks crossed diagonally, and having a single leaf on each
stalk on one side of the glass, with a single hop blossom dependent from tendrils bearing two
leaves on the reverse side; an example is shown in Fig. 4. Ten variations of this motif are
given by Francis. The growing vine, consisting of bunches of grapes and vine leaves, was
another extremely popular form of decoration and, indeed, it is still used by engravers to-
day.
6.JACOBITE GLASSES ENGRAVED WITH THE THISTLE MOTIF, WHICH WAS THE SCOTTISH COUNTERPART OF
THE ENGLISH ROSE
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The custom of specialising glasses grew during the 18th century, and the engraved emblems were
appropriate to the beverage for which the glass was intended: hops and barley for ale and beer
glasses, the growing vine for wine-glasses, and apple trees for cider-glasses were some of the
popular motifs.
Examples of engraving so far considered have been of a decorative character, intended to
enhance the vessel by improving its appearance and appeal. There was another group of engraved
glasses of the 18th century, however, in which the subject usually recorded a sentiment of some
sort. These are to- day termed commemorative glasses, because in the main they record a
political or social event which at the time was considered of importance. They include glasses
which were associated with various societies and clubs, and which were used when they toasted
their various causes.
Typical of this group are the glasses associated with the Jacobite cause: they are important
glasses, and are eagerly sought by collectors. They are fairly numerous, and display a variety
of emblems, each presenting a problem as to its hidden meaning. The most important emblem is
the Jacobite heraldic rose with either six, seven or eight petals, but in addition there are
the star, the oak leaf, butterfly, caterpillars and grubs, carnation, daffodil forget-me-not,
honeysuckle, thistle, lily of the valley and sunflower.
An example of Jacobite glasses with the rose emblem is shown in Fig. 5. The modern theory is
that the rose represents the triple crown, that of Britain, France and Ireland; the small or
sinister bud, that on the right of the rose, represents the Old Pretender; and the large or
dexter bud on the left represents Prince Charles Edward. In Scotland the thistle was the
counterpart of the rose, and Scottish Jacobite glasses displayed this emblem (Fig. 6).
It will be noted that all three glasses in Fig. 5 are engraved with an oak leaf; the example in
the middle has the emblem on the foot. The oak leaf is regarded by some as symbolising Prince
Charles as a grown man, and glasses carrying this emblem are usually regarded as dating from
after the Battle of Culloden in 1746. The oak leaf has many associations with the Stuarts.
There is the exploit of Charles II in the Boscobel Oak after the Battle of Worcester in 1650,
and his wearing of the oak leaf in commemoration of it when he triumphantly entered London on
his Restoration ten years later. The anniversary of this day, known as Oak- Apple Day, is held
to signify the hope of a second Restoration.
The glass on the right of Fig. 5 has the words FIAT and a star engraved near the rim. Many
Jacobite glasses carry the former inscription, which, according to modern Jacobite theories,
means “May it come to pass.” or “Let it be so” : it constitutes a prayer that the hopes thus
emblematically expressed may be fulfilled. The star has always been regarded as having special
significance in connection with Prince Charles; indeed, it is held to represent him.
The glass in Fig. 7 shows an engraved portrait of Prince Charles Edward, the Young Pretender.
This glass is typical of a group of Jacobite glasses and others that were attempts at
portraiture on glass during the 18th century. In some cases the subjects were equestrian
figures. They have no special merit when considered as engravings; indeed, most of them are
little more than grotesque effigies. The glass in Fig. 7 is characteristic of the group: it is
obviously the hand of a commercial craftsman, and not of an artist-engraver. Nevertheless, as
Jacobite relics, glasses of this nature are eagerly sought by collectors.
During the period of Johnson’s influence on glass, that is up to 1760-1765, English porcelain
was becoming a vogue. The factories of Chelsea, Bow, Derby, Worcester and others were turning
out exquisitely painted ware that had an immediate appeal. It is only to be expected,
therefore, that attempts would be made by engravers of glass to imitate the figure subjects
that were most successful on porcelain. Landscapes were attempted, but the limited skill of the
engraver, and his inability to use his technique to suggest the third dimension, caused them
for the most part to be failures. Greater success on glass fell to the enamellers, such as
Michael Edkins and the Beilbys, who could employ colour.
One group of engraved glasses, however, which can be traced to the competitive influence of
porcelain, was that in which the figure subjects were birds. This was a favourite subject on
English porcelain, especially Worcester. A typical example of this group is the glass in Fig.
8.
Glass engraving deteriorated in quality, but not in quantity, towards the close of the 18th
century. It was then no longer in the hands of specialists such as Jerom Johnson, but had
become a common practice in all glass establishments throughout the country. The naturalistic
detail of the flowered glasses gave place to conventional designs and geometric patterns which
were mere suggestions of the earlier efforts. Much of the charm that had characterised the
flowered period of engraving was thus lost.
7.JACOBITE GLASS WITH AN ENGRAVED PORTRAIT OF THE YOUNG PRETENDER. {Right) 8.GLASS
ENGRAVED WITH A BIRD IN FLIGHT. Such glasses were unsuccessful attempts to emulate the
fashions set by contemporary porcelain
Origional Article 1954
