Description:
English colorless lead glass candlestick with a plain tall nozzle, a white opaque enamel twist stem with a single four strand spiral band, beaded knop, and domed and shaped foot. By the early eighteenth century, the unique optical effects of lead glass were well known by English glassmakers. The material was cold gray in color, heavy in weight, and brilliant when cut. These characteristics made glass especially desirable for lighting devices. When illuminated, transparent candlesticks reflect and refract available light in the room. Opague and color-twist wine glasses were introduced in the 1750's, and remained fashionable in England until outmoded by faceted stems in the 1780's. To create this decorative effect, the glassmaker embedded canes of colored glass into a gather of colorless glass; then the gather was pulled and twisted. Stems of varying lengths could be cut and appled to bowls. Colored twist stems, or "shanks" as they were known in the period, are extremely rare.The twist in the stem reflects the fashionable rococo style that overwhelmed English decorative arts in the middle of the 18th century. The rococo style emphasized the use of elaborate curves and motifs derived from nature.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+68.157 |
