ONE of 11, generally very fine, British drinking glasses consigned from ‘a Highland lady’ to The Scottish Sale held by Bonhams (17.5% buyer's premium) in Edinburgh on August 18-20, was this 3 1/4in (8cm) high polychromed enamel firing glass, right, probably decorated c.1765 by member of the Beilby family of Newcastle.
To the front are the arms of the Lodge of Journeymen and
Masons, No 8 Edinburgh, within a scrolling cartouche flanked by a
trowel and hammer.
To the reverse is a set square and a plumb bob within foliate
sprays.
In the past decade there has been considerable academic
speculation and research surrounding the authorship of those few
British 18th century drinking glasses which carry enamelled
decoration in the rococo style - could the many detectable hands
all have been from the Beilby workshop? - but the sophisticated
decoration to this example allows some degree of certainty in the
attribution.
Formerly in the Henry Brown Collection, and in fine condition, it
was competed way past the modest £2000-3000 estimate to
£11,000.
The rest of this collection comprised wine glasses with Jacobite
engraving. These can be equally controversial (the date of the
embellishment is frequently disputed) but there were several very
good examples here from the 1750s.
Sold at £4000 was a multi-spiral air-twist with knops to top and
bottom, conical foot and a round funnel bowl engraved with typical
Jacobite references including a six-petalled rose spray with two
buds, a caterpillar crawling on the stem and a spider in its
web.
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