“It is becoming fashionable because the late 19th century pieces are now well over 100 years old… Glass is so often neglected and considered the poor relation that you forget the skill of the craftsmen. This glass is affordable and exciting.”
All bar 10 of the exhibition’s 234 pieces have been lent by the Glass Circle’s private members. However, two of the most celebrated entries are the magnificent Copeland Vase loaned by the V&A Museum and the beautiful but laboriously-worked Perrin Geddes & Co. cut glass service made for George IV when Prince of Wales, 1806-1808, and on loan from Buckingham Palace.
This luxurious service, together with a number of other entries such as the apple green, yellow and red cut glass claret and water jugs, variously dating from 1820 to 1840, shown here, illustrate the exclusivity of the cut glass market in the first half of the 19th century.
As its title suggests, the exhibition does not just focus on top quality glass made for the 19th century’s aristocracy. It includes many pieces made for workers and the nouveau riche and the entries chosen illustrate the vast range of hand-made and mass-produced techniques developed throughout the 19th century.
For example, by the middle of the century the method of press moulding glass had reached the UK from America. These techniques were taken up by craftsmen predominantly in the north and east of England who fashioned all manner of affordable commemorative glassware, many examples of which are exhibited.
Similarly, the 19th century also saw the development of myriad manufacturers in the tiny village of Stourbridge that produced such highly decorative and flamboyant glass as the Stevens and Williams ornamental vase with frilled rim, c.1890, pictured here.
From Palace to Parlour offers a fascinating look at the diversity of glass that was produced throughout the 19th century but, unlike most exhibitions, the joy is that many exhibits are still financially accessible.
A crystal palace of delights
THE Wallace Collection’s exhibition From Palace to Parlour, A Celebration of 19th century British Glass may not shed any new academic light on the subject but it draws attention to a period often ignored by traditional glass collectors: the 19th century. “The 19th century has been completely overlooked,” says independent scholar and glass consultant Martine Newby who curated the exhibition on behalf of the Glass Circle.
