Late Victorian Glass Fern Engraved Water Carafe and Matching Tumbler c.1870

This is a good example of a carafe and tumbler set produced towards the end of the 19th century.

The carafe is of flattened globular form, with a cylindrical neck and everted rim. The base has a central polished pontil. It is engraved just below the shoulder with four fern fronds. The tumbler is approximately cylindrical and the base has been polished flat. The same four fern fronds are engraved just below the rim of the tumbler.

The pieces are made from non-lead ‘soda’ glass. The tumbler has a slight purple hue in some light due to extra manganese within the glass mixture.

The carafe has a height of approximately 17.2cm. The tumbler has a height of approximately 8.8cm, with a diameter across the rim of about 7.6cm and across the base of about 6.0cm.

The tumbler has a liquid capacity (to the brim) of 250ml.

They have an unwrapped weight of 700g.

It is in good condition, with no chips or cracks, although the rim of the tumbler is slightly uneven where it has been finished. There is also an area of roughness within the pontil on the tumbler – this is where although it has been polished it has still not removed all of the point at which it was ‘broken off’ during manufacture. Just above the tumbler base is a linear tool mark that has left a crease. There is some scuffing to the shoulder of the carafe where the tumbler sits inverted over it. These are all artefacts you would expect to see on pieces that are around 150 years old.