Pair of Whitefriars Glass ‘Roman Cut’ Design Sherry or Port Glasses No. 2425

This is an exceptionally high-quality pair of cut lead crystal sherry or port glasses from the ‘Roman Cut’ suite produced by Harry Powell for Whitefriars Glass.

The capacious, rounded bowl has a slightly everted rim and is cut with a broad panel consisting of three rows of shallow oval cuts, each row being staggered with respect to the next. This panel is bordered above and below by a fine circumferential wedge cut. Below the panel is a circumferential ring of small lens or olive cuts.

The base of the bowl is cut with six petals that extend down onto the stem as facets. The foot is plain, and one glass has a central polished pontil. The other is slightly domed in the centre.

This ‘Roman Cut’ design was based on an excavated Roman glass bowl found at Leuna in Saxony, and held by the British Museum. The motif was adapted by Harry Powell in 1894 to create a bowl, which expanded to a full wine suite by 1895 with pattern number 2425. The design was popular, and production continued into the 1920s and 1930s.

Each glass has a height of approximately 11.6cm, with a diameter across the rim of about 5.6cm and across the foot of about 6.0cm.

Each glass has a liquid capacity (to the brim) of 110ml.

They have an unwrapped weight of 180g.

They are in good condition, with no chips or cracks, although there are some fine wear and tear scratches to the bowls and feet commensurate with age and use.