Rare Whitefriars Glass ‘Roman Cut’ Design Footed Custard Cup No. 2425

This is an exceptionally high-quality cut lead crystal punch or custard cup from the ‘Roman Cut’ suite produced by Harry Powell for Whitefriars Glass.

The capacious, rounded bowl 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. This decoration terminates when it meets the looped handle, which has a curled, crimped tail at the lower attachment.

The base of the bowl is cut with six petals that extend down onto the short stem and thick, discoid collar as facets. The foot is plain and polished flat.

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.

This particular glass is not documented in either of the two major Whitefriars books, and I have never seen another example in collectors’ groups or elsewhere. I believe it may be considered scarce. 

It has a height of approximately 9.3cm, with a diameter across the rim of about 5.7cm and across the foot of about 6.0cm.

It has a liquid capacity (to the brim) of 150ml.

It has an unwrapped weight of 100g.

It is in excellent condition, with no chips or cracks, although there is a scratch at the base of the bowl, within the cutting. This is visible on close inspection but should be expected from a piece of this age.