Set of Four 1920s Lead Crystal Punch Cups

This is a nice example of a set of four early 20th Century punch cups. The term ‘punch’ is first recorded in British documents, which date back to 1632. The drink was brought back to England from India by employees of the British East India Company in the early 17th century. The term punch is said to have been derived from the Hindi word ‘panch’ meaning five. This relates to the fact that the drink was made from five different ingredients – spirit, sugar, lemon, water or tea, and spices. The barrel-shaped bowls are plain, with applied handles. The base of each glass is polished out and there is no sign of any manufacturer’s mark. The glasses have a pinkish tinge due to the high manganese levels in the glass. Each cup has a height of approximately 7.6cm, with a diameter at the rim of about 5.5cm and at the base of about 4.1cm. There may be differences in the dimensions of these cups due to the handmade nature of the glass. They are in excellent condition, with no chips or cracks.