Technical Description
A drawn conical bowl with a diamond moulded lower section. The multi-spiral air twist stem rests upon a conical foot with a rough pontil. Air Twist Ratafia glasses are rare indeed and at over 8 inches tall this is an exceptional example.
Date & Origin
England, c1760. Period of George III.
Condition
Excellent, age-related wear as shown.
Dimensions
Height: 20.6cm Bowl Diameter: 5.2cm Foot Diameter: 7.1cm
Historical Relevance
Hand-blown around the time of the first Saint Patrick's Day Parade in New York City 1762, beginning an annual tradition.
Other Information
Ratafia is a sweet alcoholic beverage. It is made with either fortified wine, a mixture of marc brandy and unfermented grape juice, primarily made in France. Alternatively, it is a fruit-based liqueur which may contain lemon peel, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, anise, peach or cherry kernels etc often made in Spain, Italy and certain parts of France.
Other 18th century forms such as Ale glasses can often be misdescribed as a Ratafia, however the Ratafia, in comparison to a conical bowl Ale, has a far narrower bowl, with almost vertical sides, often with a flared rim. Ale glasses are common whereas Ratafia glasses are rare.
Comments
This glass comes from the Michael Wallis collection which took over 45 years to build and contains over 250 drinking glasses, covering all forms from the 18th century, many exceptionally rare. They will all be presented by Exhibit over the coming weeks and months.
This item is out of stock.
