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Antique Blown Glass Wine Rinsers 18th 19th Century Very Heavy
$325.00
Brand Etsy
This is a pair of very interesting antique blown glass wine rinsers. They fluoresce green under a UV lamp, so are confusing me as to age, but they appear to be very old to me, possibly late 18th or early 19th century just from their weight, clarify and overall appearance. Normally, green fluorescence is caused by the presence of Manganese, but Manganese as an additive became common practice only from about 1860. However, Manganese was used as early as the second century BC and was used during the 17th and 18th centuries. Wine rinsers became popular during the late 18th century into the early 19th century (late Georgian to Regency periods) - one would rinse ones wine glass between wine services, resting the stem on one of the spouts emanating at the top. These wine rinsers have wonderful clarity in a slightly greyish tone. Manganese dioxide was added to the molten glass in order to de-colorize the glass, improving its clarity. Flint glass, introduced in 1820, also fluoresces, but usually a bluish colour due to the lead content. These wine rinsers have a quite thick wall and are very heavy for their size, probably due to the presence of lead in the glass. Each measures 6 1/8 across the spouts and has a height of 4 1/2. Because they are hand blown, they are slightly different in shape and weight - one weighs 2 lbs and 12.5 oz while the other weighs 2 lbs and 14 oz. Each has a hand polished pontil on its underside. They both in very good condition - the lighter one has a small deep scratch on the underside in the centre of the pontil mark as well as a small chip and rough spot to the top rim next to one of the spouts that could be sanded down if desired. In addition, there is slight wear to the underside from surface contact, normal for glass of this age that saw use. Im unsure of original, most likely English but possibly American.
This is a rather rare pair of wine rinsers - I couldnt find similar rounded base examples anywhere, so these are a wonderful acquisition for the serious collector!
This is a rather rare pair of wine rinsers - I couldnt find similar rounded base examples anywhere, so these are a wonderful acquisition for the serious collector!