Posted 10 years ago
mikelv85
(1232 items)
These came home with the " Jelly Fish" bowl today. A nice little pair of Victorian Bristol glass vases. The down side is one has a very badly broken top. It's been chipped broken and glued. I counted three wedge shaped pieces that were put back together. Not a bad job but the glue is yellowing showing the cracks. The other one is fine just some wear on the hair thin gold bands at the top and bottom of both. I didn't have the heart to separate them after all these years broken or not. So I bought them both. A pair of anything is so hard to find. -Mike-
Bristol Glass
Courtesy of Old and Sold
Fine old opaque white glass was made at Bristol as early as 1745, but their finest glass was made between 1762 and 1787. There were fifteen glasshouses at that time. Deep blue, pale green, and clear glass was also manufactured, but the opaque white glass made Bristol famous. It was made to imitate fine porcelain and was decorated by the same men who decorated Bristol china. The designs are similar to that on Bristol Delft of an earlier date.
Authorities disagree on the exact appearance of Bristol white glass. That it should have a dense appearance similar to porcelain is positive; whether or not it should have any opalescence is a question. The finest pieces do not have any glow but are creamy white. There are no streaks or marbling. The surface is fine, smooth, and soft in texture, and white Bristol glass is thin although it has the appearance of being thick and heavy. The pontil mark resembles porcelain and is solid white and creamy, not bluish.
The decoration on the finest Bristol pieces is enameled and fired, but some ordinary articles were painted with oil color and were not baked. Bristol opaque white glass is thin and brittle. It was known as enamel glass, and the name referred to the process, not the decoration.
