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Extract from the July/August 2010 Magazine
July/August 2010 Magazine Pages 36-37 18th CENTURY GLASSES WITH PEDESTAL STEMS

by Tim Osborne
The term "pedestal stem' used in relation to drinking glasses is a relatively new one and regarded by some as clumsy and, indeed, inaccurate. The name by which these stems were formerly known is 'Silesian' but whilst the word may be easier on the tongue and ear, it is nonetheless misleading. Confusion arose as it was once thought that the style came to England from Central Europe with the advent of the Hanoverian dynasty. Although favoured by Continental glassmakers later in the 18th century this type of stem was not made in Silesia at all. A more accurate term as will be seen might be 'panel-moulded'. However, names and terms aside it is a fact that an entirely new stem type appeared in England around the second decade of the 18th century and continued to be used in a number of vessels until well into the 19th century.
These stems could be four-, six- or eight-sided and in all cases were cast from a mould. It is often thought that glasses with four-sided stems predate the others. The reason for this lies with a series of rare glasses, much prized by collectors, bearing the loyal toast GOD SAVE KING GEORGE on the stem faces (figure 1). An even rarer type has the words GOD SAVE YeKING with G & R placed either side of a crowned male bust. It has long been accepted that these glasses were made to celebrate the accession of George I in 1714. However, glasses are known with six and eight sides which can confidently be dated from the same period. For example, there are two glasses recorded both with eight-sided stems which have a hollow square knop set below the bowl bearing the words GOD BLESS KING GEORG (the E missing through want of space perhaps). Furthermore, there are a few well-known glasses with both six- and eight-sided stems which are dated variously 1714, 1716 and 1718 in diamond point on the bowl.
Glasses such as these, sought after as they are, tend to overshadow other types which are equally, or even more, rarely seen. Examples include the presence of crowns (figure 3) on the shoulders of stems and in one case a pair of crossed sceptres. This particular glass also has the letters G and R as well as two crowns (figure 4). When viewed from above or indeed as seen by someone using the glass, all appear in the correct orientation. Less rare perhaps, but nonetheless interesting, are glasses whose stems are decorated with a great diversity of decorative motifs usually applied to the shoulders but also sometimes to the sides of the stems. These include a variety of raised diamonds and stars, flat-rayed stars and small pyramidal studs (figure 5).
July/August 2010 Magazine Extract

Figure 11. Two ale glasses both on eight-sided pedestal stems. English, c.1720-30. Heights 8¾in. and 9¼in.

One particular variety, only found on four-sided stems and of which very few examples are known, has ribs or lugs positioned on the stem sides. In the case of the glass in figure 6 they stop short of the shoulder and have sloping tops. On the glass in figure 7 these ribs extend to the top of the stem where their semicircular shape can clearly be seen. The intriguing development of this theme can be seen in figure 8 where raised diamonds are placed on the tops of the four corners whilst figure 10 shows raised diamonds on the corners and six-rayed stars on the top of the ribs. Another example, not illustrated, has raised diamonds on both the corners and the ribs; the result is a stem which might easily be taken for one with eight sides. It is likely that such glasses have been overlooked in the past but they must still be rare. The extraordinary-looking glass in figure 9 is another from this particular family. It has a four-sided stem with ribs but in this case the stem has been manipulated to form a straight section. The apparent fluting on the base knop is the residual ribbing from the upper part of the stem. Only two or three glasses of this pattern are known to exist.
Viewing these stems more generally it can be seen that numerous patterns of moulds were employed for each of the principal forms. Examples occur with both flat tops and sloping shoulders. They can be quite plain or, on occasion, have a defining raised rim on the outer edge. The faces of four-sided stems are usually flat but six-sided ones are sometimes concave giving an attractive scalloped look. The variety of moulds used in making these stems seems almost limitless and there is not room to enumerate all of them here but one further example is worth attention. Figure 13 shows a Dutch engraved glass where the sloping shoulder of the six-sided stem has been accentuated to form a hemisphere clasped as it were by the diamond studded stem reminiscent of the claw and ball foot.
At this point it is worth considering how these stems were made and it is perhaps no coincidence that the vast majority contain a central column of air or are, indeed, hollow. A solid stem of this type is extremely unusual. The subject has given rise to much speculation particularly with regard to those with lettering. In the case of these glasses it has been supposed that the mould was hinged and that interior recesses could house the required words and allow for their substitution for differing toasts.