Bristol blue glass

  Bristol Blue Glass has been made in Bristol, England since the 17th century.

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History

During the late 1700s Richard Champion, a Bristol merchant and potter making porcelain, was working with a chemist, William Cookworthy.^[1] Cookworthy began a search for good quality cobalt oxide to give the beautiful blue glaze decoration on the milky white porcelain and obtained exclusive import rights to all the cobalt oxide from the Royal Saxon Cobalt Works in Saxony.^[2] Nobody is quite sure when Bristol Blue Glass was first made but the quality and beauty of the glass swiftly gained popularity, with over sixty glass houses being set up in the city.^[3]

The rarest and most interesting of Bristol glass is the white, opaque milky glass made from 1762 to about 1787. In tint it resembles porcelain or Battersea enamel. The effect was produced by the use of much lead and a small amount of tin in its composition. The color is a solid white and, when held to the light, is translucent to about the same extent as Oriental porcelain. The surface is fine and smooth and soft to the touch. The glass is heavy, owing to the lead used in its manufacture, and it is very brittle.

Lazurus and Isaac Jacobs were the most famous makers of Bristol Blue Glass in the 1780s and their company held a royal warrant and were making glass for the aristocrats of Europe.^[4] Bristol’s glass makers were invited to demonstrate their skills at the Great Exhibition of 1851, opened by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and Cranberry glass was made for the very first time. They used 24 carat gold added to lead crystal to give the glass its ruby red tones.

Production ceased in the early 20th century, however it has now been revived with two Bristol Blue Glass companies in the Bristol area. One being Bristol Blue Glass Southwest, LTD is based in Fishponds and the other, Bristol Blue Glass is located in Brislington and they both offer visits and tours. Bristol Blue Glass is also sold in the USA by Bristol Blue Glass USA, who imports the glass from the English glass blowers. The generic term "Bristol blue" is now applied to all dark blue glass such as medicine bottles by antique dealers and collectors alike.

Chemical composition

The glass consists of 24% lead crystal Flint glass and cobalt oxide.^[5] Mixing the oxide into the flint glass created a deeper yet brighter blue than ever seen in glass before.

References

See also

• Cobalt glass
• Glassblowing