Questions & Answers
Our trusted network of 1stDibs sellers answer common questions
What is Irish glassware called?
1 Answer

Irish glassware isn't usually called by a special term. However, Irish glassmakers did employ materials that differed from those used by glassblowers on the European continent during the 18th century. They added calcined flints and pebbles to the molten glass and utilized lead oxide as a binding agent. As a result, the glass they produced could better reflect light once it was cut. This type of glass came to be known as lead glass or crystal. Find a wide range of Irish glassware on 1stDibs.
1stDibs ExpertSeptember 27, 2024
Related Questions
- What is a cabinet for glassware called?1 Answer
- What is Culver glassware?1 Answer
- What is amber glassware?1 Answer
- Why is it called a Tantalus?1 Answer
- Why is it called a Huntboard?1 Answer
Shop for Irish Glass on 1stDibs
Vintage Set of 6 Rosslare Claret Glasses by Waterford
By Waterford Crystal
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Vintage Set of 6 Claret Glasses, Rosslare by Waterford. Produced 1968-2017. Very good estate condition.
6" x 2 7/8" dia.
We are a family business that has been a major source for th...
Category
20th Century Irish Mid-Century Modern Glass
Materials
Glass
Antique Irish Tipperary Waterford Glass Cut Crystal Victorian Circular Bowl Tray
By Waterford Crystal
Located in Dublin, Ireland
An impressive quite rare deep hand cut full lead Irish Crystal Circular Fruit Bowl or Centerpiece of generous size of circular outline, together with a similar dish of oval form with...
Category
Antique 19th Century Irish Regency Decorative Bowls
Materials
Crystal
Antique Pair Irish Waterford Crystal Hand Cut Full Lead Lustres Vases Ireland
By Waterford Crystal
Located in Dublin, Ireland
A Stylish Example of a Fine Pair of Hand Cut Full Lead Crystal Lusters of outstanding heavy gauge quality and good size proportions, made in Ireland by the World-famous Irish Glass C...
Category
Antique 19th Century Irish Victorian Vases
Materials
Crystal
Antique Irish Tipperary Waterford Glass Cut Crystal Georgian Centerpiece Bowl 18
By Waterford Crystal
Located in Dublin, Ireland
An impressive George II hand cut full led Irish Crystal Pedestal “Kettle Drum” Bowl of circular outline and unusually large proportions. Made by the Old Waterford Glass Company, County Tipperary in Ireland. Late Eighteenth, early Nineteenth Century.
The heavy gauge circular wavy cut rim with a band of richly cut diamond and chevron cut pattern. The lower bowl area with scale cut detailing, raised on a single ring socle stem above a square thick spreading pedestal, underneath with “lemon squeeze” foot detail.
Condition: Good untouched condition with no losses, except for one tight short crack, see two images which clearly show this imperfection, wonderful age wear underneath base. Typically unmarked as Georgian pieces were not.
*Stunning and rare example of a piece of Irish Georgian History. The asking price reflects the imperfection. Wonderful rare “grey” tint to crystal, so typical of Eighteenth-Century Irish pieces.
Diameter: (top rim, an impressive) 9” (23cm).
Height: 8.25" (21cm). Depth: (square base) 3.5" (9cm).
Location: Dublin City, Ireland.
Affordable fixed charge Worldwide Store to door shipping.
The history of Irish Hand Cut Crystal goes back to the late 17th century. George Ravenscroft started the tradition in 1676. The glassmaker added lead oxide to the silicates that make up the molten glass. The process achieved a softness that allowed the glass to be blown and carved while remaining hard and clear as it cooled. The first crystal factory in Ireland opened in County Tyrone in 1771.
The Creation of Waterford Crystal
The Waterford Crystal we know today back in 1783 with George and William Penrose. Their vision was to “create the finest quality crystal for drinking vessels and decorative objects of beauty for the home.”
The Penrose brothers sought the expertise of renowned glassmaker John Hill in 1785. Hill that began the process of polishing the glass to give the unique Waterford Crystal shine now known the world over. Hill left Waterford in 1788 after a major disagreement with the Penrose brothers. Waterford cut glass...
Category
Antique 18th Century Irish Georgian Decorative Bowls
Materials
Crystal
Irish 18th Century Georgian Cut Glass Salt with Stepped Foot, Ca 1790
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a fine Irish cut glass or crystal Salt, made from lead glass in the 18th century, circa 1790.
The oval boat-shaped bowl is well hand cut and sits on a stepped foot over a ...
Category
Antique 18th Century Irish George III Crystal Serveware
Materials
Glass
$247 Sale Price
43% Off
Georgian Irish Cordial Wine Drinking Glass thick Cotton Twist Stem, Ca 1770
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a superb hand-blown example of an Irish made, mid-Georgian, cordial wine drinking glass with a thick double series opaque twist (DSOT) stem, dating from the middle of the 18th century, circa 1765 to 1770.
These glasses are very collectable. It is made from English lead glass which is relatively heavy and has a soft grey colour, with slight age related wear as expected with over 200 years of use.
The glass has the usual striations, inclusions and tiny bubbles you would expect to see in 18th Century glass, which gives these glasses their unique charm.
This glass has a bucket bowl which sits on a tall, unusually thick, double series opaque or cotton twist...
Category
Antique Mid-18th Century Irish George III Barware
Materials
Glass
$1,050 Sale Price
47% Off


