An important Beilby enamelled opaque twist wine glass, circa 1765-70The ogee bowl with a slightly deceptive base, painted in opaque white with a landscape vignette depicting a sportsman standing with his legs astride, wearing a smart frock coat and peaked cap, aiming his gun at a flock of ten birds startled by his dog, flanked by shrubs, on an double-series stem with a pair of seven-ply spiral bands around a multi-ply corkscrew, over a conical foot, 15cm highFootnotes:ProvenanceM E Laws Collection, Christie's, 2 October 1974, lot 112With Maureen ThompsonBonhams, 21 May 2014, lot 76Darell Thompson-Schwab CollectionWildfowling scenes such as this were a popular theme on Beilby enamelled glasses and a number of examples with closely related decoration are recorded, each showing a single figure shooting game birds in flight. Two other virtually identical wine glasses are recorded, suggesting that this may have once been part of an original set. One was sold by Sotheby's on 1 November 1982, lot 38 and is now in the Laing Art Gallery (inv. no.F6317), illustrated by L M Bickerton, Eighteenth Century English Drinking Glasses (1986), p.332, no.1079. The other was in the Hamilton Clements Collection, illustrated by Francis Buckley, A History of Old English Glass (1925), pl.XXXV and sold by Sotheby's on 15 May 1930, then again as part of the Henry Brown Collection on 14 November 1947, lot 255.An example with a different wildfowling scene is illustrated by Martine Newby, Eighteenth Century English Glass from the Collection of Julius and Ann Kaplan (1998), p.12, fig.3 and was sold by Bonhams on 15 November 2017, lot 25. See also the example from the A C Hubbard Jr Collection illustrated by Ward Lloyd, A Wine Lover's Glasses (2000), p.72, pl.89 and that from the Sir Hugh Dawson Collection illustrated by both Bickerton (1986), p.332, no.1080 and R J Charleston, English Glass (1984), pl.41f.Two dated Beilby enamelled vessels painted in white with related wildfowling scenes include a tumbler inscribed 'Success to R Brown 1768' in the Durrington Collection, illustrated by Roger Dodsworth in his catalogue (2006), p.36, no.32 and a clear glass flask inscribed 'Thomas Brown, Nenthead, 1769' in the Ashmolean Museum (inv. no.WA1957.24.2.181), illustrated by James Rush, A Beilby Odyssey (1987), p.69, pl.29. Compare also to the earlier South Staffordshire polychrome enamelled opaque white flask depicting a similar scene, possibly by William Beilby working for John Haseldine, sold by Bonhams as part of the Kaplan Collection on 15 November 2017, lot 39.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
