Bristol blue glass
Encyclopedia
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
since the 17th century.
History
William Cookworthy
-Bibliography:*Early New Church Worthies by the Rev Dr Jonathon Bayley*Cookworthy's Plymouth and Bristol Porcelain by F.Severne Mackenna published by F.Lewis...
. Cookworthy began a search for good quality cobalt oxide
Cobalt oxide
Cobalt oxide may refer to*Cobalt oxide - CoO*Cobalt oxide - Co2O3*Cobalt oxide - Co3O4...
to give the blue glaze decoration on the white porcelain and obtained exclusive import rights to all the cobalt oxide from the Royal Saxon Cobalt Works in Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
. It is uncertain 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.
Lazurus and Isaac Jacobs were the most famous makers of Bristol Blue Glass in the 1780s. Their company held a royal warrant and made glass for the aristocrats of Europe. Bristol’s glass makers were invited to demonstrate their skills at the Great Exhibition of 1851, opened by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. At this period cranberry glass
Cranberry glass
Cranberry glass is a red glass made by adding gold chloride to molten glass. Tin, in the form of stannous chloride, is sometimes added in tiny amounts as a reducing agent...
was made for the first time by adding 24 carat gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
to lead crystal, giving the glass its ruby red tones.
Production ceased in the early 20th century. Bristol Blue Glass was revived by Peter Hewlett in the 1980s, almost 70 years after the last Blue Glass factory closed in the early 1900s. Today, there are two Bristol Blue Glass companies in the Bristol area: Bristol Blue Glass (SW) in Bedminster and Bristol Blue Glass in Brislington
Brislington
Brislington is an area in the south east of the city of Bristol, England. It is on the edge of Bristol and from Bath. The Brislington Brook runs through the area in the woodlands of Nightingale Valley...
. Both offer visits and tours. Bristol Blue Glass is also sold in the USA by Bristol Blue Glass USA, who import the glass from Bristol Blue Glass (SW).
Chemical composition
The glass contains cobalt oxide, which creates a deep yet bright blueBlue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
, and 24% lead oxide
Lead(II) oxide
Lead oxide is the inorganic compound with the formula PbO. Lead oxide occurs in two polymorphs, red, having a tetragonal crystal structure and yellow, having an orthorhombic crystal structure...
(PbO).