Antique Victorian Thomas Webb Queen's Burmese glass jug hand painted pine branch circa 1890 - peach pink & yellow globular body with an hexagonal rim

A charming Victorian Stourbridge Queen's Burmese glass jug by Thomas Webb & Sons circa 1890. It is of a globular form with an upright hexagonal rim and is rose pink (salmon) at the top fading to pale lemon yellow, all with a satin finish. The jug is hand painted around the body with a pine branch with pine cones decoration in a muted colour palette. It has a polished pontil to the base

Burmese glass is a type of opaque coloured art glass, shading from yellow to pink. It was originally made in 1885 by the Mount Washington Glass Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA. Burmese glass found favour with Queen Victoria. From 1886, the British company of Thomas Webb & Sons was licensed to produce the glass. Their version, known as Queen's Burmeseware, which was used for tableware and decorative glass, often with painted decoration.  Thomas Webb & Sons of the Dennis Glassworks Stourbridge, Worcestershire, England registered a UK patent on 5th September 1887 - Rd 80167 for Burmese ware. (Ref 1)

Burmese is a uranium glass and fluoresces under UV light. The formula to produce Burmese Glass contains uranium oxide with tincture of gold added. The uranium oxide produced the inherent soft yellow colour of Burmese glass. Because of the added gold, the characteristic pink blush of colour of Burmese was fashioned by re-heating the object in the furnace (the "Glory Hole"). The length of time in the furnace will determine the intensity of the colour.  Strangely, if the object is subjected to the heat again, it will return to the original yellow colour.

This charming glass jug is in fair antique condition, it has a chip to the rim to the left of the handle. Condition is reflected in the price. Still a beautiful item to add to any collection of Victorian Art Glass or as a display piece on its own.

Height 2 9/16 inches (6.5 cm) 
Diameter 2 3/4 inches (7.0 cm).
Weighs 157 grammes unpacked. 

References

1 Nineteenth Century Glass - its genesis and development by Albert Christian Revi.