This is a Georgian a traforato (spun glass) basket originating from Liege in Belgium and dating from the late 18th century, c1780. Such items were made by trailing glass and took a great deal of skill. One legend has it that they were apprentice pieces with apprentices getting their ''chair'' if they made one successfully, although this is possibly apocryphal. This is an original Liege soda glass piece and not one of the English lead glass copies which are sometimes attributed to a Bristol origin.The basket is in excellent condition for its age. This means, of course, that it shows age related wear and tear to the rim of the base consistent with 200+ years of use. It has a rough pontil mark on the underside of the base. The basket is of a flared bucket shape, the bowl rim measuring 28 cm (9.2 inches) in diameter. The flared foot measures 16 cm (6.4 inches) in diameter. The basket is 10 cm (4 inches) in height. There are no chips, cracks, significant scratches or any obvious...