Exhibit Antiques has dated these Engraved Maritime Wine Goblets to the Victorian era.
A fine and historically interesting pair of 19th-century engraved wine goblets, dating to c1865–75.
They have large rounded bowls with a band of polished oval cuts around the lower section.
” The reverse is engraved “Ann Wilkinson – Her Father’s Gift.” within an engraved laurel wreath. They stand on plain stems above conical feet with polished pontils.
Historical Context
Research strongly indicates that the vessel depicted is the Charlotte, Official No. 47233, a 61/62-ton sailing ketch and coastal trading vessel, built at Kingston-by-Sea, Shoreham in 1863 by the noted local shipbuilders J. May & T. Thwaites. The engraved vessel, with its large mainmast and smaller mizzen, is consistent with the recorded ketch rig (see actual photograph of the Charlotte)
The Charlotte had a remarkably long working life. Originally registered at Shoreham, surviving crew records document her there from 1863 onwards. She was later transferred to Padstow and remained on the British register until 1924, more than sixty years after she was built. Remarkably, a late 19th-century photograph of the actual Charlotte under sail also survives in the collection of the National Maritime Museum.
The inscription “Ann Wilkinson – Her Father’s Gift” indicates that these were personal presentation glasses rather than simply decorative maritime glassware. Although Ann Wilkinson has not yet been conclusively identified, research has uncovered a particularly interesting contemporary connection. An R. Wilkinson is recorded in the 1871 census as master of the Shoreham-registered brigantine Ann, a 152-ton vessel employed in the coastal trade. This places a Wilkinson master mariner within Shoreham's shipping community at exactly the period in which these glasses were probably engraved. Whether he was Ann Wilkinson's father, uncle, brother etc or had a connection with the Charlotte, remains unproven.
However, the original Shoreham registration and crew records for the Charlotte survive in the West Sussex archives and may eventually establish the identity of her early owners and masters, potentially revealing the precise connection between the vessel and the Wilkinson family.
An exceptional pair of Victorian maritime presentation glasses with the history of an identifiable 19th-century Shoreham sailing vessel... irreplaceable pieces of local maritime history.
Date & Origin
England, c1865-75. Period of Queen Victoria.
Condition
Excellent. No chips, cracks or restoration.
Dimensions
Height: 17 cm.
Rim diameter: 9.1 cm.
Foot diameter: 7.9 cm.
Weight: 256 grams each
Exhibit Antiques has dated these Engraved Maritime Wine Goblets to the Victorian era.
Specialists in 18th & 19th century antique glass
You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Exhibit Antiques Profile Page
Pair of Victorian Engraved Presentation Maritime Wine Goblets – Charlotte of Shoreham C1865–75
