Exhibit Antiques

10/05/2026

A Scottish "HODGE PODGE"...

Not very often does one encounter an 18th-century Scottish Drinking Club glass with detailed surviving records preserved within the Glasgow City Archives and accessible through the Mitchell Library — The Hodge Podge Club is one of those rare exceptions.

An outstanding and historically important Scottish engraved glass from the Dr Rigby Collection, the piece offers not only exceptional rarity and craftsmanship, but also a direct and traceable connection to the social and mercantile drinking culture of 18th-century Glasgow.

It has a drawn trumpet bowl, finely engraved within a continuous laurel wreath enclosing two opposing cartouches. One is inscribed “HODGE PODGE”, the other “5th MAY 1752”. The lettering is confidently executed, with distinctive feathered strokes and polished detailing.

Historical Context

The inscription almost certainly relates to the convivial drinking society known as the Hodge Podge Club, active in Glasgow during the mid-18th century. Formed amongst the city’s mercantile community at a time of considerable commercial prosperity, the club reflects the informal yet structured culture of dining and drinking that characterised the period.

Surviving records of the club are held within the Glasgow City Archives, accessible through the Mitchell Library, where minute books and later historical accounts document its activities. These sources describe a society built around regular meetings, shared dining, and regulated conviviality, with a tone that was both disciplined and deliberately light-hearted.

The earliest surviving minutes of the club begin on 5th May 1752, the date engraved on the glass. This should be understood not as the precise moment of formation, but rather as the point at which formal record-keeping began. The club was almost certainly in existence prior to this date.

Of particular relevance is the recorded purchase, in 1761, of sixty Hodge Podge glasses ordered from London. Although no pictorial records of these glasses survive, this reference confirms that glasses associated with the club were being specifically commissioned during the period.

The present glass, both in its engraving and construction, sits comfortably within this documented phase of activity.

Alex Smillie

In mid-18th century Scotland, drinking and dining clubs formed a well-established part of social life. These ranged from structured societies in Edinburgh to more informal tavern-based groups in Glasgow.

Notable examples include the Cape Club and the Poker Club, alongside the more private and indulgent Beggar’s Benison. Alongside these were numerous smaller, largely unrecorded merchant clubs, particularly in Glasgow, where groups met regularly for dining, drinking, and fellowship.

The Hodge Podge Club belongs firmly within this latter tradition; informal, convivial, and rooted in the everyday social culture of the city’s mercantile community.

We cannot say if this glass is one of the original sixty ordered in 1761, but to our knowledge its the only surviving glass that references the club from that period.

You can find out more about the glass by using our web site link below -

https://www.exhibitantiques.com/item/6474/exhibitantiques/Rare-Georgian-Engraved-Scottish-Drinking-Club-Glass-c1760---Hodge-Podge-Club.html

02/05/2026

🏚️🍷 A new milestone in our journey!

🏺 We’re taking the concept of historical living beyond the traditional gallery venues and integrating these rare treasures into the heart of the modern, curated home.

✨ Exhibit is incredibly excited to announce our debut at the prestigious Ideal Home Show Scotland in Glasgow! We’ll be transforming space into a living gallery, showcasing how centuries-old antiques can become the most impactful and conversation-starting features in any contemporary space.

🏛️ Where history meets the home, and the story of the past meets the design of the future.

🎟️ Save On Tickets: Only £10 when you use the code: IHSS26EXHIB

📅 Mark Your Calendars ~ Meet us at the SEC, Glasgow, on May 22nd - 25th, 2026!

12/04/2026

The Rigby Collection Now Unveiled 💎🍷

The wait is over. We are proud to announce that Part I of The Dr Rigby Glass Collection is now officially live and available for acquisition on ExhibitAntiques.com.

To mark the launch, we are spotlighting the "jewels" of the collection: a spectacular array of 18th-century English colour twist stems.

While the Georgian era is famed for its clear lead glass, the introduction of vibrant enamels - cobalt blues, emerald greens, and the legendary ruby reds - transformed these vessels into masterworks of technical precision.

A Symphony of Colour 🎨🍷

The Crimson Core ~ One of the most coveted hues in the glass world, showcasing the difficult-to-achieve ruby red twist.

The Cased Cobalt Core ~ Blue enamel masterfully encases an opaque white core, an innovative technique employed by the glassblower to give a more vivid finish.

The Emerald Outline ~ A delicate thread outlining the single opaque white corckscrew, beautifully highlighting the green. The inclusion of the air column is quite stunning, interesting and rare.

The Cobalt Corckscrew ~ Another vivid outline due to the thread being embedded against the opaque white corckscrew. The 12-ply spiral band is remarkably neat and well executed.

The Polychrome Masterpiece ~ A sophisticated, contrasting interplay of crimson red, deep green and opaque white - polychrome colour twists representing a peak of the glass-blower’s art c.1765. You may notice the slight lilac hue to some of the inner threads of the multi-ply corckscrew; it is perhaps accidentally induced, but once again draws interest and gives depth to each strand.

This is a rare opportunity to secure pieces from a substantial 100-glass legacy, curated over a decade with an uncompromising eye for detail.

📌 Explore Part I of the Dr Rigby Collection. Visit our website to view these and other masterpieces before they depart for new collections.

- Nicola

26/03/2026

The ‘Jewelled’ Table: A Regency Renaissance 1795–1837 💎

While the mid-18th century was the "Golden Age" of clear glass, the Regency era sparked a vibrant English renaissance. Spanning the reigns of George III, George IV, and William IV, this period saw a shift toward a ‘jewelled’ palette of saturated, sophisticated hues.

🧪 The Alchemy of Colour - Creating these was high-stakes chemistry. Success relied on the furnace atmosphere: an oxidising environment yielded blue and turquoise, while a reduced (low oxygen) melt shifted glass toward warm ambers and browns.

🔴 Regency Red: The rarest of all. Often requiring Gold, Iron, or Copper, true-tinted red had to be blown incredibly thin to stay translucent; otherwise, it appeared black. Birmingham’s George Bacchus & Sons finally mastered thick, vibrant red in the 1840s.

🟡 Amber & Yellow: A volatile mix of Silver, Iron, and Antimony. Notidiously difficult to stabilise - one wrong move and the batch turned smoky grey. Successful c.1820 amber wine glasses represent a high-risk manufacturing triumph.

💎 Peacock Blue: A vibrant ultramarine that appeared around 1810, possibly due to cobalt scarcities during the Napoleonic Wars.

🔵 Bristol Blue: Achieved via Cobalt and Copper. While popular for decanters, finding Regency wine glasses in this ‘deep navy’ Bristol blue is surprisingly rare.

💜 Amethyst: Created with Manganese and Nickel, ranging from pale lavender to a regal "black" purple. It offered a dramatic contrast to white linens but was rarely used for wine glasses. Later Victorian examples often shift toward a reddish plum hue.

🟢 Emerald Green: The most common Regency wine glass colour. While iron impurities naturally create green, glassmakers used copper and later Chromium for that crisp glow. It remains as popular today as it was 200 years ago!

🔍 Collector’s Tip: The "1800" Rule. To date transitional glass, look at the Basal Knop (the join between stem and foot). Before 1800, this was either absent or a full, rounded knop. By 1800, it became a flattened ‘cushion knop’. If your glass has this "pancake" join, it’s likely post-1800.

Note: This join disappeared again c.1880–1910 during the Georgian revival. Distinguish these later pieces by their perfectly even bowls and much thinner, lightweight walls.

I have a small private collection that includes at least one of each of these colours. The vibrant ultramarine blues are a personal favourite and are always hard to part with, but nothing beats an unusual form.

- Nicola.

19/02/2026

Exceptionally Rare Antique 19th Century Nailsea Type Stevens & Williams Glass Decanter c1870

We can’t emphasise enough just how rare this decanter is. We have never seen another in over 20 years, and you won’t find one online. The colour is exceptionally rare, as is the threaded decoration in combination with the white feather pulled decoration. We had a cranberry example in the same form back in 2022, but it lacked threading and featured a simpler feathered design.

- Nicola

07/02/2026

How many ways can you really make a glass jug? More than you’d think - and far fewer at the same time.

Glass jugs are surprisingly under-documented with overlapping attribution, which makes researching them both frustrating and deeply satisfying.

Here's a small showing of colourful antique glass jugs that I’ve recently enjoyed researching (now available on our website).

We’ve admittedly handled fewer jugs over the years than some of our other departments, particularly 18th- and early 19th-century examples. Part of that, perhaps, comes from the lack of a clear, dedicated chronology; If anyone knows of a book focused specifically on glass jugs, I’d love a recommendation for the library.

So I’ve been slowly piecing together my own chronology, drawing from the many places jugs tend to be scattered throughout the literature. Some are easier than others: a strong stylistic period flair can be almost instinctive. Others - especially those dating between c.1750–1850 - rely on far more subtle shifts in form that move back and forth over time. After all, there are only so many ways to make a jug. Does it have a foot? How is the handle attached? Is there any grit in the glass? And, as ever, what’s going on with the pontil?

American glass has always felt slightly alien to me, though often quite obvious once you know what you’re looking for - typically a blend of English techniques and materials alongside European decorative styles. This period, however, is a little more challenging, thanks largely to the New England Glass Company in America being so accomplished. Their wares can be almost indistinguishable from English examples; some plain coloured wine glasses are near one-for-one matches, and jugs from roughly 1800–1840 present the same issues.

For now, much of my reference compendium is built from museum pieces and specialist dealership examples. But once Exhibit has documented enough variety from our own holdings, I’ll share it more publicly through one of our identification articles.

If you have a favourite reference for glass jugs, or a particularly elusive example, I’d love to hear about it.

- Nicola

18/12/2025

Have a Very Merry Christmas from the Exhibit family! 🎄

🥂🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 To our friends and customers, thank you for all your support this year. We're able to continue sourcing because you share the same love and enthusiasm for craftsmanship, history and preserving the past. We hope you have a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year from snowy Scotland.

Don't miss out! Our final guaranteed-by-Christmas order dates are here! Place your order by 12:00 noon to receive your package in time.

🚛 Final Order Dates

UK | Sunday 21st
EU | Thursday 18th

15/12/2025

18th and 19th century coloured wines glass in time for Xmas...

https://www.exhibitantiques.com/browse/c-Drinking-Glasses-7/c-Wine-Glasses-26/

11/12/2025

26/11/2025

Four rare 18th Century Deceptive Toastmaster Dram Glasses to be offered as part of a large dram collection in the near future.

Their thick deceptive bowls hold approx. ½ that of a normal bowl its size and were either used by the toastmaster who needed to stay sober, or by the bar landlord so that when customer bought him a drink, or he pored himself a drink, he could use his deceptive glass and keep half its value in the till..and / or stay sober.