Hand-blown Glass Single-glass Cooler – Royal Manufactory Of Margeride, 18th Century

A single-glass wine cooler made of blown glass, attributed to the Royal Glassworks of Margeride, established in Védrines-Saint-Loup in the Cantal department and operating under that designation from 1769 to 1792.

Cylindrical in shape, our wine cooler features a honeycomb pattern. Two small pinched side handles make it easy to handle, while the neck is accented by several applied concentric bands. The base, also hot-worked, is edged with a pinched glass cord forming a regular frieze.

The glass possesses that delicate, slightly pinkish hue—particularly appealing today—found in certain pieces attributed to the Margeride. This was likely not an intentional coloring at the time of production: over time, the glass from this production has undergone a change in its material composition, giving the originally clear glass a more or less pronounced pinkish hue.

An object associated with 18th-century table refinement

The glass cooler, also known as a “verrière” or “glass bucket,” is one of the new accessories that accompanied the development of an increasingly sophisticated art of the table in the 18th century. Porcelain examples are preserved at the Louvre, including a Sèvres glass cooler dated 1768.

This piece was designed to hold fresh or iced water. The glass, usually turned upside down, was immersed in it to cool and rinse it between courses. This function is documented for 18th-century glass coolers, whose use became particularly widespread between the 1720s and 1780s.

What sets our example apart is its size, designed to hold a single glass, giving it a unique character. Made entirely of blown glass, it is a particularly interesting example of French glassmaking and the refinement of tableware in the second half of the 18th century.