18th Century Onion Bottle with George Washington Seal - Large

Product Description

This 18th-century Onion Bottle with a George Washington Seal is crafted by Phil Gilson, a master glassblower in Lawrenceville, Virginia, using techniques passed down through generations of Gilson family artisans. The onion bottle will hold approximately two small glasses of wine. This bottle includes a seal displaying the Washington family coat of arms, the same one used on original wine bottles at Mount Vernon. This reproduction green glass onion bottle is excellent for historical re-enactments, locations, and events that require or desire historical accuracy. 

Features

• Reproduction of an 18th-century glass onion bottle
• George Washington's coat of arms seal, reproduced from a wine bottle at Mount Vernon
• Measures approximately 5"H x 5 3/4" diameter; 3/4" diameter opening
• 10 - 12 oz. capacity
• Bottle green color is historically accurate to the 18th century
• Food-safe glass
• Hand-made in the USA

Please note: This is a hand-made item produced using historically accurate 18th-century methods. You can expect variations in color, small bubbles, and other minor irregularities, as well as slight variations in dimensions due to the manufacturing process. These are not defects. 

Inspiration

The classic shape of the onion bottle is synonymous with early 18th-century wine bottles. Many examples of onion bottles have been found in Williamsburg, including this one in our collections (object #1965-185,A). When the bottle was gifted to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in 1965 by Miss Josephine Doran, a label attached to the bottle tells of its origin: "Found 1810 in the cellar on the 'Six Chimney Lot', the old residence of the Custis Family in Williamsburg, VA, and Presented by Mrs. Galt to Jas. W. Custis. 1852."

The seal on this particular reproduction glass onion bottle is a copy of George Washington's seal, which was used on his own wine bottles at Mount Vernon. The seal is applied similarly to the one noted above, belonging to John Custis. George Washington's seal includes the Washington family coat of arms, consisting of "three mullets" and "two bars". Washington used the coat of arms on many other personal objects around his home.

About the Artist

Phil Gilson might be the last colonial American-style glassblower working full-time in the traditions developed in the 18th Century. A cousin of the Wistars, owners of America's first successful glass operation, Gilson's craft is not only a passion but a family legacy since the 1730s.

Gilson focuses most of his work on producing and perpetuating designs for historic homes, museums, schools, and the living history and re-enacting community. He makes many pieces using original molds and hand tools handed down for generations.

Gilson is the last of two known master chippers in the country. Chipping is the trade of carving directly into cast-iron glass molds to re-create embossed bottles and flasks of the past. The custom carvings enable Gilson to produce modern commemorative interpretations by placing interchangeable inserts in antique molds.

His work includes custom free-blown, pressed, and dip-molded glass pieces. All of his work is made in well-documented historical bottle-glass colors.

Early American Life magazine's esteemed directory of Traditional American Crafts includes Phil Gilson.