The form, with its complex knopped stem and elegant large bowl, is commonly known as the Newcastle light baluster.
However, it is now thought likely that the VOC glasses, engraved for Dutch dignitaries and investors in the world’s first multinational corporation (and the first to issue stock), were also produced in Continental glassmaking centres such as Amsterdam or Antwerp.
The very best examples of this type can bring five-figure sums. A glass with engraving in the style of the well-regarded Dutch artist Jacob Sang offered by Bonhams as part of the Crabtree collection sale in 2010 sold at £22,000.
The Kingham & Orme glass, engraved with a three-masted ship at sail and the monogram VOC beneath the letter M, includes an inscription for the Vereenigde Oost- Indische Compagnie (Dutch East India Company).
It was in perfect condition. Following a deluge of interest, it sold to a buyer from the Low Countries at the auction on July 28.
