Waterford Victorian Glass Luster Pair from Boydville, Virginia Estate (1850s)

These gorgeous Victorian Waterford-style leaded glass Lusters graced the Dining Room Mantlepiece at the Historic Boydville Estate in Martinsburg, Virginia (now WV) from the 1850's. Boydville was the ancestral home of Gen. Elisha Boyd, hero of the War of 1812 and of Charles James Faulkner, his son-in-law who was appointed Ambassador to France under President Buchanan and later recalled by President Lincoln during the War Between the States.

While the style is that of Waterford diamond cut pieces, these were produced long before branding and labels were made permanent on such decorative items. We have located several example of these Lusters that have sold at auctions in Europe. Most listing suggest that their provenance is England, but they are "possibly" from the Waterford glass a

We believe that Ambassador Faulkner purchased these in London during one of his many voyages to Paris, and the other furnishings of the Mansion also date from the 1850's or earlier. The origins of crystal production in Waterford date back to 1783[2] when George Penrose and his nephew William Penrose started their business, the Waterford Glassworks. It produced extremely fine flint glass that became world-renowned. Their Waterford company closed in June 1851 but its wares were found throughout Europe in Palaces and finer homes.

The leaded glass Lusters have several chips and were clearly used for nearly a century and a half. They were designed to magnify candle light on sumptuous feasts at the Boydville Mansion or to adorn mantlepieces for enhanced illumination.

Each Luster has ten Diamond Cut Prisms and a double dangling shaft to catch the light. The two pieces together weigh about 14 lbs. They are approximately 9 1/4 inches in height and about 4.5 inches in diameter, and 4.5 inches deep.

Consider these historic pieces as not only beautiful adornments for your own mantlepieces or table décor, but for display in areas of intense light. When placed near windows, the rainbow refraction of light from the prisms casts interesting rainbow-like patterns throughout a room. And of course, they can be moved (carefully!) wherever you want, for sit-down candlelight dinners, buffet tables, or other use.

We have much more information about the Historic Boydville Mansion upon request.