Waterford Crystal Clock from the Lismore 50th Anniversary Collection. Includes operations manual and informative pamphlet. Waterford signature on underside. Waterford sticker on piece. 

Size: 5 3/4 x 1 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. 

#2394 . 

Waterford Crystal is a manufacturer of lead glass or “crystal,” especially in cut glass, named after the city of Waterford, Ireland. The origins of crystal production in Waterford date back to 1783 when George Penrose and his nephew William started their business, the Waterford Glassworks. It produced extremely fine flint glass that became world-renowned. The company closed in June 1851 towards the end of the Great Famine, with the loss of 53-100 jobs. Multiple attempts to revive the company by the Irish government faltered for nearly a century, in part due to the two World Wars. Between 1947 and 1987 the company flourished under several different companies, and through the auspices of several different countries, including Czechoslovakia, Germany, and China, before consolidating into an Irish holding company called Waterford Wedgwood plc. In January 2009 the main manufacturing base on the edge of Waterford was closed due to insolvency brought on by the Great Recession, and in June 2010 Waterford Crystal relocated back to the roots of glass-making in the city center. As of 2015 the brand is owned by the Fiskars Corporation, and nearly all production is handled outside of Ireland, although they remain famous for their numerous unique creations, including the crystal ball that drops in Times Square in New York that they made in honor of the new Millennium.

The labels on the manual indicate it came from The Lismore Collection of Waterford, which was first created in 1952 by Chief Designer Miroslav Havel. The pattern was an ode to the Gothic architecture of the 800-year-old Scottish Lismore Castle in County Waterford, inspired by the symmetry of the towers, pointed arches and elegant curves of the windows. One specific label suggests it comes from the 50th Anniversary iteration of the collection, released in 2002.

Good.