Larvik Glassworks
Larvik Glassworks was a glassworks at Torstrand in Larvik, established in 1872. Historical forms of its name include Laurvigs Glassverk. It belongs to the history of Norwegian container glass and should not be confused with the name of a particular style or glass composition.
The brewery connection
Vestfold Museums' account of Larvik's breweries describes how Laurvigs Ølbryggeri wanted its own bottle production as demand for its beer grew. The glassworks was established to help supply those bottles. The relationship between brewery and glassworks is therefore central to understanding the business.
The museum records that the glassworks at Laurvig, Bergen and Moss joined together in 1913. Corporate and production history consequently matters when dating objects: a business name does not necessarily prove that a particular bottle was manufactured at that specific plant.
Identifying bottles
Record the base, neck, mouth, mould seams, labels and all embossed lettering. A brewery's name on a bottle does not automatically identify the glassworks that made it. An attribution to Larvik should be supported by a documented manufacturer's mark, archival evidence or a secure comparison.
Do not date a bottle to 1872 simply because the works was founded that year. Describe what can actually be read and distinguish secure identification from assumption. See also Moss Glassverk for a related part of Norwegian glassmaking history.
