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Author Topic: Opalescent Art Glass Basket  (Read 13765 times)

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Offline Ohio

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Opalescent Art Glass Basket
« on: March 02, 2008, 06:44:49 AM »
Hi. I figured I'd post this basket here because it seems unlikely it's from my side of the pond (US). It's mold blown, three seams, opalescent with an attached flower, leaf? I cannot tell what it's supposed to be. Reacts to black light & is 7" length, 4 1/2" height & 3" width. Suprisingly very heavy for something not larger at 1 1/2 lbs. I don't know if it's Bohemian or English, but with the opalescence thought maybe English. It's a bit different looking. Thanks for the opinions & assistance which is as always appreciated. Ken

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Offline Bernard C

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Re: Opalescent Art Glass Basket
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2008, 07:40:48 AM »
Ken — Applied acanthus leaf decoration was popular on Victorian hand-made fancies, but this is the first time I have seen an example on pressed (not mold blown / mould blown) glass.   See Gulliver for a variety of examples, two positively attributed, one to Stuart, the other to Walsh, with others clearly from several different glass houses, one or more of which could be continental European.   What is also interesting is that I can't see how the basket was held to re-heat it when the added decoration was applied.

... and I don't recognise the underlying pressed glass basket, which seems to make it, to use your words, unlikely from any side of any pond.

What a delightful and unexpected mystery!

Bernard C.  8)
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Offline Ohio

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Re: Opalescent Art Glass Basket
« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2008, 05:28:28 PM »
Thanks Bernard for your response. You know I honestly thought this was pressed when I examined it, but my brain simply did not want to accept that fact  because of the type,  form & timeline which I judged to be between 1885-1905 & although we here in the US pressed glass by the cubic ton during those timelines most of the "art" type of glass in your area was truely hand made. I actually passed on the piece initially then thought "you know you've not seen this type of piece constructed in this manner in all these years so maybe it's an oddball". It is different...the base reminded me somewhat of ones I'd seen on English manufactured dog (mastiff & setter) type bookends, but it was simply too odd to pass up in the end. I do appreciate your expertise in the matter. Thanks, Ken

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Offline Sid

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Re: Opalescent Art Glass Basket
« Reply #3 on: March 03, 2008, 01:47:08 AM »
Ken:

This is a lovely little piece. It looks to me like the basket handles were applied as well.  Is that correct?  If so, the underlying piece is a nice little oval bowl not a basket.  Is the bottom ground or polished?

Is it possible to get a couple of high resolution photos showing the construction. I know the board can't handle them but you could email them to me by clicking on the envelop icon below my profile on the left side.

Thanks

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Offline Ohio

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Re: Opalescent Art Glass Basket
« Reply #4 on: March 03, 2008, 05:18:50 AM »
Sid I'll try & email you tomorrow. Handles are applied, bottom does not appear to be ground, simply well cast. Strange mold lines though & your observation about it being a bowl that was hand manipulated would explain why one single line is at the very end of the piece while the two others are opposite one another on their respective side....the fold would explain that. Thanks. Ken

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Offline Bernard C

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Re: Opalescent Art Glass Basket
« Reply #5 on: March 03, 2008, 09:28:01 AM »
Ken & Sid — Fascinating.   I get so used to fake applied handles on pressed glass baskets and jugs that I didn't think to check.   I can see that they are applied.

But how?   ... and what was applied?

Possibilities include:-
  • Hand-twisted grooved rod applied and shaped by hand.
  • Pressed spiral rod applied and shaped by hand.
  • Pressed handles, applied by hand.

It is even just possible that they are pressed handles, made as the first stage in a two-part pressing, like John Sowerby's patent No. 2433 of 15 September 1871 for Ornamenting glass with designs in glass of a different colour, only this time in the same colour, see Hajdamach.   You may recall the two plates I had through my hands several years ago Sowerby made by this process.

Could this be an apprentice piece or an expert training piece, made to look like what it isn't? — i.e. fake pressed glass? — or fake handmade glass?

In some ways it is reminiscent of the little posy basket in Sowerby's Venetian range.

Bernard C.  8)
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Offline Ohio

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Re: Opalescent Art Glass Basket
« Reply #6 on: March 03, 2008, 06:48:14 PM »
Bernard & Sid: Decided to post some closeup pics on my server rather than cluttering up emails & personal PCs. Hopefully these are OK. Now the last pic has nothing to do with the basket, it's just for fun. I picked these up yesterday & they are more in tune with European mythology rather than the US because they are Dragons. Paden City Glass, Paden City, WV made the pour from private moulds from Barth Art Glass in the early 40's. Considered very Scarce in blue, I had not seen one in a decade. Ken

 http://www.glasstreasurechest.com/catalog/images/handle%20side.jpg
http://www.glasstreasurechest.com/catalog/images/handle%20top.jpg
http://www.glasstreasurechest.com/catalog/images/bottom%20edge.jpg
http://www.glasstreasurechest.com/catalog/images/top%20edge.jpg
http://www.glasstreasurechest.com/catalog/images/bottom.jpg
http://www.glasstreasurechest.com/catalog/images/mould%20line.jpg
http://www.glasstreasurechest.com/catalog/images/applied%20decoration.jpg
http://www.glasstreasurechest.com/catalog/images/dragonswans.jpg


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Offline Lustrousstone

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Re: Opalescent Art Glass Basket
« Reply #7 on: March 03, 2008, 07:56:33 PM »
Those handles are pressed, you can see the line

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Offline Sid

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Re: Opalescent Art Glass Basket
« Reply #8 on: March 04, 2008, 12:38:14 AM »
Ken:

Thank you for the photos.  I agree with Christine that you can see a mould line on the handles so they were pressed. But I still think that they look like they were applied to the bowl although it could be a good mould maker fooling us. As often in these cases, having the glass in hand would allow for a better understanding of its making than examining it through photos.  It is a lovely piece and you were quite right to snap it up (eventually).


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Offline krsilber

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Re: Opalescent Art Glass Basket
« Reply #9 on: March 04, 2008, 12:46:29 AM »
Hi!  Brand newbie here, so try to forgive me if I say or do anything stupid.

I'm curious why people are saying this is pressed.  When I think of pressed, I think of a mold and plunger, and I haven't seen anything that suggests that is necessarily the case here.  Since plungers have to be smooth in order to remove them after pressing, the pattern of the rope rim couldn't have been formed on the inside during the pressing process.

I suspect the twisted rope handles and rim were molded, but not pressed in the sense that there was a plunger involved.  A plain rope of glass was probably laid in a two-part mold, and formed that way (my guess, anyway).  Maybe that is the same as saying they were pressed, I don't know.  They were then applied to the mold-blown (or pressed?) basket.  The basket could have been held by a snap, eliminating the need for a pontil.

"...John Sowerby's patent No. 2433 of 15 September 1871 for Ornamenting glass with designs in glass of a different colour, only this time in the same colour, see Hajdamach."
I wish I had the reference you're talking about!  I'm fascinated by the process of glassmaking, and look forward to learning more from you all!
Kristi


"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science."

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