Ray — Same happened to me, some years ago, before I acquired Evans.
I had had several Tom Hill 5-sided bowls through my hands, and saw this golden-amber vase going cheap. More familiar with pressed glass, I was used to what skilled glassmakers could do with one design, such as Davidson's press-moulded 34 pattern, which ended up as anything from a "D"ed bowl (with reversed rim) through vases, to a lamp base, all from one mould. This vase was obviously a Tom Hill 5-sided piece, just finished slightly differently.
I had a wierd reaction from some WF collectors, who seemed to think I had lost my marbles. Then someone found it in Evans for me.
As soon as I saw your photographs, I said to myself "Tom Hill 5-sided — couldn't be anything else". It doesn't need a pattern number or any other verification — it shouts WF at you. It also helps explain the folded rim on the bowl, as you can see that your lamp base is losing metal at the top like the clappers, so, likewise, the bowl must have had an extremely thin rim.
I'm rarely envious, but I would make space for your beautiful lamp, without question.
Well done. :hiclp: :hiclp: :hiclp:
Bernard C.
Topic: huge whitefriars lamp base (Read 2140 times)
