Topic: How desireable is Mary Gregory?

[GlassIsGood]

We have two substantially large perfect cobalt blue jugs - with gold bands around the top decorated with what I am sure are her work.  Are we talking £30-£40 each or possibly in the hundreds?  Cheers

[glassobsessed]

I am told they don't fetch what they used to. Have a look on ebay and elsewhere for a few weeks and see what they sell for, you can then compare what has sold with what you have for a reasonable guesstimate.

John

[Paul S.]

Hello GlassIsGood  -  You may find the following of interest.............
Glass decorated with the (usually) boys and girls plus period scenery etc. may or may not have been decorated by 'Mary Gregory'.   It is believed that this lady worked as a decorator at Boston & Sandwich Glass Co. in the States in the 1870's and 1880's, however there has been some rumour over the years as to whether she existed at all!   According to R. W. Miller, who did publish a book on the subject he claimed to have two photographs of this person, and she lived apparently from 1856 to 1908.   Nonetheless, it would have been impossible for her to have knocked out all of the material attributed to her, and in fact this style was thought to have also been produced here -  but was certainly churned out in Bohemia and in Austria.   In view of the amount of travelling that glass does make, I guess it would be nigh on impossible to be certain from whence any individual piece originated.    Usually in white enamel only, apparently in the last years of the C19 the figures were given coloured feet and hands, and this may or may not affect value.    Most of what appears now in the U.K. has probably originated on the Continent somewhere.   BUT beware, this style was certainly made up until quite recent years, and you will need an expert to sort the wheat from the chaff.   Suggest you go to a glass dealer who specialisesin this material.
Reference:    'The Arthur Negus Guide to British Glass  -  Hamlyn  -  1981.

[GlassIsGood]

This is all nice and interesting - thanks.

I've looked on ebay and also on online shops - it seems that there is big difference in what folks would like to sell it for and what it actually does sell for (hence the question) - I guess ebay must be a better guide to actual value

I can well believe that the style was copied, as you say professional assessment might be the only way to tell - the two we have are children which face each other when the jugs are lip to lip.  One is a girl with a dish and spoon and one a boy with his hand held to his face look out to somewhere in the distance, both accompanied by the common sympathetic scenery and painted only in white.  I suspect they are nursery rhyme characters - maybe miss Muffet and a little boy from a rhyme.

[chopin-liszt]

I believe the children are quite chubby on the older bits. If they're slim, the piece could be quite recent - '70s -'80s.

[Ohio]

Mary Gregory & her sister both worked for the Boston & Sandwich Glass Co. That much has supporting documentation, however they both worked in the lamp globe department as staff decorators & there is no evidence she decorated anything else but lamp globes. That is the most current info available as of February 2010. Matter of fact most here in the U.S. many believe the vast majority of the MG stuff found here originated in the late 1880's when our protective tarriff system was abolished & was imported from europe. The shapes & styles of most blanks are not typical U.S. shapes that would have been produced during that time period. In the Midwest U.S. its not popular anymore & is thought of as non-U.S. in origin. Ken