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Author Topic: 17th century English free blown footed flask  (Read 3664 times)

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Offline oldglassman

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Re: 17th century English free blown footed flask
« Reply #10 on: December 10, 2011, 04:23:47 PM »
HI ,
         Great photos,
  the second shot shows what looks to be a lot of ware on the edge of the foot ,were no contact is made ,or am I needing to go to specsavers?,

Cheers ,
           Peter.

Offline oldglassman

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Re: 17th century English free blown footed flask
« Reply #11 on: December 10, 2011, 04:31:43 PM »
Peter i love the simplicity of your piece , what more does one want !!!   

 A Mini one   6 ins with its own plate  :wsh:

Cheers
            Peter.

Offline glassgull

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Re: 17th century English free blown footed flask
« Reply #12 on: December 10, 2011, 05:18:54 PM »
Peter,
Thanks for your reply. Your right about attribution to these
types, they have been scrutinized. That has been a problem I have
been faced with. When you look at the other decanter on
my first post, you can see a major difference in glass type.
That decanter has been dated around 1830 and produced
at the Gjovik glass works in Norway. It is made of a nonlead
glass. It has a gray like color. Information I have received pointed
out the use or nonuse of lead in these types of decanters help
delineate areas and time of manufacture. It's all speculation.
Statements from Representatives of a few large auction firms,
validate what you said about origin. They seem to let the bidders
make the evaluation for themselves. As for the ware on the side
of the applied foot, that has been a point of interest of some.
Once again theory has that it may have been in some case or
leather bag of some type and rubbed against the sides during
travel on horse or coach. The ware under magnification very much
looks authentic????? Being a student of the study of early glass can
be very rewarding and frustrating. But its the unknown that keeps
you digging deeper.
Greg

Offline oldglassman

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Re: 17th century English free blown footed flask
« Reply #13 on: December 10, 2011, 05:46:43 PM »
Peter,
 But its the unknown that keeps
you digging deeper.
Greg

 It sure is , you might like to have a look at this post , and the other at the end of that 1  http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,43544.0.html

The ware on the edge of the foot is very interesting , I cant think though of any kind of carrier which if abrasive enough to scratch like that made no contact with the rest of the flask which is wider than the foot and is unscratched .

cheers,
              Peter.

Offline KevinH

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Re: 17th century English free blown footed flask
« Reply #14 on: December 10, 2011, 09:58:28 PM »
Quote
The ware on the edge of the foot is very interesting , I cant think though of any kind of carrier which if abrasive enough to scratch like that made no contact with the rest of the flask which is wider than the foot and is unscratched .
How about a tray of some kind with a shallow, snugly fitting recess???
KevinH

Offline glassgull

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Re: 17th century English free blown footed flask
« Reply #15 on: December 10, 2011, 10:51:28 PM »
I do want to clarify that the prunts and pinched glass on the sides of the widest section of the flask do exhibit considerable ware that does
not show in the pictures.
Greg

Offline Ming

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Re: 17th century English free blown footed flask
« Reply #16 on: December 12, 2011, 02:48:38 AM »
There was a 17th c flask very similiar to Greg's in Fieldings 3 centuries of Glass No. 72  LOT 58 few years ago for £500.  

An early 18th Century flask circa 1700, the body applied with pinched strapwork and raspberry prunts, a central band of "nipt-diamond-waies" above a similar basal collar, 15.5cm long. ILLUSTRATED.
Never walk away from a bargain

Offline freeblown

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Re: 17th century English free blown footed flask
« Reply #17 on: March 05, 2012, 11:04:46 PM »
What a beautiful flask Greg. If it is indeed lead glass I would agree with you that it is likely English circa 1700. Thanks for sharing the pictures! Rob G.

Offline Paul S.

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Re: 17th century English free blown footed flask
« Reply #18 on: March 06, 2012, 10:45:35 PM »
I think I'd like to own any piece of late C17 glass - whether it be a flask or something with Lynn rings - they all look very 'historic' :)

I have no knowledge of these older pieces since they are beyond my pocket, but nonetheless like to acquire some information as they concern a distinguished period of English glass making  -  and would like to pose some questions, which I'm sure Greg already has the answers to - and which will help me to understand a little more.

I'm aware, from the few books I have, that for perhaps 25 years after the death of Ravenscroft the lead oxide content was increased to a maximum of something like 33% (at which level it stayed for a long time).          In view of Greg's comments regarding the flask...............quote............."my theory that the proper lead content with other ingredients helped with the stabilization of the glass in my example which makes me feel my flask was made shortly after the end of the Ravenscroft period."  -  suggests a similarly high lead content, and presumably if so then it must feel heavy for its size.   Is that so?  -  and definitely not soda glass.   

Despite the lead content, it probably won't ring, presumably because of its shape  -  so I guess no point in giving it a flick :) - perhaps you have already had this tested for lead content Greg (although I believe it may not be possible to test for percentage content).

Had it not been explained which piece was which (in the first picture) I would, in my ignorance, have plumped for the right hand example being the earlier piece - I have become accustomed to being told that older, lead content glass, appears less bright and with a slightly leaden tone - partly because of the high lead content which was a characteristic from that period (and for probably the next 120 years) - I can see this colour in some of my own British Regency and Georgian glass. 

The clarity of this flask is noticeable in comparison with the right hand piece, although I don't know what decolouriser might have been used at the suggested period of manufacture     I believe that the use of manganese was known in the early C18, but what agent might have been used at earlier dates  -  or were they just very careful about avoiding the iron content  and choosing very clean English flints.

As regards the wear on the sides of the foot and body, as we know, this doesn't in itself indicate any particular age - rather some rough use perhaps somewhere in the last 200 years, although leather would not be a culprit unless impregnated with something like quartz particles in some way.

Hope you won't think my questions too pertinent Greg, and feel sure you have the answers anyway :)

Offline oldglassman

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Re: 17th century English free blown footed flask
« Reply #19 on: March 06, 2012, 11:21:13 PM »
HI ,
            You might find a lot of the answers to questions you may have on early English glass here,

                       http://www.cbrain.mistral.co.uk/home.htm

   Cheers ,
                Peter.

 ps  Colin has also written an article on my 'Dublin' baluster goblet ,made in Odacio Formicas Glass house in Dublin , c 1690  ,published in the latest edition of the Glass Associations , 'The Glass cone'.
                      
                

 

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