Topic: Stunning bowl - signed - ID = Stevens & Williams

[WhatHo!]

What Ho! I was hoping you clever chaps may be able to help me with the identification of this bowl.
It is lead crystal, 5.5" across and has a ground pontil.
The outside of the bowl has very fine threading which spirals all the way round and isn't concentric rings. The threading very accurate and must have been done in some sort of jig. The superb pattern is made by flat long bubbles in the glass. How they made this I couldn't imagine!!
The pontil is hand signed with a stylus and looks like it starts with 'B' and ends in a 'L' , I could be wrong here of course!!
Im not even sure of it date, although looks similar to glass from the 20s-30s.
Any help with this puzzler would be most appreciated, regards Wolfie

[chopin-liszt]

Fascinating! I've notaclu. It's obviously a bit special... I was wondering if what looks like a signature might be numbers - but upside down, Wolfie. (I'm not too good at standing on my head today.)

[flying free]

is it some form of ariel glass? or thalatta?  I can't see any in this kind of more whimsical shape though, they all seem to be very modernist and thick walled.
m

[chopin-liszt]

I'd think so, yes.

[Paul S.]

not a clue either Wolfie - but since the hey-day of machine threading was the second half of the C19 - and that bubble decoration looks a little nouveau  -  then possibly not C20.         Do you think the wear looks as though it might equate to that sort of period??       

[flying free]

Flipping the numbers over as they are back to front I think it reads possibly
Rd 637188? which is 1918 if it is an Rd number
or it if it Rd 137188 it equates to 1889 - Stevens and Williams registered numbers around then, and it reminded me of the Moresque momentarily looking at it .  But I have no idea whether or not it or even could be - had they invented 'ariel' type bubbles stuff then?
m

[flying free]

following on from my post above
this is Moresque and it is described as having airtrap and dating to 1889
http://blackcountryhistory.org/collections/getrecord/DMUSE_BH4134/

[Paul S.]

it was on the tip of my tongue to say the bubble patterning looked as though it had an Iznik flavour.   Well done m.    I think there is something in Hadjamach - pages 276 - 277 regarding this 'Moresque' creation from S. & W.

[flying free]

http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,50347.msg284493.html#msg284493
design number may be Rd137288 ?
Bernard refers to it in this thread with reference the vase in the first picture I believe.
Steven's and Williams Moresque.

[Anne]

I'm reading it as upside too, and rotated I'm seeing Rd 137288 which dates to 4 Nov 1889, Stevens & Williams. It's gorgeous!