Topic: Iridescent patterned design Perfume Bottle.

[Otis Orlando]

Hi, Can anyone help me identify this unusual looking perfume bottle. Height 7.7cm, Length 7.1cm and width 3.8cm. The item was amongst a job lot purchased.  I have been able to identify most of the pieces acquired, but this one is not something I have ever seen before and currently experiencing  difficulty.  The overall shape is irregular.  I have tried researching under various names for the bottle and signature markings to base area, but unable to obtain any information or possible leads.  It could possibly be a late 19th Century art glass, but to be honest I am only guessing.  The overall bottle has a very uneven surface with a mirror effect dependant on lighting to mainly the patterned design area.  This patterned design is part of the bottle and does not appear to be applied later as earlier thought.   To the base, is a rough concaved pontil mark, measureing approx. 2.1cm dia.  This is also irregular in dia. and the surfaces of the sides and base are covered in very small pot holes, which would indicate to me, that old conventional methods were used in the making............... I think.   From a central line from the neck to the base line, the shoulders of the bottle are clearly different lengths as the neck is off centred. The neck of the bottle is tapered. The top dia. approx. 1.8cm.  and at the base of the neck dia. is 1.4cm.  There is a visible rim approx. 0.2mm wide to the lower base of the neck, but might not be clearly visible on pictures taken.  The insert stopper is crystal and oval shaped at the top  and measures 7.3cm in length.  The overall height with the insert in the bottle is 8.7cm in height.   Around the insert area dia. that sits tight to the inner neck area, is clearly worn in two different sections which would coincide with the length and taper of the neck of the bottle.    I will post additional pictures later to show this.  Any help, is appreciated.  I am currently still trying to find information about this and will keep you informed if anything comes to light.

[chriscooper]

Hi Otis, It's a George Elliot piece I have a photo somewhere of his sig. will check it.
The link.... https://picasaweb.google.com/107067405711297858658/PulledThreadStudioVase
Reads George Elliot Bewdley a little about him in this link....
http://www.glass-routes.com/elliot.html

Chris

[Otis Orlando]

That would be great if you can Chris.  Thank you for your immediate response.  Usually you have to wait a day or so.  I'm still currently searching.  The bottom marking I first thought was English, but not too sure now.

[John Smith]

Otis.. In my opinion I would not say that it is a perfume bottle, or by that, I mean not intended to contain a perfume commercially. If that helps...
A teardrop stopper is perhaps the easiest stopper-type to produce.
It uses gravity (as opposed to exact fitting) to seal the bottle,
though a teardrop cannot seal a bottle
as does say a stopper which has been formed & shaped by a "stopperer"
(as like for a decanter for example)...
It's a nice piece though! J

[chriscooper]

Hi Otis, a studio glass piece and like John says would not have been a perfume bottle missing it's stopper.
I have edited my previous post since you replied, now includes the link to my signed piece. 100% your vase is entire and a George Elliot studio design.
Chris

[Otis Orlando]

Hi Chris, 

https://picasaweb.google.com/107067405711297858658/PulledThreadStudioVase

I tried this link.  I think the link is broken.  I went onto a previous GMB thread in July 2012 where you had used the same link in assisting a query related to a George Elliot piece, hoping that I would be successful.  The second link on your post today is fine.   I have retained this for future reference.  Many thanks for your promt reply and confirmation.

I have posted additional pictures which includes the teardrop stopper.   I also stand corrected on the matter of determining whether the bottle is a perfume bottle or not.   Thanks! John for your info.  A studio glass piece it is!  Out of interest I would very much like to know how the pattern design was applied during the making and if  this  be an earlier or later piece, as his style of designs appear to have an older traditional look.



From the

[chriscooper]

I was a bit 'lazy' and just pasted the link from the thread
I will put in a photo of the piece and the signature in here later today so it stays with the thread.
Didn't notice that it had a dropper type stopper in your original post maybe it did go with the piece after? I think a lot of these, like the Mdina pieces were never meant to be functional  just decorative.
Not much comes up in an image search but I think the colours were were not painted or applied but were fused into the hot glass.
Chris

[John Smith]

Hi Otis, Purely based upon what I can see it would seem that shards of broken glass of different colours have been randomly picked up and encased with a final casing of amber glass.  It appears also that a small piece of metallic foil has also been used. I would also suggest that in order to produce the shape of the piece that it was blown into & between two upright planks of wood which were placed upon the floor and perhaps held upright by the gatherer (the glass assistant). This would account for its almost squashed, flat rectangular form.  The pitted base of the piece would also point towards impurities that were on the floor whilst blowing its shape, the floor & the wood, acting if you like as a flat bottomed  “U”  shaped mould.  The shoulders of the piece would have been formed and shaped in the chair and most probably same time as the neck was produced.  Due to there being no twisted patterns (as far as I can tell) then the piece would not have been spun or turned too much during the working procedure to maintain the shapes of the broken coloured shards. Some may have been combed into crescents etc. but my guess is that they were simply allowed to flow of their own accord whilst molten.    Chris: Cheers for your info too. Yes, I didn't see the teardrop stopper either, but guessed that perhaps it would have had one if intended to be a bottle of some kind, or just to finish the piece off to make it even more saleable, however like you say, it is a studio piece with an intention of being decorative though of course why not use it? We often forget that our glass can be used at times.... appropriately.  J

[chriscooper]

Photos added........

[John Smith]

Thats a nice piece Chriscooper. Good fine featherwork and I like the translucency.