Author Topic: Gorham silver mounted crystal dish - glass by whom? (Read 1199 times)

josordoni · « **on:** October 17, 2006, 01:27:43 PM »

This is a lovely dish - cut crystal shallow bowl, with a solid silver rim marked for Gorham USA, date mark 1908 (I think - if anyone is good with American silver marks I would be grateful if you would check the date mark for me).

Question is who might have made the glass bowl insert? And what is the name of the pattern? It looks very similar to a lot of tableware patterns of about the same time, I am sure it must have had a name.

Here is the gallery

Gorham Silver Rimmed Dish

Nancy128 · « **Reply #1 on:** October 18, 2006, 12:50:27 AM »

Lynne,
This looks to be by Hawkes but would like permission to copy your pictures to send to someone who is an authority on American Cut Glass. If you could also give me the dimensions that would be helpful, too.
Nancy

josordoni · « **Reply #2 on:** October 18, 2006, 07:07:55 AM »

By all means, with pleasure Nancy.

The entire piece is 8.5 ins diameter, bowl section 6 ins, overall depth (including silver rim) just over 1 inch.

thanks,

Nancy128 · « **Reply #3 on:** October 18, 2006, 07:23:07 PM »

Okay Lynne this is what I found out. My expert told me to go to page 262 of the book The American Cut Glass Industry book by Jane Shadel Spillman. I'm just going to type exactly what it says in this book.

In 1898, Gorham changed the designation for silver-mounted wares to D. The D designs are recorded in a ledger book which lists the shape, the price and (about half of the time), the source of the glassware. The existing ledger book covers the period from February 1898 until December 1909. The companies most frequently listed as suppliers of glassware are the Hope Glass Works in Providence, TG Hawkes and Company, J. Hoare and Company and McCue & Earl in New York. A confusing aspect of this to a glass collector is that the Gorham design numbers were, of course, for the silver parts and they had no relation to the cut or engraved design on the glass. Therefore, two Gorham design numbers could be listed for the same glass blank with the same glass cutting or engraving, but with ounly slightly different silver parts. In mose cases, the D number is on the silver mount, near the Gorham mark.

Blanks were obtained from Stevens & Williams in England and some very simple blanks were ordered from Baccarat.

Fortunately, the Gorham archives at the John Hay Library of Brown University are extensive, and it is possible to chick some silver-mounted designs and find out whre Gorham purchases the glass. However, it is clear that Gorham was still using Hawkes blanks as late as 1916.

Lynne, your low bow definitely dates to 1908, because of the D to the left of the compass. I have looked in the Grand Prize Paris Exposition 1889 catalog of T. G. Hawkes & Company and found that your pattern is very similiar to the "Festoon" pattern but not an exact match. I'll keep on looking, but I'm thinking this is as close as we are going to get to identifying your beautiful piece. I have a Hope Glass Works catalog and a Hoare catalog, so if I find the pattern, I'll post it here. If you ever decided that you would like to sell it, please keep me in mind. I'd like to take it off your hands!!
Nancy

josordoni · « **Reply #4 on:** October 18, 2006, 08:38:58 PM »

Nancy, it is already listed - click on my link at the bottom of my post and you will find it in my ebay listings. And cheap as chips - as someone on British TV used to say.

Thank you so very much for your help, I will add some of this information to my listing. It is a lovely piece, and I am delighted to have more to say about it.