Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Topic started by: Leni on October 14, 2012, 07:43:30 AM
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I wonder if someone would be so kind as to help me understand the age and possible origins of this pair of lovely cut wine glasses? I would love to learn what to look for as identifiers, as I admit I know very little about dating stemware!
The glasses have a green Uranium glass bowl on a clear glass stem and foot and are 5 inches tall (12.5cm) with the diameter of the bowl being 2.75 inches (7cm) and the foot 2.5 inches (6.5cm). They 'ring' beautifully when flicked with a fingernail, although each with a slightly different note. The baluster stems are partly hollow, with a long air bubble in, and are faceted and cut with little 'notches' cut along the length. The foot is cut with a 24 point star. The cutting on the bowls is clear and sharp, with a band of starred diamond blocks (I'm not sure what is the proper name for this pattern, and would love to know!) and a band of 'prism' shaped cutting (again, is this the right name?) above.
Please can anyone help me to learn? Many thanks.
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Hello Leni - attractive glasses, although regret haven't a clue as to their origin - and as you're using the word uranium, I assume the bowls do glow.
Decoration on the flat tops of largish diamonds was commonly in the form of fine crosshatching, giving rise to the name strawberry diamonds - although with yours I think they are described as 'small stars inside diamonds'. As to the deeper cutting above, I's suggest that 'vertical pointed mitres' is adequate - it's a form of decoration on one of the common C20 Webb Corbett patterns (can be seen in the Crystal C5 archives).
As to the saw-tooth notching, this has been around on drinking glasses and decanters since c. 1850 - nice touch - and again the 24 point star is an historical thing which apparently started life c. 1830 - 40.
As to pointers re age - it's back to the usual culprits i.e. wear - stones - foot to rim ratio - cutting blip on the rim - striations on top half of bowl and foot - type of pontil mark (or none)
Having said all that I'd suggest IMHO that yours are C20, and possibly Continental rather than British, in view of the uranium. Assume they didn't come with any indication of age/provenance/attribution. Sorry can't really be of any help - but they are attractive :)
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German or Belgian, circa 1930 and part of a glass service. The green bowls were for drinking rhinish wines.
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Thank you both very much! :)
Paul, many thanks for the correct terms for the cutting motifs. As for age, there were none of the signs you mention, such as wear to the foot, etc., so I had surmised these were probably 20th century.
Ivo, when I picked them up my first thought was, "I would just love to drink a nice cool white wine from these!" ;D
Many thanks again, both!