Topic: Large Bowl/Charger Ground Pontil ID Help please

[pooleandpaperweights]

Hi all, well having been collecting mainly weights for about 7 years I can't believe I've only just found this site!

Would appreciate some help with ID on this piece!

It's 15" wide, stand about 3 high, and is what I would call pewter in colour.







Thanks!
Ian.

[pooleandpaperweights]

Should say, has a whitefriarsesque polished pontil!

[Bernard C]

Ian — Welcome to the GMB.

Please would you include your country in your profile:  it can help.

As for your rather splendid bowl, I've not seen one before, and I can't tell whether it was mould-blown or pressed, although the crispness of the pattern and the thickness of the rim suggests pressed.   Why then the ground out and polished pontil mark?

I am probably wrong, but my first reaction was top quality France / Belgium.   I am reasonably certain that it's not British.

Bernard C. 

[David E]

Hi all, well having been collecting mainly weights for about 7 years I can't believe I've only just found this site!

All are welcome! I only found the Poole site recently (I think you are a member there and which I joined a month or so ago)

[pooleandpaperweights]

I am indeed one of the moderators of the allaboutpoolepottery site.  I own around 300 pieces of good to great 60's and 70's poole, and around 200 paperweights, mainly Selkirk/Peter Holmes, some others by Paul Ysart, Whitefriars etc.  Also have various pieces of modern glass by people like Peter Layton, Lane Rowe, Siffy Langley etc etc.

As for the bowl, has to be mould blown because of the polished pontil.  Any other ideas???

Ian

[Mosquito]

I have a suspicion that this pattern is from Schneider's 'Vercais' range, though cannot be certain at this point. Most Vercais pieces are signed with an acid stamp or possibly sandblasted mark , though often it is very faint.
Larger pictures showing the pattern detail and base would help.

By the way, the polished pontil by no means means mould blown rather than pressed. it is perfectly possible to find press moulded glass which has been pontilled to support the glass when fire polishing or shaping the rim & I have a number of pieces (mainly ale glasses) which show a combination of press moulding with a ground pontil mark, though I admit the combination is somewhat unusual.

In this case, however, if it is Vercais, it will most likely have been mould blown.

[pooleandpaperweights]

Some more pics





Cheers!

[Mosquito]

Having seen the base, I am 90% positive this is from the Vercais range. the pontil mark is typical for Vercais as is the depth of moulding and general style of the piece. The only reason I am not 100% is because I have not seen this particular pattern before and have no pattern book or catalogue with which to compare, though the layout of the design is consistent with known Vercais patterns.

See here for images of a Vercais vase with similar style pattern and ground pontil mark: http://www.aspireauctions.com/auction49/details/9237.html

[pooleandpaperweights]

Thanks, I have to agree after looking at the moulding on ebay item 280203697042.  Any idea of value, is it sought after?  Its position has been taken up with something else, so its time to move it on.

thanks
Ian

[Mosquito]

Value is difficult to determine for Vercais, little appears to have been produced but most Schneider collectors seem to overlook it. I would have thought the completed example on ebay gave a fair indication of value. As is often the case, vases seem to fetch more than these large bowls.