Topic: Glass vase with bird - ID = Hofbauer

[Andy]

Actually, im quite amazed at the ebay link and all the bids on the Hofbauer glass
Maybe im missing something!
Regards
Andy

[Frank]

While not every one may like it, it is something that you could build a good collection of fairly cheaply - and learn a lot in the process. Who knows you might end up writing a book People used to say the same thing about Whitefriar's 70s glass and look at what that sells for now.

[Gilead]

Thank you all for the input to this post some good links and very good advise which i will with out doubt follow, seems that this glass as made for a good disgustion, while out today i saw about 5 piece's of this from a vase to small glasses all at 50p and managed to keep my hands off them  wonder if i should have got them now, but alas i got some other glass even some Doulton which i will post in a jiffy, thank you for all the support, it is much appreciated.
                           Steve

[Galle]

Ivo, is there a relationship between Annahütte and Hofbauer?

[krsilber]

"never buy anything with a ground pontil AND a cut rim"  I don't understand this one.  Ivo?  Care to explain?

I echo others - if you really want to get proficient identifying glass, start with a narrow focus, buy some books about it, look for it.  There's simply far too much to learn if one doesn't start small, and one ends up with lots of unsellable glass on one's hands (as this "one" knows all too well!).  If you really want to get into glass collecting/buying/selling, you have to enjoy the research aspect of it.

[Ivo]

"never buy anything with a ground pontil AND a cut rim"  I don't understand this one.  Ivo?  Care to explain?

if it has a ground pontil mark that is because the glass maker finished the rim (and sometimes handle) while the piece was attached to the pontil rod. The top of the piece should therefore be finished properly and not cut off and ground.

If a piece was made "from the top" i.e. on the blowpipe in a mould, it will not have a pontil mark. The piece is sprung off from the blowpipe, and the rim finished by grinding and polishing.

It makes no sense to have both features on the same piece, and chances are the rim was damaged and reground.

So finding both should get the alarm bells ringing.

I.

[Lustrousstone]

I've just looked and I have one of those double ground pieces and I'm confident they are both as made - I can see the remains of gilding round the rim. In fact it seems to have a ground base, a ground pontil and a ground rim  It's just a little handpainted uranium milk glass vase and not worth repairing - its got tiny chips round the rim and I paid peanuts for it. So I think NEVER BUY should be modified to BEWARE

[krsilber]

I think it depends where and when the glass was made.  Bohemian glass typically has ground rims, especially pre-1900, and may have ground pontils depending on the item.

"If a piece was made "from the top" i.e. on the blowpipe in a mould it will not have a pontil mark"  That's not necessarily true.  Plenty of mould-blown glass was put on a punty for finishing.  Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, Ivo.

[Ivo]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, Ivo.

I think you are. Cut rim or tooled rim are finishes.

[Frank]

If a mould blown piece is put onto a punty for finishing, changing shape, adding bits, it will be removed from the blowpipe. While the finishing is done the edge will also be fished using a tool and probably a bit of fire polishing. After cooling the scar left by the punty is then ground down and polished (as appropriate) - to then go to the additional cost of cutting the rim would rarely happen and probably only when a metal rim is to be added.

However, after removing from the mould on the blow-pipe various additions can be made without transferring to a punty. As the base is mould finished there is no need to grind or polish it. But when the piece is removed from the blowing iron the edge will be rough and sharp. This gets ground and polished.

Blown cased glass that has a fire-finished rim is the norm for punty finished and the layers of glass on that rim tend to blend. As soon as it has been ground to remove a chip, the layers are very visible (If you know what to look for). Some say a good restorer can grind and polish a rim to appear fire-ground - in my experience this is not true unless you do not understand what to look at.

Sometimes you will find blown glass with both punty or gadget marks on the base and a rim that has not been fire-polished, just sheared while on the punty and tidied up by grinding. The only examples of this, I have seen, have been a few pieces of free-blown non-standard production Strathearn.

So as Ivo says it is a warning flag and in the world of variety of glass it is not impossible for some examples to exist. But they will be rare and unlikely from a 'cheap' production where costs are minimised.

Another case might be where it has been mould blown and a separate foot applied.

And of course, cut glass.