Topic: Cut Glass Decanters

[Frank]

I still have a big pile of Baccarat catalogues to do covering a wide range of years, so sometime in the next few years they will be on-line.

[pamela]

Launay-Hautin marketed Baccarat and St.Louis during the 1840ies - have a look at their catalogues on www.glas-musterbuch.de - I've already tried to id yours, Leni, but unfortunately without success. St.Louis was my first thaught, but now Baccarat is also in the field - good luck!

[krsilber]

It's possible that if it is a Bacarrat blank it wouldn't be listed in a Bacarrat catalog anyway, since the blanks were sometimes made to order for American companies.  I suspect a blank for this would have to be made with the cutting in mind; it looks like it would have to have a very thick body.

[Nancy128]

I still have a big pile of Baccarat catalogues to do covering a wide range of years, so sometime in the next few years they will be on-line.

Frank, I'm looking forward to that!! 

Leni, I'm sorry, I just can't find anything that could lead us in the American Brilliant period.  The swirled tusks are wonderful and J. Hoare liked to do that type of style with that type of cutting, but they did their own blanks.  I guess you could just send them to me so I could inspect them personally.   

I'll be watching this thread to see if anyone can identify these for you.  Good luck they are gorgeous!!!!!

[Leni]

Thanks to everybody who has shown an interest in these   

Personally, I just have a feeling they're English, although I can't quite explain why.  I saw a couple of decanters at Broadfield House when we were there for the Paperweight Day which seemed sort of similar in some way - again, I can't quite explain.  Shape, style, elements of the cutting ....     Anyway, one was by Webb and the other Richardson.  So that's a lot of help!      

Anyway, thanks again everyone 

[krsilber]

The form of the decanters (and especially the stoppers) reminds me strongly of traditional English rock crystal, as if they adapted it to brilliant cutting.  I've seen rich cut Hoare and Hawkes with blank pillars, but the pillars on those aren't so big...not that that necessarily means anything.  Nancy has more references than I and Karen/Jenessey has looked as well; you'd think something like this would be represented somewhere among their combined references since it's so distinctive, but again, the fact that it isn't doesn't necessarily mean anything.  Sigh.  I wish someone around here had extensive references for Webb, Stevens and Williams, and Richardson!  Preferrably me   Does anyone know of a book that covers a lot of rich cut English glass?

Nancy, Hoare got some of their blanks from Bacarrat, according to Sinclaire and Spillman's Complete Cut and Engraved Glass of Corning.  So did Hawkes, Sinclaire, Straus and others, as you probably know.

[KarenR]

Leni - The American Cut Glass Association (ACGA) recommends an 18" 15-watt bulb as the standard for black light testing cut glass.  I don't know what the European equivalent would be.  My first black light was quite strong, in the shape of a regular incandescent bulb, and I got no reaction whatsoever from even signed pieces of ABP cut glass. 

Some black light responses can be quite subtle.  In a completely dark room with the piece on a black surface, it would be interesting to see if there is a response in an area of chips to the decanters or stoppers, which would be areas of unpolished glass. 

I've been told it's o.k. to post active auction listings on eBay.  Your decanters have what in the American Brilliant Period was called "triple miter cane" or "triple miter" motifs.  I do not know if European makers also used it. 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110263593491&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=001

[krsilber]

Your decanters have what in the American Brilliant Period was called "triple miter cane" or "triple miter" motifs.  I do not know if European makers also used it.

Yes, they did.  A triple miter cane pattern is shown on pg. 362 in Hadjamach in a Webb pattern book, although that one doesn't show stars on the buttons.