Topic: Gilded and engraved finger bowl with chesnuts

[Lustrousstone]

This is finger bowl (at least I assume it's a finger bowl) is really pretty, the glass and the blowing aren't top quality, but the engraving is lovely with matte and semi matte finishing to add shine and depth to the leaves and chestnuts.

Five repeats of a spray with two leaves and three chestnuts. The gilding is interior to highlight four rings (two above and two below) encasing tiny olive cuts. I have three of these, one in noticeably thicker glass than the rest)

4.25 in (11 cm diameter) and 1.25 in (3 cm) deep.

Who, what, where and when would be nice please

[Lustrousstone]

Just talking to myself again...

[Leni]

Can I just annoy people by posting to say nothing about this except that I love it and I think it's very pretty indeed!?       

[krsilber]

It is indeed pretty!  Tough one to ID though, IMO.  Probably Bohemian/Czech is my guess; the style of engraving is very typical.  Is there evidence of any gold left in the cutting?  The engraving could also be American, in which case I would think it's Hawkes since few engraved pieces of the ABP were gilt in any way (with the exception of the occasional Dorflinger piece decorated by Honesdale) and other decorators after the ABP were unlikely to partially polish their designs.

On the other hand, could be French, Belgian or English and I'm simply not aware that work like this was done in those countries.  But I know for certain that the style of engraving was done extensively in Bohemia.

[Ivo]

could be French, Belgian or English and I'm simply not aware that work like this was done in those countries

so why mention it? And why skip Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Portugal, Italy and Spain?

[Lustrousstone]

OK, so could be from anywhere. The only gilding is inside the bowl, not over the rim pattern. No gilding on the chestnuts. As I said the chestnuts and large leaves have been highlighted by lightly polishing in places to give a natural leaf/chestnut sheen.

Any thoughts about when, mid 19th C or earlier?

[krsilber]

could be French, Belgian or English and I'm simply not aware that work like this was done in those countries

so why mention it? And why skip Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Portugal, Italy and Spain?

Germany and Austria are (unlikely) possibilities, but I highly doubt it was done in any of the other countries Ivo mentions.  French and English are somewhat more likely because of the variety of engraving done there, but I know of no examples that are in this particular style.  I don't know why I said Belgian - it was an afterthought.

I'd say early-mid 20th C.

[Lustrousstone]

I don't think they are that "new", the quality of the engraving is far superior to the quality of the glass blowing and did anyone use finger bowls in the 1950s?

[Frank]

Yes, even in lower middle class homes like ours. I can remember then until at least the 1960s before they disappeared apart from fish restaurants.

[Lustrousstone]

Oh, well you was posh then. I'm a working class pleb and never saw a finger bowl until I started going to Chinese restaurants in the 1970s.