Topic: Very Old Uranium Glass

[mhgcgolfclub]

I first saw this piece of uranium glass 2 days ago but did not buy it because it has a crack, but today I thought I may regret it if I left it a second time so decided I would buy if only for reseach.

I not sure what is is , an early sugar ,a small bowl or something else. I thinking it could be very early 1840/50 . Very heavy and chunky for its size.

Height 4" or 10cm , diameter 6" or 15cm and weighs 1460gm

I be interested in what others think.

Thanks Roy

[Ivo]

open salt, 1850 - 1860 or beyond. I would first look at Sandwich for this one.  I have a vague notion that the suppliers of pressing machines in the early days supplied these with a set of standard moulds, so you see the same models turn up in Denmark, France, Finland, Belgium and England. 

[mhgcgolfclub]

Thanks Ivo

I will research Sandwich as it was one of the possibilities I had thought about.

I thought it was a bit large to be an open salt but the internal measurements are a lot smaller than the external so I happy to keep open salt as a possible.

Thanks Roy

[neilh]

Looking at various pre 1850 designs it is difficult to say whether this is a salt or a sugar bowl. If it was post 1850 it would more likely be a salt. I was interested to read Ivo's suggestion that some of the early pressing machines could have come with a set of standard moulds. I have come to the conclusion that with the very early pressed designs, in general it was the mould makers who offered the patterns, and not the glassworks that ordered the designs. The idea that the mould makers may have made designs for the machine manufacturers, rather than market them to the glassworks direct, is not something I had considered.

[mhgcgolfclub]

Went back into the same shop yesterday and the seller had the same shape item but much small smaller which would have been an open salt , did not buy because smashed . He also had a pair of candlesticks exactly the same colour so most likely the same maker which I did buy and will post picture later.

Roy

[beaubow]

Went back into the same shop yesterday and the seller had the same shape item but much small smaller which would have been an open salt , did not buy because smashed .

Which one was smashed, the seller or the salt?

6" in diameter would be quite large for a salt, but the shape is identical to salts I have seen.  Here in the States, you find salts like this in two sizes: individual (1.5" to 2") and "master" (3" or 4").  But the shape and the color immediately make me think Sandwich as well.

I'm quite curious to see the candlesticks, as vaseline Sandwich candlesticks don't come cheap.

I've never heard the notion that the same molds were supplied to manufacturers in different countries.  What I do know is that Sandwich copied many of the shapes it made from other, early producers of pressed glass, especially Baccarat.  There are a number of documented forms originally produced by Baccarat in the 1830-40s which were copied by Sandwich in the 1840-1850s.

[mhgcgolfclub]

Robert

Unfortunately it was the salt that was smashed it would have been about 1.5" -2" it was only a 1.00 GBP but badly damaged.

I have added a picture of one of the candlesticks this is in excellent condition the other one has damage to the top.

They are 5.25" or 13cm in height and weigh approx 580gm or 1 lb 4oz each heavy for there size

Thanks Roy

[Paul S.]

Roy  -  there is a possibility that Skelcher is showing a match for your stick - page 82 in the Big Book of Vaseline Glass (Schiffer)  -  although unfortunately the picture colour is way off yours.   Attribution (from catalogues apparently) is given as Molineaux Webb Florentine 494 - date about 1850.      Someone else please check this for me, thanks

[mhgcgolfclub]

Paul thanks I do have the book but had not thought to look through as I only had the candlesticks since yesterday. I agree it is a match .

The colour is very similar but my pictures were taken with flash and does not give a true colour. Also in the book it said weak reponse to uv , I have tested my and I waould say strong reponse to uv.

Roy

[neilh]

Yes it looks like 494 from the Molineaux Webb pressed glass catalogue. The version of this in the cut glass pattern book is white however, whereas 492,493,495 are all definitely uranium in the pattern book.