Topic: Clear pressed glass creamer decorated with Royal coat of arms of the U.K.

[agincourt17]

A clear pressed glass creamer or jug, just over 5¼ inches (13.5cm) tall. The bowl is decorated with a version of the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom – lion’s head on one side, unicorn’s head on the other, and the quartered coat of arms between them. Unmarked.

(Permission for the re-use of these images on GMB granted by astraman10)

I’m intrigued by this piece – I can’t recall having seen one like it before.

Probably a Victorian Royal commemorative piece, but I’ve no idea which one (though the shape of the foot and the stem leads me to surmise that it pre-dates Victoria’s golden jubilee in 1887).

ID, comments or suggestions, please?

[Paul S.]

I always thought that commemorative pieces displayed some indication of what they were commemorating - but I agree very intriguing - like you, I've never seen anything like it.        Presumably a licence or permission would normally be needed to reproduce the coat of arms -  maybe it was made outside the U.K.
Are there stones in the glass, what are the seams like and what level of wear is there?

[Sid]

Agincourt

I haven't seen this before and was hoping for a chance to handle it in person at the end of the auction which has been stopped early because the item is not available.  Have you purchased this item?

Sid

[agincourt17]

No, Sid, I haven't purchased this item.

I simply expressed a research interest in it to the owner and requested permission from him to take copies of some of his images  (which he duly gave) to assist that in that research (including posting a query on GMB seeking an ID in due course, if necessary).

The seller has since unilaterally withdrawn the item from sale.

[Lustrousstone]

The scalloped foot might be a clue. I have it on a couple of vases that I feel to be Greener or similar. I'll root them out next week

[agincourt17]

That heavy scalloped foot doesn’t accord with any of the Greener designs that I have on file, Christine.

The nearest pieces that I have been able to find with that heavy scalloped foot appear on pieces from the late 1850s or early 1860s (and there are certainly lots of designs, registered and unregistered, on Neil Harris’s Manchester glass website https://sites.google.com/site/molwebbhistory/Home in similar vein). I’m also minded towards the same sort of date by the knopped stem.

The nearest significant Royal events within that time frame would seem to be Prince Albert’s death in December 1861 and Victoria’s Silver Jubilee in June 1862.

I suppose another option could be tableware for the Royal households – but would Queen Victoria really have been amused to see common pressed glass on show…..?

[Lustrousstone]

Would Peter Robinson & Edward Bolton be a contender. See the foot here http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,40114.msg221989.html#msg221989

These were the the vases I mentioned. They are both by the same manufacturer I feel as the scalloping is identical (i.e., base to base they match up) and the shade of uranium is pretty close.
http://lustrousstone.co.uk/cpg/displayimage.php?pid=434
http://lustrousstone.co.uk/cpg/displayimage.php?pid=431

[agincourt17]

Thank you, Christine.

I think the main problem is that copying of design features was rife among the  Victorian glass manufacturers (hence the attempt to gain some sort of copyright protection by registering designs) so that it is difficult to attribute 'generic' features to a particular manufacturer without marks or documentation to back it up.

[Sid]

Hello

This cream has arrived here safely along with a friend - the sugar basin.  I guess patience has its rewards.

The second photo showing the whole design of the Coat of Arms was taken through the bowl of the sugar and reversed (mirrored) to allow us to read the words.

Sid