Topic: Clayton Mayers Flint Barrel Vase?

[Otis Orlando]

Hi,  Can someone confirm that this pressed flint vase/barrel was manufactured by Clayton Mayers in the 1920/30's.  The pattern design /range, I believe to be  Jacobean and the embossed Regd. No. is 709314, which is just about visible between the foot and the bowl area. Unfortunately there are a few chips on the base foot, but overall in very good condition.   I just find the vase/barrel facinating by it's optical illusion effect in natural lighting.  I'm not sure of the maker of this, but during my research, Josef Inwald may possibly be the maker. Not sure whether made in Czechoslovakia  though.     I recall in one of Paul S's threads, that there where only approx. 300 designs made.   I'm wondering whether this could be rare piece?  I've seen some of the carnival glassware designs, but just not able to trace this shape at the moment.   Your help is appreciated.

Measurements:

Height - 12.7cm    Rim - 11.1cm    Base dia. 9.7cm

[Lustrousstone]

It's a biscuit barrel missing its lid. If the base is very, very shiny, it was probably made by Inwald. If the base is just nicely ground, it was probably made by Davidson. Clayton Meyers was an importer and distributor. http://www.cloudglass.com/ClaytonMayers.htm

[Glen]

This early article (still on my old, archived website) may help too.

http://www.geocities.com/carni_glass_uk_2000/Jacob2.html

more later ...

[Paul S.]

Hello Otis.

One of the problems with 'Milord'/'Jacobean', is locating images of the catalogue pictures against which to check pieces/shapes that you might find, and unlike many other ranges of products, it seems that we don't have a full catalogue that is available - at least not accessible easily.
My earlier comments regarding '300 designs' was probably an incorrect use of wording - and what I should more correctly have said was '300 shapes'.              I've a feeling that it was one Registered design only that covered all pieces with this decorative lens design.

One limited source of Milord shapes - which I believe was the original Czechoslovakian name given to the Inwald factory's range with these lenses - was the Paris based Markhbeinn distributor - and Pamela's site 'glas-musterbuch' does carry a small range of pieces.       As a suggestion have a look at this..........    http://www.glas-musterbuch.de/Markhbeinn-1932.19.0.html   ....    the second item on page 27 from the factory's 1932 catalogue  -  it's possible it might match with your piece.             We know it is Inwald because of the use of the trade mark name of 'MILORD'.           

As has already been commented, a shiny bottom might indicate Czechoslovakian manufacture - but I don't personally know how reliable/accurate that comment is  -  I suspect that both these ladies are vastly more knowledgable about Czech. glass than I'll every be.

[Glen]

There was also a biscuit barrel made in the Jacobean pattern that was British Made (reference: 32 page Jacobean Glassware Retail Booklet, circa 1920s- items made in Britain are marked as such). However, it did not have the somewhat incised step at the bottom as seen on the Inwald version. If the top was present the mystery would be solved, as the British and Czech versions are very different. My guess is that yours is the Czech/Inwald version.

The mirror shiny base for Inwald items was an original observation I first made many, many years ago. It's impossible to be sure that it holds good 100% of the time, but I have found it to be a helpful rule of thumb, and one more little piece of circumstantial evidence that may sometimes assist the researcher.

[Otis Orlando]

Firstly, I must thank  you all, for your comments and info.   With ref. to the missing lid Christine.  I am assuming this would be glass too?  It's just that I have not been able to find a similar biscuit barrel that would give me some idea as to what the lid would look like.  My concern are too, if Clayton Mayers introduced the Jacobean range in 1923, would I be correct in saying, that within 3 years after that date, this biscuit barrel would fall into this category, that is, one of eighteen designs known to be registered.  Excuse my ignorance, but would it be fare to say, that  the amount of designs would certainly be lower taking the fact that not all were for Jacobean glassware? ref. your info.(Clayton Mayers and the Davidson Company), 5th paragraph.

I think the mystery has been solved Glen ref. to Paul S's lead.  The design of the barrel is exactly the same as mine, other than the missing 'glass' lid .  Measurements would certainly be of some help in confirming this too, however, grateful for your help so far.

One limited source of Milord shapes - which I believe was the original Czechoslovakian name given to the Inwald factory's range with these lenses - was the Paris based Markhbeinn distributor - and Pamela's site 'glas-musterbuch' does carry a small range of pieces.       As a suggestion have a look at this..........    http://www.glas-musterbuch.de/Markhbeinn-1932.19.0.html   ....    the second item on page 27 from the factory's 1932 catalogue  -  it's possible it might match with your piece.             We know it is Inwald because of the use of the trade mark name of 'MILORD'.           

As has already been commented, a shiny bottom might indicate Czechoslovakian manufacture - but I don't personally know how reliable/accurate that comment is  -  I suspect that both these ladies are vastly more knowledgable about Czech. glass than I'll every be.

You have certainly answered my question Paul to Christine, with the info. provided.   I'm hoping the person I purchased this barrel from, hopefully will have the lid, but want bank on it though .  I've included an additional picture, which I do think has a very, very shiny  base area as Christine has mentioned.  Hopefully this will also conclude, that this biscuit barrel was definitely made by Josef Inwald and that the distributor is Markhbeinn, based in Paris.  I'm hoping my gathered information is correct .  Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

[Ekimp]

It might be a bit late for this thread but I thought it may be of interest as I have a complete Milord/Jacobean biscuit barrel for comparison, as shown in the first three of my photos (I think it’s a biscuit barrel - it is 8 inches tall). It is unmarked and has a mirror polished foot (except for where worn) so I assumed it was an Inwald item. Glen notes that the British version of the biscuit barrel doesn’t have the ‘somewhat incised step at the bottom as seen on the Inwald version’ (and on Otis’s barrel). As my barrel doesn’t have the incised foot but has the polished base I’m not sure if that makes it British or Czech!

Looking at the rim of Otis’s barrel, it looks like it is scalloped and finished more like a Milord/Jacobean vase (such as shown on my fourth photo - an unmarked vase with mirror polished foot). That style of rim doesn’t look like a very good mating surface for a lid - my barrel has a lip around the top. Perhaps Otis’s barrel could actually be a vase as first thought?