Topic: Thick Pressed glass butter with tray marked Made in England

[kittykittykitty]

Hi all,
Any ideas please on this piece, i think the tray maybe original as it fits very well with the butter dish ?
I did not notice any colour to the glass until I looked at the picture & I don't think there was any reflection from any clothing.
Glass top measures approx (cant find ruler) 4 x 3 in.
The style of the tray looks abit Art Nouveau.

Many thanks kat

[Paul S.]

hello Kat............
don't know that I'm entirely sold on the idea that it's a butter  -  the tray is rather shallow - might it be for cheese? - although appreciate it doesn't have a sloping top.

You don't mention whether the base is EPNS, or stainless steel - regret I don't know the sort of start date that s/steel came into use...........although I know it was used a lot after the 39/45 war on what we now call retro ware, but as far as I can see most earlier butters were 100% glass  -  all the butters in Silber & Fleming are glass only.
From what I can see, your 'art nouveau' style tray doesn't seem to match the glass part very well.
The 'made in England' bit will put this into the C20 (although I'm aware that 'England' was used in the very late C19) - and if I had to take a punt I'd have thought this was somewhere in the first third perhaps, but that's rather a guess.                 I know that Davidson were using 'British Made' and 'Made in England' concurrently in the very early 1930's.

sorry, not much help  -  unless someone recognizes the pattern, then think you may well struggle with this one.

P.S.           your pix lack sharpness  -  can you try again  -  and hope you find the ruler

[kittykittykitty]

H I Paul,sorry re the lack of photo quality,moved house & cannot find the recharge cord,using young daughters sports one.

The tray I would think is SS,there is enough wear to the tray that if EPNS it would show through.No the tray does not match the glass at all,it fits together nicely though. I don't remember seeing a glass butter with metal tray.
My first thought for the glass was Victorian for some reason.
Now Retro to us here is 60's - 70's, certainly not 30's.

Also when you say Davidson used "made in England" i'm alittle lost with what you are saying,Davidson is glass & I thought you were talking about the tray as MIF is on the tray???


No the tray does not match the glass at all,it fits together nicely though. My first thought for the glass was Victorian for some reason.

Many thanks kat
Ps will try to get better photo's , cheers

[Paul S.]

Re Davidson - the British glass manufacturer ..............  I was looking for evidence to support some sort of date line for the use of your 'Made in England', and found some information in the Stewart's book which indicated the use of this statement in the very early 1930's - which incidentally we in the U.K. don't view as 'retro period'.                  Retro, I believe, implies the middle of the C20, usually.             Sorry, don't know where you are by the way.

Anyway, the info I was reading concerned Davidson taking over the U.K. manufacture of 'Chippendale', which had formerly been made in the States - a change of location which came about, apparently, due to the British Goverment trying to protect British manufacturers against cheap imports - to which end they imposed a 50% import duty of foreign imported glass.
The point of all this was that when Davidson advertised 'Chippendale', they did so as being 'British made'  -  although at the same time the glass products were provided with stickers which read.......'Made in England' etc.

Who would have made your metal tray I've no idea, and it will almost cerainly remain 'a nony mouse'.        But anyway s/s should be easily identifiable as opposed to EPNS or similar.

[Anne]

Looks more like a cheese dish to me too, kat.

[kittykittykitty]

Thanks again Paul, many thanks also Anne.

I have found that during the Arts & Crafts period butter dishes were made with metal trays, my piece I think may have the glass liner dish missing. Art Nouveau & Arts & Crafts styles can look abit similar.

I will also check out cheese dishes as well though the size is poss too sml for cheese ?

Cheers kat