Topic: Help Identifying unusual pressed glass platter

[Daddypaw]

Hello! I am coming to the community for help because I am fairly new to glass and I am unable to identify an unusual milk glass platter that I came across in my grandmother's things.

[Paul S.]

known as 'The Retriever Platter', it appears in Belknap's book' Milk Glass - first published 1949 .............    apparently one of the most popular Milk Glass items - and according to Belknap not too rare.              Good interest and fast action - the author says.
Belknap says the duck is wounded and trying to escape - from the dog presumably

You haven't given the size, but according to the book it should be 9.75"  x  12.25"   -   for how long the mould might have been used, regret I can't say, so no way of knowing when your platter might have been pressed.

Welcome to the GMB by the way.

[Anne]

Paul, does the book give the maker please?

[Ohio]

Maker is unknown & been that way for decades. Milk glass folks believe possibly Atterbury, but no documentation.

[Anne]

Thanks Ken, but can we say made in the USA?

[Paul S.]

apologies, I should have commented that the book omitted any reference to maker -  Milk glass is not my area, so very ignorant I'm afraid.
I'm only guessing, but Belknap's book may have been the first devoted entirely to this type of ware, and perhaps because of the infancy of research prior to his book, his text lacks some detail, which may well have been included in subsequent volumes by other people.
The only specific details in Belknap are ......... the name given by collectors and the size  -  so rather a brief entry.

Just possible that it might be inferred from the book's comments that this platter had been known for some time, but that's my opinion only.

I like it  -  it's a strong and appealing design  -  will leave Ken to comment on origin of manufacture, but would have thought the States.

[Ohio]

Anne & Paul, yes in all probability (high) its U.S. I have always been a bit suprised that close to this entire category of early milk glass production in the U.S. is lacking any solid documentation as to attribution while not nearly the case in Europe. This was produced for a decent period of time here & there were multiple manufacturers, Atterbury, Boston & Sandwich, Hobbs Brockunier, Dithridge, Challinor Taylor, Richardson Hartley, etc. who were the early manufacturers who evidently did not produce as many catalogs as did the European manufacturers so a high percentage of the category even in references is unknown or Possibly? Compared with EAPG manufacturers of the same time period, milk glass attributions fare poorly. Now the later manufacturers like Westmoreland, Imperial, Kemple, etc. hold their own because catalog were produced. If you had to pick a major "weak" category for U.S. glass production regarding product attribution, early milk glass would be my pick by a huge margin.

Here is a sample of a typical discussion between U.S. early MG collectors: "Well its certainly possible" "Well maybe?" "Do you think?" & finally "perhaps". It really has been like this for decades.

[Anne]

Thanks Ken, so probably American.

That last line is reminiscent of some of my trinket set conversations too!  

[Sid]

Anne / Ken

Probably American isn't strong enough.  Undoubtedly American (100%) and almost certainly Atterbury (99.9%). While we can't document (as in catalog) the maker, we certainly can attribute (based upon sound evidence) to the firm based upon the colours this platter can be found in that are unique to Atterbury. 

As to research in this area, a gentleman by the name of Brad Gougeon has been working steadily to document the 19th century makers of opaque wares and their products.  His first book - "Milk Glass/Pattern Glass Book 1 The Blown Molded Patterns" is excellent in its coverage of  the blown opaque patterns.  He is working on two more at this time.

Sid

[Sid]

For folks who may be interested, I have posted a review of Brad's first book in the Glass Books part of the forum.

Sid