Topic: Mystery Crackle Glass Vintage Mug

[Jazzy64]

Hi all,

Please can anybody help to identify a possible maker for this mug in blue glass.

Purchased some time ago from a lady that said it was her mother's and had a fair bit of age.

Pontil mark on the base unground but not sharp.  The glass has a crackle / crizzle surface effect with hot work applied handle and applied facial features.  It also has a hot finished rim.

Measurements are: approx 5 inches tall and 4 inches wide at the top.

Any info on this would be great.

Many thanks

J

[chopin-liszt]

I can't help wondering if it might be related to Ivo's mug, here;

http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,62481.msg350859.html#msg350859
But I think we're still clueless!

[Jazzy64]

Hi Sue,

Thank you for your response.  I have just had a look at Ivo's mug - it doesn't seem to be like that - its been done on a blowing iron and Ivo's has no pontil mark. 

The facial features on my one are really well tooled and balanced.  Each eye is made up of 3 separate bits (upper, lower and eyeball).

I know some modern Italian vases have applied facial features but these are quite unbalanced and in bright colours unlike mine.

To me, it does have the feel and look of maybe as early as Victorian crackle glass but I suppose it could be even 1950/60's.  There is significant wear around the base. 

J

[chopin-liszt]

The bodies of the containers are very different, but I did see similarities within the facial features. Ivo's is really rather well done, quite a characature.  See the views from the side - it looks very well done too.

They've both got big, prominent noses.

[Ivo]

If you use a turning mould for the body and make it upside down you do not get a pontil mark - saves an operation.  I would think it s the same maker, there are technical and stylistic similarities. Yours is not crackle btw.

[flying free]

Ivo I can see crackle on the op's mug.  It has just been reheated and so the crackle has lost it's fissures definition. Either that or it was blown into a crackled effect mold?
m

[Ivo]

To me crackle is crizzled through by dipping in ice water and then reheat to fuse the pieces. What I see here is surface structure, probably achieved by warming and cooling the piece while on the blowpipe or on the pontil.