Topic: Moore, Sowerby or Davidson

[thewingedsphinx]

Hi, my first posting, I'd be very grateful if anyone can advise on these 3 posy baskets all the same pattern. They are unmarked and I have seen references to Edward Moore, Sowerby and Davidson on eBay . Because of the unusual caramel one I think it could be a Edward Moore. There are also a few slag items on eBay as unknown. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

[agincourt17]

Welcome to the GMB.

As far as I am aware, there is still no definitive attribution for these baskets.

Just to add to the mix, here is an example of one in transparent amber glass and another in opaque black glass. Neither have any identifying marks.

Fred.

[Paul S.]

the manufacture of baskets - and there are scores of different designs many of which are un-Registered - seems to have peaked somewhere in the last quarter of the C19, and it must be for this reason that those which are unmarked automatically become 'Victorian'.             None of the examples showing on ebay - and identical in pattern to this one -  is marked, so the attribution of any specific factory - although guesswork -  is probably thought of as a helpful sales pitch, though it's true that both Davidson and Greener used a surface pimpled pattern, and because of this similarity it might be thought a connection with this particular pattern to be useful.        However, as is obvious from Fred's very informative post, none of the attributed and Registered basket patterns matches this one.                With the apparent anonymity of this pattern, should it make us wonder if we are looking at a C20 production??              Fenton certainly produced a pimpled surface decoration in the C20.

There is a Davidson basket Rd. 160241 in Blue Pearline and described as hobnail pattern, and there's something similar in C.Hajdamach from Greener, but neither matches the pattern of this basket.
I think the comment about the caramel colour from Moore is correct - I've seen pressed item/s from that factory - but for the moment I've forgotten where  -  although can't recall if the caramel of this one match the caramel colour of Moore.              I have a feeling that what I remember was a sugar.

P.S.  I was also going to say "welcome" - but it appears the op has previous posts, so unsure as to why the comment "this is my first post"

[thewingedsphinx]

Thanks, Paul/Fred for your helpful comments, I'm sorting though several boxes of pressed glass surplus  (the bottom of the barrel) for our family collection of 1500 pieces which has taken over 35 years to accumulate. This website is extremely helpful especially the gallery, which we can add too.
Cheers.

[Paul S.]

quote  ....................  "There is a Davidson basket Rd. 160241 in Blue Pearline and described as hobnail pattern".         
Rather a misleading comment - especially as Davidson Registered their famous 'Hobnail' suite in 1890, to which 160241 is completely unrelated - so, some clarification of my words needed, and shows the shortcomings of not providing references - plus I now can't find 160241 in the list of Registrations in either Ray. Slack or Jenny Thompson.

The source for this information was Sheilagh Murray's 'THE PEACOCK AND THE LIONS' - plate 53 on an unnumbered page, and the full caption reads:      'Blue Pearline Series Basket Rd. 160241 (1890) 17 cm. long axis and blue hobnail pattern vase'.
In addition to the posy basket the plate also shows a smallish circular 'pot', and both pieces have the same pimpled surface decoration  -  a pattern unlike the factory's 'Hobnail' suite, which was produced to imitate cut glass, and with hindsight it's obvious that Sheilagh Murray might have foreseen the dangers of using the word Hobnail for two distinct Davidson patterns (assuming they are both Davidson).

Why this Registration doesn't appear in the lists I've no idea  -  might it be a CLASS IV listing?             I've looked through the Board's archive for Davidson and wasn't aware of seeing this pattern or the No. 160241.             Is it possible that the author became confused with the date of 1890, which was the Registered date for true 'Hobnail', and wrongly applied the same year to this Blue Pearline pattern to which she had given the same name??                   There are several Greener Registrations in 1890, and one in particular - 160244 - is close in sequence to Murray's 160241, so possible confusion??               The only Davidson Registration in 1890 is the obvious one of 153858 which is the 'Hobnail' suite (imit. cut glass).

Am sure people here will have the answers to this slight mystery -  if not I can of course look at 160241 when next at TNA.   

 

[agincourt17]

There is no mention of a Davidson RD 160241 on the Stewart's cloudglass.com/ website either.

What Sheilagh Murray is showing on plate 53 is, in fact, an opalescent glass basket from RD 160244, registered by Greener & Co. on 3 November 1890. See some photos below.

Fred.

[Paul S.]

thanks for the clarification Fed.          So  -  Murray would seem to have been confused both with the Reg. No. which correctly should read 160244, and with her description of the type of glass which is simply opalescent, and not Blue Pearline  -  plus the piece in question is a Greener design and has nothing to do with Davidson.
Seems then we have solved most of the query on this matter except finding out to whom Reg. No. 160241 actually belongs  -  in Murray's book it looks to have been a typo and might be unrelated to any of the pressed glass manufacturers we know.          However, for the sake of curiosity, I'll have a look at the drawing when I'm next at Kew.                thanks again.

the shame is that none of this takes our quest any further forward re solving the question of the op's posy basket.

[thewingedsphinx]

I managed to find some more of these baskets in the collection and include  some photos of the base , we have five (at least) but still nun the wiser on the maker. Both the caramel and blue vitro porcelain point me in the direction of Edward Moore. How ever it looks like we cannot confirm that and leave this as unknown. Thanks for all the comments.
I'll try and post some more items in the collection that we've been unable to identify.
 
Cheers.

[Paul S.]

would agree this one is going nowhere in terms of attribution  -  this particular basket has been around long enough now that had it been possible to make a positive id for the design then someone would have done so, I'm sure.

[Anne]

The green is quite unusual too, that might be a useful indicator...  I'm sure I've seen something else in that green... let me sleep on it.