Topic: Gold foil ruby drinking glass, could it be by Powell?

[Ekimp]

I got this glass a few weeks ago and thought Murano when I got it but searching on the internet I came up with Powell and D’Humy. I’m sure there must be others...but hopefully not Chinese or Mexican!

The glass has a folded (under) foot with light wear, snapped pontil scar, tear bubble in the stem, optic moulded bowl and gold foil. The gold foil is on the outside surface and is not cased but you can clearly see that it is also trapped in the join between the foot and stem. The bowl rings when flicked. It is 108mm tall, 46mm diameter rim and 50mm diameter foot. Weighs 56 grams.

I had been waiting for access to Whitefriars Glass by Lesley Jackson (in case there was a photo of similar) before posting. There look to be similarities of design with some of the glasses in that book but nothing definitive.

In British Glass 1800-1914 there is a section on Paul Raoul de Facheux D’Humy describing the technique used to apply the foil (as discussed in other threads) but I didn’t think this glass much resembles the style of the few shown D’Humy examples.

Any suggestions and information welcome, thanks.

[glassobsessed]

Your glass has all the characteristics of being made in Murano. To my eye, in terms of style it shares little with either Powell or D'Humy. Difficult to put a date on it as many patterns have been made over a large time span.

Beware of D'Humy attributions especially on Collectors Weekly they tend to be gibberish, at best wishful thinking. Red or cranberry glass with gold leaf does not imply Aurora and D'Humy, a good case in point is the following pair of vases that to me look very English, Webb seem to be a possibility for their maker.

John

[Ekimp]

Thanks John, Murano was my first thought but I couldn’t find similar styles. I didn’t think it was D’Humy as it didn’t much resemble those shown in the book but the technique description was interesting....it is always tempting to look for a more desirable attribution 

[flying free]

Clear images of D'Humy foil technique here:
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_1878-0413-16

[chopin-liszt]

My guts feel Murano for the foil, but I am a tiny bit suspicious of the precise shade of red.
It has an orangeness to it I do not associate with Murano.

But of course, it could be from the lighting and camera effects.
Ekimp, can you tell us how accurate the colour reproduction is>

I'll take a look in Jackson's Whitefriars book soon. I need to get some help to get the book out the cupboard, there's stuff piled up in front of it. 

[Ekimp]

Yes, I’ll have a look but might take a while to find! Probably wrapped in tissue, stuffed inside a tumbler, in a box somewhere….

[chopin-liszt]

My digging was a bit easier. I cannot find anything that looks like your glass in Jackson, although a lot of the photos are B&W and in groups for exhibitions.
In general, as I'm sure you're well aware, Powell tends to have long slim elegant stems and the glass itself is very finely blown.
Your lovely glass just doesn't have that thin-ness or quite the elegance of something that harps more to Art Nouveau, the way Powel does.
There are very few glasses even with bowls the same shape as yours, with cup shaped, rounded bottoms.