Topic: Identification of Large Glass Bowl Silver Foil Textured Interior Toads & Fish

[HINES1942]

Hello All

I recently bought this large bowl at an auction in Scotland because I thought it has something about it!!!.It measures approx 15 inches in diameter and stand around 8 inches tall. The interior of the bowl has an impressed design including dragonfly and flowers, it also has what appears to be silver foil inclusions. The exterior of the bowl is smooth and has been gilded with various fish and toads with what appear to be bullrushes and other plants found in a pond or pool. The interior impressed design also gives the outside of the bowl a water like finish. It has a very nice polished pontil to the base and what appears to be an etched 'L12' although this may be different. The design of the gilded exterior has an aesthetic feel to it suggesting it may be early 20th century and there is some wear to the base which also suggests some age. I can find no makers mark or signature and would appreciate it if anyone on the forum has a suggestion as to who made it and when.

Yours

Anne

[chopin-liszt]

Hello and welcome, Anne 
I think you have some serious treasure here and that you are correct in thinking quite old - Art Nouveau.
Not my area, but somebody will be along shortly who knows more. I think this is going to cause a lot of excitement here.
It is absolutely stunning. Well done on recognising something really special and winning it!

A little talcum powder rubbed over the mark with your thumb helps to bring the mark up for photography better. Would you mind trying that and taking another pic for us, please?
Thanks for resizing and posting your pics directly - it is very much appreciated.

[Paul S.]

welcome from me too, and sorry, I can't help either.              This is a large and attractive piece - larger than might be expected perhaps in this guise from the 'nouveau' period, but I'm curious about the crimping of the rim.              The Victorians were very clever and quite meticulous about their crimping in the sense that such features were mostly very symmetrical, but on this piece the crimping appears to be less than evenly spaced and uniform  -  of course I could be seeing this in the wrong way.          Is the crimping symmetrical?
The early nouveau period was awash with multi-coloured glass with decoration in the form of pond life and reptiles, often in the form of grotesques, and made both sides of the pond plus the continent of course (Bohemia), so we might struggle to nail down its origin.          Iridescence, inclusions of silver and gold foil were also commonplace, plus surface gilding.
Are you able to tell us how this was described when you bought the piece.

[keith]

Another welcome, as Sue says a stunning piece, the marks look like numbers to me, great find 

[HINES1942]

Hi

Many thanks for the kind messages, I am please you also think it has some age as I hoped. I bought it in a small auction not online and it was described as a 'LARGE GLASS BOWL'. Someone else obviously like it as I paid £110 including the premium. I will use some talc and post a better picture of the mark, which I also think is a number.

Yours

Anne

[chopin-liszt]

We're just waiting for Flying-free to come along. 

Something in my tummy wants to say Haida.  But I really don't know if they made such "organic" looking stuff.
I do suspect you got a bargain.

[glassobsessed]

Looks like a variation on Loetz Cephalonia, my only reservations are the base colour of the glass and the enamelling. It could however be an unusual example from Loetz.

Have a look at the examples on these two pages:
https://www.loetz.com/decors-a-z/cephalonia
and especially
https://www.loetz.com/decors-a-z/cephalonia-mit-patinadekor

John


Forgot to say what a fabulous piece of glass!

[HINES1942]

Hi

Here is the mark to the base with talc, (great suggestion) hope this helps.

Regards

Anne

[chopin-liszt]

It is very "top quality Loetz-y" too. There's a certain "something" about the softness of the way all the curves are formed and seem to undulate.

The mark may indicate a decorator, or perhaps refers to this actual design if it is a small production range or even a unique piece, rather than a maker.

[rocco]

The impressed pattern (and not only that) reminds me of a Ernest Baptiste Leveillé vase I once saw at the fleamarket...

Michael