Topic: Large Centerpiece Compote

[Nazz]

Hello all.
Could someone please help me in identifying the maker, and circa, of this compote?

Height is 11-1/4 inches.
Bowl is 11-1/2 inches in diameter.
Foot is 7-1/2 inches in diameter.
Weight is near 8 pounds.
Amethyst colored bowl and foot are engraved in the "Grape, Leaf, and Vine" pattern.
Stem has twisted air bubbles and attached amethyst rosettes.
Pontil has a fire-polished finish.

Any input is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[cagney]

Possibly Pairpoint Corporation. Supplied silver plate stands, etc.to American glass companies. Merged with the MT. Washington Glass Co. c. 1910. Made high end glassware cut, engraved, and a wide array of colored art glass. The "grapes" or "vintage" engraving seems to have been very popular in the 1920s. Often incorporating a controlled bubble ball connector on compotes, vases, etc.

A cursory look through approx. 300 examples from past auctions does not show anything as elaborate as your piece. Although they would certainly be quite capable of making such a piece.

Successor companies would be Gunderson-Pairpoint c. 1950s and Bryden-Pairpoint c. 1970s?

[Nazz]

Hello cagney,
Thank you for your input. I have quite a few books on Pairpoint glass, and my compote does not seem to fit their style. Could it possibly be early 20th century Murano? Again, thank you .
Regards,
Nazz

[cagney]

I agree. It is not indicative of their wares if you take away the engraving. More a show of technique than proportion as to the stem. Since you have the books and I don't. Does the quality of the engraving match with Pairpoints work? Very hard to tell in photos.
Is it lead glass?  By " fire polished pontil" do you mean a snapped off rough pontil heat treated to soften edges?
Generally a pontil on such a high domed foot and dark color would be left as is or rough on even the finest ware in the USA c. pre-WWII. For it would not show.
Certainly the Italians would be very capable of such work.

[glassobsessed]

Early 20thC Murano tends to be thinly blown and made with soda glass, as a result pretty light in weight. Apologies for not offering anything positive but I am a bit clueless here, is there much wear around the edge of the foot?

John

[Nazz]

John,
No apologies required. I appreciate your input. Thank you.
This a thick and heavy piece of glass. It is in perfect condition with no wear to the foot.
Nazz

[Nazz]

cagney,
The quality of the engraving is right up there with Pairpoint. By the weight of the glass, and the resonance ring when tapped, I believe it to be indicative of leaded glass. The rough pontil was fire polished, or heat treated, to soften the edges. You are also correct in saying that the high domed foot would not cause a problem if the pontil was left in the rough, i.e, scratching furniture, nicking fingers, or being seen.
Nazz

[cagney]

Assuming it is probably American roughly c. 1920-1930s. If that is the case, the possibilities can be narrowed down to a little more than a handful of glassworks,Pairpoint, Steuben, Dorflinger,H.C. Fry,H.P.Sinclair And possibly Durands Vineland glassworks are the only ones to come to mind. Possibly independently engraved as even most company engravers ran home shops. Possibly a one off for whatever reason. Glassworkers where not shy to show off their prowess.

[Nazz]

Hello cagney,
You could be correct in assuming that this is a one off piece, done by an independent shop. But, I don't think it was done by the aforementioned cutting shops. To me the compote just doesn't fit with any of their style of decoration. I also don't see it in any of the many books on glass that I have. I have been collecting vintage and antique cut for over 15 years and this piece has me stumped. Can I maybe throw Bohemian out there? Thank you for your time.

[cagney]

We may be a little crossed up here. Colored lead glass is a somewhat involved and costly endeavor. I think it would have to have been made at an existing furnace at that time. Thus the aforementioned glassworks. What little is known of small working furnaces in this time period, the making of lead glass was not there forte'. My comment relating to independent shops was referring to the engraving. I do agree it looks nothing like regular wares of any of the glassworks mention previously

I am still curious as why the pontil is fire polished. The only scenario I can come up with is maybe since the stem most likely began as a rod with the air spiral. Possibly the air trap was exposed after being broken off necessitating a closing of the air spiral.

Generally I believe the Bohemian tradition is also non-lead glass or a semi lead prior to WWII.