Topic: Art Nouveau patch stand from Paul Kettle collection

[chilternhills]

I bought for the museum what I presume is a patch stand, described as Art Nouveau, that was originally in the Paul Kettle Collection. The bowl measures 6.6 cm across. The rim is gilded, but quite worn. It stands 5 cm high. The foot is 4.5 cm across. The pontil mark has been pressed with something to give it a rippled texture. The cherries and leaves are enamelled and outlined in gold.

The Paul Kettle Collection was sold at Fieldings in their Centuries of Glass 2016 auction: https://issuu.com/jammdesign/docs/f111-069_listing but I cannot locate this particular item in the sale.

Can anyone help with the maker? Thanks.

Anton

[flying free]

It looks as though it may be a piece of enamelled glass by Hugo Masey for Webb Corbett.  However, and apologies for sounding rude as it's not intentional, but your photographs are terrible.  It's impossible to see the detail as they are 'whited out' against a weird background and the profile shape is impossible to see without a side on picture 
If you could upload normal photos against a white sheet of paper that haven't been adjusted then it might help to see the enamelling more clearly

Is there an applied raspberry prunt on the pontil? is that what you are describing.  Again, it's not possible to see details on your photographs.

m

[flying free]

Also I'm open to correction but I can't think that something made in the 1920s or so would be a patch stand?
Can't suggest what it might have been used for though at that small, but it seems to have been a 'thing' at that time as I have lots of small Stevens and Williams pieces from their 'alabaster' range.

[chopin-liszt]

I thought patch stands mostly had flat tops, or tops with a ridge at right angles to the surface, rather than curved like a bowl. 
I've been trying to compare this with a small thing i have which I suspect is a patch stand. The dimensions are the same, but the top is flattish although slightly conical - a dip towards the centre.
It has a sort of delicate notch cutting all around the underside of the rim and a round polished pontil scar.

On the subject of small and miniature things, we know Monart made miniatures for salespeople to take around, to show examples to potential customers.

[Ekimp]

Also I'm open to correction but I can't think that something made in the 1920s or so would be a patch stand?

I wondered about that too, but apparently patches have come in and out of fashion and were still used in the 20th century, by film actresses and such, see here: https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/sexy-face-stickers/ . One of the possible reasons for requiring a patch(es) was none too savoury either.

I thought patch stands mostly had flat tops, or tops with a ridge at right angles to the surface, rather than curved like a bowl. 

I thought true patch stands from the Georgian period had completely flat tops - I assumed so that you could slide the fiddly little blighter off between finger and thumb.

Investing In Georgian Glass by Ward Lloyd says they are little shallow dishes, 1 to 4 or 5 inch diameter, on stems and feet, “...shallow saucer shape or more commonly absolutely flat with a shallow flange around the edge”. He says “...there use is rather obscure...they are of such common occurrence that it seems much more likely that they were mere dressing-table accessories, used to carry trinkets and cosmetics of all sorts”.

Maybe Anton’s was for cherries or sweets or cherry sweets?

[chopin-liszt]

I believe patches were originally invented to disguise smallpox scars. 

The angle of the "dip" in my flat surface is about 15 degrees. It would be really easy to slide a small patch to the edge, while the dip would perhaps help to keep it a little more securely on the surface.
But I would think Anton's is more for sweetmeats or cherries.
This is all a very new area for me - this old stuff.

[chilternhills]

Thanks for all your thoughts so far. I didn't really know what to call this teenie weenie thingy! It seems too small to be used for much else than for patches, but I admit having cherries in the bowl doesn't fit that purpose. You would be hard pressed to get even a couple of cherries in the bowl or more than a single sweet. Sorry about the photos. I did my best. I will have another go.

[flying free]

mm, maybe a genuine miniature item then used as Sue mentioned for taking round and selling the design?

Can you try with photos taken against a white background in daylight only no artificial light?
That way we can see the quality and type of the enamel etc.  I feel fairly certain it looks as though it's a Hugo Masey enamelling.

[chilternhills]

Thanks for that. I wonder if it was for cherry liqueur? But you would need a steady hand to drink from it! I am not so sure about a miniature product sample. Why bother when a customer would want to see the proper size?

[flying free]

Perhaps because they were touting them around cased in a box/suitcase,to show the various examples of the colours/shapes and also in your case, the shape and enamelling and design?  And to carry around full sized items may have been hefty and precarious?
I suppose they might have been shown as examples along with a catalogue in some cases?