Topic: Black Pressed Glass Tea 'Caddy' - Help Needed! :)

[BobW]

Hi all,

Recently, in a UK auction lot, I acquired a Black Pressed Glass Tea Caddy (Labelled 'Tea' on front) but am having difficulty identifying the manufacturer.

I have scoured the sites that I am aware of, Google'd to death the search engine (with numerous search criteria) and have only found the following two references (images in both are identical to my piece) but both are vague about manufacturer/history..

Image - http://blackwhitemilkglass.com/hehutecud/Very-Rare-Victorian-Pressed-White-Opaline-Milk-Glass-Tea-Caddy-c1880-Sowerby-07-dpy.jpg
Previous eBay listing - https://www.antiquesnavigator.com/d-2858145/antique-victorian-black-milk-glass-lidded-tea-caddy-box--sowerby--davidson-.html



Can anyone please help?

Kindest regards,
Bob

[flying free]

Can't help but I love that.  The nicest most interesting piece of glass I've seen recently

We need a photo of the base as well please.  Thanks.

And welcome to the board

[NevB]

This one on Glass Queries Gallery is superficially similar and has a Sowerby mark and registration lozenge. https://www.yobunny.org.uk/glassgallery/displayimage.php?pos=-24625

[BobW]

Flying free, NevB.. Thanks for the response and input 

Flying free - There are no markings underneath, at all (unfortunately) so the hunt goes on. Thanks for the cheery response, I like it too, I just want to try and find out more!
NevB - Oddly enough, the piece you referred me to came in the same auction lot!, (Image of the lot attached, just the three black pieces, not the two green pieces, that's a different story!)

The Sowerby 1388 Tea Caddy in the image on the glass gallery could almost be the same piece as the one I bought - exact same date and batch number stamp!!
I have had a good look around and the only pattern I can find for the 'unknown' tea caddy that is similar is a poorly scanned image of a hand drawn Davidson piece, based purely on the 'ivy' detail, the tell tale lid with the branch/twig on top doesn't appear anywhere 

The hunt goes on.. this is what makes dabbling in pressed glass fun, researching some obscure piece (usually only to find out it's still be knocked out somewhere in a factory in Azerbaijan or somewhere!!)

Cheers,
Bob

[flying free]

blackandwhite site says it is shown in Lattimore.  Presumably with no identification though as they speculate that it's an English glass maker probably.

[BobW]

Flying free..

I'd actually missed the description on blackwhitemilkglass, I became too fixated on the images and didn't see the scroll bar!! 

Thank you for pointing out the reference to Lattimor's book further down the page.
You seemed to know this book(?) - As a newbie to the world of pressed glass, are there any other books that you would recommend? (Main interest is UK glass, with a bit of German and Czech thrown in)

Cheers,
Bob

[NevB]

Jenny Thompson's "The Identification of English Pressed Glass 1842-1908" is good. It hasn't got everything in it but it's worth a read.

[agincourt17]

Still unattributed, I'm afraid.

Photos below of versions in white opaque and purple marbled glass.

Fred.

[NevB]

Could it be by Henry Greener? They used the twig/branch design of handle on several of their pieces and also made pieces in black, white and various marbled colours. I can't find anything with the ivy leaf pattern though.

[BobW]

NevB - Thanks for the lead, I'll start poking around Greener for a bit more investigation and, if I find out anything 'concrete', report back here