Topic: jellies, custards and handles

[Paul S.]

these were from last Monday's boot sale and all without any form of attribution - save the Greener (Reg. 218719) coal wagon pressed salt, but I'd included it in the pix before realizing it shouldn't have been there.                       Nothing spectacular, but if nothing else are good examples of the change in method of applying handle c. 1860/70.
The pressed example has this almost Christmas tree outline  -  half each side of the lower part of the handle  -  don't recall seeing it before  -  anyone else know of it?

Machine acid etching which started commercially c. 1850 - (and the one here certainly isn't that age) - went on until c. mid C20 generally, and may still be in practice for all I know  -  this one shows what is possibly the addition of some wheel cutting too.           Some of the middle row cuts look a tad deeper than acid might make.

[Ekimp]

There wouldn’t be much room left for apple crumble You see quite a few of these about - especially considering they have a vulnerable handle - they must’ve been quite widely used?

Interesting comparison between the newer and older designs.

[Paul S.]

I have someone who makes rhubarb crumble for me, and I have it with double cream and sometimes even ice cream too ............   and it goes very well in a dish that's much larger than these things.            I have a feeling jellies and custards were made for a long time after the end of the C19  -  these look almost too good to be true, though design wise there's almost no difference between one from mid C19 and another from mid C20  -  except wear that is.     There is wear on most of these but not enough IMHO to take them back well into the C19 - unless it's a case of Granny's cabinet again.

[Ekimp]

Lucky you - I hope it’s an antique glass dish! I have a slight interest in antique pewter and so got a book on dating it. According to that, dating of bellied measures is in part by the handle finial that fades away to almost flush with the body c 1850 onwards. I thought if this was a general fashion for handles it could help with dating glass handles. For example, your top down handle has a curly finial at the bottom, maybe later top down handles don’t have the finial and obviously the  bottom up handle has no finial. Anyway, I’m not keen on glass with handles and don’t have much so lost interest

[Paul S.]

I think the fly in the ointment is the word 'copy'  -  these with the stylistically older handle design might actually be pre c. 1860  -  it was just the lack of wear that makes me suspicious - perhaps I'm becoming too much of a doubting Thomas.       For what I paid for them it really doesn't matter if they aren't genuine period - they are interesting - but it's annoying really since I had all of these things before and the tired of collecting and gave them all away.   Found a small but genuine piece of Nazeing this morning - otherwise it was a quiet boot sale.

[neilh]

The Molineaux Webb pattern book has a few dozen custard and jellies from around 1850 to the early 1870s and they nearly all have the old type of handle. The Percival Vickers catalogue of 1893 still shows this type of handle in use, though it is now split 50/50 with the handle shown on your machine etched version.

I've only uncovered one from the pattern book, I believe this to be the "Halifax" pattern, mid 1850s

[Paul S.]

yes, that's very much a traditional appearance with an almost pan-topped shape to the upper part of the bowl  -  reminiscent of some mid C18 jellies  -  assume the key is wheel cut  -  always nice to have a pair and they do look good.                        Have attached pix of something probably of later date (from the original group)  -  bit like a punch-cup shape but twiddly handle finial and makes you think you're missing a saucer.    Quality slice cutting - v.g. cut/polished pontil depression and almost a take on finger bottom cutting.    Anyone like to stab at a date please

P.S.   and no, I don't eat or drink out of anything antique  -  in fact it's the other way round  -  I'm the antique doing the eating and drinking

[Ekimp]

Out of interest, in an Antiques emporium yesterday I saw a set of small glasses with the exact same pattern as your acid etched and cut custard. There was no pontil scar or shear mark so thought they had a machine made foot.

[Paul S.]

well, as we say, I'm sure machine acid etching was still going in recent decades, so a machine made foot quite likely on those.      I can't now even open the cabinet door to check my example re the underside  -  there as so many bits of glass in the room - everywhere - I think if I breathe out quickly half the room will fall to the floor and smash.     Will try and have a look some time.