Topic: cut glass footed bowl

[Mick the fish]

Hi can anyone help to identify this footed hobnail cut bowl? Its 6.5 inches high, diameter at top 9 inches, at foot 5 inches. It weighs just under 1.5kg. There is quite a bit of wear on the underside of the foot.
 
Any help would be appreciated, thanks in advance.

Mick

[chopin-liszt]

The cut bears similarities with a Harbridge confiture I have.
Mine is a taller and narrower beast, with a solid, long stem. There is only one cut line above the hatching, while you have two, the rim of mine has v-shaped notches cut into it rather than the narrower decor you have on yours.
Mine has the 32 cuts on the base.
It's the diamond shapes in the hatching I most admire about my thing. They are all graduated in size to fit around the bowl, the detail of the work is astounding.

[Paul S.]

always disappointing that a skilled cutter having spent time on such a piece, we're then left without any indication of back stamp showing maker/origin  -  but then the world of cut glass is awash with such pieces, unfortunately, but this one looks good.        Hopefully, it's lead glass and rings well when flicked.

In view of the appearance of the cutting, I'd suggest this one is relief diamonds only, and not hobnail pattern.        Here there are series of cut lines that are bisected by another series cut at 90 degrees  -  this produces square enclosures between the cut lines, though in view of the mitred angle of cut of the wheel what we actually see are rows of pointy diamonds. 
A hobnail is usually seen as an eight sided cut pattern  -  this is created by the already mentioned cut lines bisecting at 90 degrees, then further lines cut at lesser angles, to created the eight sided 'hobnail'  -  or what collectors on the other side of the pond call 'cane'
Not easy to explain in words alone  -  have a look at cane platting on a chair and you'll get a better idea, or try the internet for images of hobnail cutting on glass.

The shape of the foot here, is less than common too - an eight sided (octagonal) shape, which coincidentally, would be the outline of the hobnail cut.               Back stamps can become obscured and less easy to see if wear is heavy  -  am sure you've looked carefully, but sometimes we can miss a mark. 

[Mick the fish]

Paul thanks for you very informative description re raised diamonds and hob nail cutting.
I have again searched the bowl for any signature or mark, no signs of any.  It does ring like a bell when flicked.

always disappointing that a skilled cutter having spent time on such a piece, we're then left without any indication of back stamp showing maker/origin  -  but then the world of cut glass is awash with such pieces, unfortunately, but this one looks good.        Hopefully, it's lead glass and rings well when flicked.
In view of the appearance of the cutting, I'd suggest this one is relief diamonds only, and not hobnail pattern.        Here there are series of cut lines that are bisected by another series cut at 90 degrees  -  this produces square enclosures between the cut lines, though in view of the mitred angle of cut of the wheel what we actually see are rows of pointy diamonds. 
A hobnail is usually seen as an eight sided cut pattern  -  this is created by the already mentioned cut lines bisecting at 90 degrees, then further lines cut at lesser angles, to created the eight sided 'hobnail'  -  or what collectors on the other side of the pond call 'cane'
Not easy to explain in words alone  -  have a look at cane platting on a chair and you'll get a better idea, or try the internet for images of hobnail cutting on glass.

The shape of the foot here, is less than common too - an eight sided (octagonal) shape, which coincidentally, would be the outline of the hobnail cut.               Back stamps can become obscured and less easy to see if wear is heavy  -  am sure you've looked carefully, but sometimes we can miss a mark. 
[/quote]

[Mick the fish]

The cut bears similarities with a Harbridge confiture I have.
Mine is a taller and narrower beast, with a solid, long stem. There is only one cut line above the hatching, while you have two, the rim of mine has v-shaped notches cut into it rather than the narrower decor you have on yours.
Mine has the 32 cuts on the base.
It's the diamond shapes in the hatching I most admire about my thing. They are all graduated in size to fit around the bowl, the detail of the work is astounding.

Thanks for your info and photo. Mine looks very similar to yours so would seem that Harbridge is quite likely. Again thank for you help it's much appreciated

Mick

[Paul S.]

coming back to the octagonal foot ...............    since this isn't a shape that the glass worker can create whilst the glass is plastic, we assume this was formed cold.         In view of this there is always some sense of suspicion that perhaps the item suffered damage resulting in a need to reduce the size of the foot and in the process it was decided to change the shape  -  of course I'm speculating, and the foot shape here may well have been deliberate from the start of its life  -  a point worth considering but unverifiable.                Smaller glass designs  -  cruets, sticks, sweetmeats and sifters etc., are often found with non-circular feet, but large pieces almost always are. 
This is an attractive and useful piece - a good find.

[chopin-liszt]

The foot when shaped like that, tends to be of very thick glass, while round feet are of normal thickness.
This foot is thick.

[Paul S.]

that might suggest that this one has in fact been cut back, thus removing the thinner glass at the perimeter and leaving the appearance of thicker glass from nearer the stem.              Well, of course Paul, it obviously has been cut back  -  the trick is to know if it started life like this, or had a life-changing op part way through.

[chopin-liszt]

I have seen a lot of cornered feet - and they are normally about 5 mm thick.
I have never seen a round foot thick enough to be cut into a shape.

[Mick the fish]

The foot is 1 cm thick.

Mick