Topic: Cut Glass Bowl for show

[mhgcgolfclub]

Found in a local charity shop was this nice cut glass bowl.

I know this type of glass can age from late Georgian right up to Edwardian and is not easy to date as it was copied, although this piece is missing a tooth with many others slightly rounded after many years of contact.

Difficult to tell age by base as it sits on a slightly stepped square base.

Weight 1423gm
Diameter 9.5"
Height just over 3"

Thanks for looking Roy

[Paul S.]

very nice piece - good find.      Whoever cut this had a love of fan splits, saw-tooth rims and strawberry diamonds in particular - it's a shame that these rims always suffer from losing the occasional tooth.            Like the step cutting too.           The underside is unusual too  -  like you I'm stumped as to origin and date though most of the features go back some way  -  am almost tempted to wonder if it could be Irish or ABP even - am inclined to suggest late C19 to perhaps c. 1920, but whatever, it's unusual.   well done.

[Ekimp]

Looks nice, has some similarities with the bowl (including the base cutting) from the Londonderry table service by Wear Flint Glass Company c.1824 on page 42 of Hajdamach. You would be suspicious if there weren’t some teeth missing

It might be worth checking for signs of the use of a figured blank just in case. My bowl with a saw tooth rim was, not that yours will be. http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=70878.0;attach=242682

Figured blanks: http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,70878.msg394489.html

[Paul S.]

have I missed something - the first link directs to this thread??              Thanks for the link to 'figured blanks' - very interesting read.

If the entire pattern on Ekimp's dishes was cut subsequent to being formed originally as a pressed design, then how do we know for sure that it originated as a 'figured blank' - wouldn't the cutting remove all signs of pressing?  -  I sense I've misunderstood somewhere here.      Of course, if some part of the design remained uncut, then that would be the answer  -  perhaps there are mould seams (but not if the piece was blown).

Sadly unable to put hand on heart and say that I've ever knowingly found a piece of ABP - but then I don't frequent posh outlets.     Unfortunately, a lot of eastern European cut material - from the last 30 - 50 years - looks to imitate ABP  -  pinwheels, hobstars, cane etc. and with an all over cut appearance, and many pieces show that what cutting there is has been done on a figured blank, with part of the design left un-cut.

Saw-tooth rims, and relief diamonds, on first half C19 cut pieces, remain v. sharp to this day - the main reason was the absence of acid polishing and instead manual polishing on wood or leather wheels, to remove grinding marks, and which left the cutting sharp to the touch.   
Step-cutting does appear to be a feature on some of this C19 material. 

I don't think this one is ABP, but am still ignorant of the origin  -  I have something with a similar strawberry diamond cut foot arrangement - pix attached - and the underside cutting with strawberry diamonds forming a large diamond-shaped outline is in fact proud of the base but on the same level as the four circular feet.       This foot arrangement, plus the small step cutting, has some similarity with Roy's cutting, and I've always thought of my dish as being c. mid C19  -  perhaps it's earlier?             The corner cutting looks complex - unfortunately, the whole thing is shot to pieces and cracked  -  but can't bring myself to bin it.
     

     

[Ekimp]

have I missed something - the first link directs to this thread??              Thanks for the link to 'figured blanks' - very interesting read.

When I click on my first link it shows a picture of my dish from the Figured Blank thread, so not sure what’s happening. That dish of mine has very sharp cutting (no acid polishing), you can only see its from a figured blank by looking at a few of the valleys of the v cuts where there are remnants of the moulded finish not reached by the cutting tool.

Your bowl looks interesting Paul, with those feet - they are unusual aren’t they? Lots of cutting, I got a box a few weeks ago in the charity shop that has similar raised circles, but on the side. The only similar I could find (on British cut glass) was the decanter on page 44 of Hajdamach, first quarter 19th century. Maybe the circles were the fashion then.

[Paul S.]

have tried again, but still being re-directed back to this thread.          You could be correct with first quarter of C19 - we collectors of cut glass suffer such discrimination when it comes to a lack of books.          I don't think I've ever seen circular feet like this elsewhere - certainly very unusual.

[mhgcgolfclub]

Thank you both for your replies some very interesting stuff.

Nice bowl Paul shame about the damage, its a lot better kept than put in the bin.

Thanks Roy