Topic: Ink Bottle

[English weather]

Any ideas as to who made this. 6 1/2" high / 16.5cm. Slight grey tint to glass. Heavy cut foot with fine polished pontil to centre.

[Paul S.]

Hi - welcome to the GMB   -    we ran a thread on the Board some year or two back devoted to ink wells, ink bottles and stands, see this link  https://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,64128.msg359340.html#msg359340   it's worth a look, though if your example is modern then most likely it wasn't included since most of those were antique.
What is the extent, if any, of wear to the foot?            Aside from antique ink wells which might be used by a few folk, I don't know that these things are currently made for real use  -  I don't recognize this as an ink bottle  -  do you think it might have an alternative use?

Hopefully someone here will recognize your glass -  the colourway reminds me of some paperweights I've seen in recent years - the colour also has the appearance of spatter glass, which occurred often on cheaper glass in the 1930 - 1950 period, though I'm not suggesting your glass has that sort of age.            Take it there isn't any residue of ink remaining here?         Attractive piece by the way.

[English weather]

Hi. Thank you for your input.

It is an Antique / vintage piece. It is not Modern. I see it as an Ink bottle in much the way a Vasart Ink bottle is an Ink bottle or Whitefriars Ink bottles, Richardson etc.

[Paul S.]

thanks  -  I'm struggling to see any wear on the underside, which I would have assumed should show to some extent if it was over 100 years (antique), though a vintage age of 20 - 25 years may be too recent to show wear.        When you say antique/vintage, presumably you have some reason for saying that, but the problem is that not knowing the maker, we are going to struggle to show that it has that sort of age  -  with glass appearances can be deceptive.           Was there a description accompanying this piece when you acquired it?
I've only just noticed the bullicante effect - this may possibly suggest some connection with Murano - but that's a guess only - and from what you say about W/Fs, Vasart and Richardson, ink bottles, you presumably have knowledge of ink bottles from these makers.
Let's hope someone here is able to help. 

[NevB]

Try searching vintage perfume bottles as I would have thought it's a perfume bottle, or just a decorative one, rather than an ink bottle, particularly if the stopper extends down into the bottle.

[English weather]

Hi. You are struggling to see any wear on the base because it is not a very good picture for that purpose. Additionally, you are not looking at the base from 1" away with a x10 eyeglass.

When I say antique/vintage, I say with over 30 years of experience of buying and selling glass, having sold many thousands of pieces, mainly 1840 to 1940. (I do not exaggerate as I sold much to trade for high turnover). I have viewed handled even more.

Antique will now bring us up to 1922 and for the purposes of this bottle I am using vintage to be pre 1940 as a dateline.

It does not matter what description did or did not come with a purchase. I have many examples of very, very high profit margins I made where the description I bought it as did not match the correct description. My all time two highest profit margins were from other fulltime glass dealers who has mis described the item. I also in the past, have mis-described items and thus undersold, to other glass dealers.

If this were Murano, it would be the first piece of Murano glass you have ever seen with a star cut base.

Yes I do have knowledge of Ink Bottles by Whitefriars, Vasart and Richardsons, presumably you do not.

[English weather]

No the stopper does not extend in to the neck any further than it needs to to make it stable.

Let us just call it a bottle. Rather than dwell on the definitive description of its purpose,  I would prefer to concentrate on who may have made it.

[NevB]

Surely if you are doing internet searches it's better if you can describe your item accurately so you don't miss any possible matches.

[Paul S.]

quote ....................  "Yes I do have knowledge of Ink Bottles by Whitefriars, Vasart and Richardsons, presumably you do not."     your presumptions are correct, however, your tone is hostile and offensive for someone who is requesting help from the GMB, and the description of ink bottle is yours and not ours.      Whatever their skill level, people who post here are usually polite, neither do they find the need to support their knowledge of glass by means of boastful details of their buying and selling.        You should try to be considerate and polite toward the opinions of others. 

[glassobsessed]

A quirky and interesting item - it has some odd features like the shape of the stopper and the cut base. Not a clue here who made it, would also assume a perfume mostly because it does not appear to have a very low centre of gravity to prevent spillage. A nightmare when ink is involved. To a lesser degree I would expect the level of ink to be visible, for practical use anyway but I guess the same might also be said of a perfume.

The use of polychrome mottling like this certainly goes back to at least the Victorian era. On Murano used by Salviati but then the expectation would be made with a lightweight soda glass and as you say definitely no star cut base.

A polychrome item this time with silver foil, no connection as far as I can tell:
https://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,62750.0.html

In your third photo it looks like there are a few specks of ash highlighted by the white background - to my mind reassuring if we are assuming antique.

John

Not quite Webb agate either but another example of the use of polychrome.