Topic: Cut Bulb vase.

[Paul S.]

generally, bulb vases are fairly common, particularly those with bands of coloured Matthey Crinkles decoration - as far as I can recall this one is the first cut example I'd seen  -  outside of books.   Has a bit of a nod toward a Van Dyke Rim, and the cutting is of high quality with wide pontil depression under the foot, though IMHO visible wear probably wouldn't take it back to much earlier than the middle third of the C20.               Have a feeling, though stand to be corrected, that the slightly elongated bubbles just above the foot are created by sticking pins into molten glass and withdrawing to leave air bubbles.              Unmarked, so maker is unlikely to be known, but attractive and a fairly white coloured glass, so IMHO probably not Continental.       If anyone knows the maker then please shout.

[Ivo]

without room for root development it is not a bulb vase.

[thewingedsphinx]

Hi Paul, yes it’s good to have you back, have you been saving all these glass items up?  We had an early cut glass hyacinth vase on here recently in an unusual shape.
https://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,73377.msg407605.html#msg407605

They are usually a bulbous shape at the bottom. You mention a van dyke rim yours definitely has an old style rim. Do you have a copy of phelps Warren book on cut glass as it’s quite useful on this style. I’m currently on holiday without my books but the central merese pattern reminds me of Irish cutting style.  Could it be a sweetmeat glass? 1820 ish.
Regards Mike

[Paul S.]

Quote ..............   "without room for root development it is not a bulb vase."              Ivo's comments are correct  -  I was so carried away with thinking this is a good find, that I overlooked completely the fact that here the body reduces in diameter, whereas true bulb vases increase in diameter  -  so sadly then unlikely to be a bulb vase.            It was just that the pan-top shape looked ideal in which a hyacinth bulb might sit  -  a shape that is so obvious in appearance that as part of the design it must imply some particular use/purpose?
Regret to say my 1981 copy of Phelps Warren long since gone -  Mike, are you thinking of the Irish vesica cut pattern?  -  vaguely similar compared to this repeat sort of elongated ovals  -  isn't a merese something that joins a bowl and stem?:-)               I'm wrong in saying this is a Van Dyke Rim  -  it's vaguely similar with pointy bits that stick up, but couldn't think of the correct name for this one - perhaps it doesn't have a correct name.   
I've also parted with Patricia's bulb vase book  -  is it still available anyone know?

I don't get the feeling that this piece is old - as in c. 1820 - sweetmeats this age would have acquired much wear, I would have thought, and that's not apparent here - plus I'm not normally lucky enough to find early C19 glass undamaged.          Also, possibly, I'm thinking that this piece is a tad too tall (alliteration:-)) for a sweetmeat. ??
So, current status is that use and age remain unknown.

P.S.   yes, Mike, I have a few pieces that you will not have seen  -  will try to post in the coming days  -  presently too hot to spend much time at the pc.

[thewingedsphinx]

Hi Paul, yes I got my words wrong veresica is what I meant. Isn’t Merese where the bowl meets the stem ? Perhaps if the condition is too good to be true it could be an early 2Oth century reproduction? Regards Mike

[Paul S.]

just seen this Kew picture in my archives  -  so do we think this confirms my piece as having a similar use??          Date of this Registration was 12.08.1869 - Henry Greener.

[thewingedsphinx]

Similar shape, greener will be pressed glass, a picture of the underneath of the base would be good. Does it have a polished out pontil? Or maybe it’s just flat? thanks

[Paul S.]

sorry Mike - assume you mean the base of my piece ??  obviously, I can't access the bottom of the archive piece :-)         funny how we assume things  -  I looked at this archive picture and assumed it was possibly cut, but despite the looks assume you are correct and it's likely pressed - based on the work that Greener are known for.                          I've just checked the Kew Register, and this one is described as a 'lustre candlestick'  -  I had a feeling that lustres were always cut items in order to better reflect candle light.               Too hot to continue tonight  -  will post a picture of the base of mine tomorrow - but I know it has a wide pontil depression.             However, cut or pressed, the similarity of shape between mine and 231927 would be a strong suggestion that mine is likely a candlestick.

[NevB]

I think the dots visible on the bowl of the Greener lustre are the holes for the wire suspensions which would hold cut glass droplets. Your piece doesn't appear to have these, I would say it is a vase.

[Paul S.]

thanks, and yes, I'd not been aware of seeing the holes for the wires that would carry the drops, so thanks.          My problem with this being simply a vase, is the rather massive pan top  -  which seems to agree with the Kew picture, and led me to think mine was a candle holder, as implied in the Kew picture.          Probably getting confused, and don't know that I'm much further forward, but just have this feeling that the pan top would be necessary to catch the drips of wax when in use:-)