Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass Paperweights => Topic started by: bat20 on August 13, 2023, 08:01:04 PM
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Hi , i found this paperweight over the weekend , it has a fairly deep polished pontil and some nice canes.There’re a lot of air bubbles and one fairly central in the top of the crown ..I don’t think it’s been placed ?.My thoughts are it’s very much an end of day piece from one of the famous French makers maybe St Louis but I’m far from certain.Any thoughts on this one ,thanks .
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I should have added it’s just under 7cm wd and feels fairly heavy in the hand .
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Not sure. Don't exclude New England Glass Company from your considerations.
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Umm, thanks Simon I see what you mean ..haven’t really looked at their paperweights 👍
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Photo of the underneath ,…optimistic question ..could this be a ‘1’??
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Please don't use the nonsense term end of day. These were production items. Quality control was not to modern standards. The correct term is scramble for PWs. Looks like a scratch on the base to me. New England is less likely than Europe as you are in the UK
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Not a scratch !,what are you looking at ?…I read somewhere some were made at the end of work and left through the back gate !?
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Perhaps I should have been more clear ,the black canes top left have a black centre and on that there is a mark that looks like a 1 .Whilst looking up New England paperweights I noticed their date canes where the numeral 1 look similar with the dot at the top and bottom ….in no way am I stating it is a partial date cane!,I’m just thought I’d mention it …Who wouldn’t look for signs of a date cane ?
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Not a scratch !,what are you looking at ?…I read somewhere some were made at the end of work and left through the back gate !?
I too was looking for a mark on the base and saw it as a scratch so thanks for clarifying what you meant.
I don't know about the comments on end of day leaving by the back door. These paperweights are called scrambles as far as I know and contain lots of lovely canes and are production items from various factories.
Likewise 19th century and early 20th century vases from Bohemia and France which have many coloured splotches on them are also production items specifically made in those colourways and shapes by the various factories. Clichy, Ruckal, Welz, Kralik etc spring to mind. In the 'olden days' I saw these referred to as 'end of day' items here in the UK. Now it is known they were by specific makers and the shapes can be assigned.
You mentioned a deeply polished pontil. I can't see a polished pontil mark on the pictures. Is it a completely polished base slightly concave with a flat base ring around it?
The bluey green of the canes which contain green is interesting and pretty. I don't see that bluey green very often (caveat - my knowledge is seriously limited on paperweights). Often the green I see is brighter, more grass green.
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Oh well my bad sorry again ,at least no one has died !.I could be wrong on all points and that’s a given ,😂…I’ve had a few antique french paperweights and The ground out pontil s are shallower than this one so I thought it may help people who know a lot more than me in identifying .Sorry if I’ve upset people ,I really don’t do it intentionally.
PS , I thought apprentices may practice after work using the waste from the weights made during the day and since this one seems to have more bubbles than usual ??..,but I may have got that wrong as well .!
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The central bubble looks to me as though it was specifically placed there. It's a lovely feature.
When you talk about the polished pontil, can I ask do you mean the entire base is polished but quite deeply concave and right up to a thin base ring which is flat and runs around the weight?
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Yup ,that’s what I meant .I’m not sure of the maker so I’m not sure it was common place for a central bubble to be placed where it is ?.
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I believe the paperweight is from NEGC - New England Glass Company in Cambridge, Massachusetts - circa 1860 or so.
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Thank you ,shame we’ll never know if it sailed,steamed or flew here .? For those interested I’m following up the potential date cane and did find a snippet about a New England cane that had a date and several running rabbits so small you can’t really make them out?,sadly I can’t find an image .They made several colour variations of a heart cane and I need to find out if this is an example or just a heart ?I can’t find an example of a ‘scramble ‘with a central placed bubble yet ?…It’s in tip top Nick with just a few nicks along the foot ring and if it has been polished during it’s life it would’ve had to have been done very lightly because of the depth of the bubble in the crown .It’s been a very rewarding exercise so far and I’ll try and get a better image of the cane in question ,thanks for all the input .
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This is as good as I can get .
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I can’t find an example of a ‘scramble ‘with a central placed bubble yet ?
Here is one, said to be NEGC: https://www.kensingtonhouseantiques.com/items/166207/New-England-Glass-Co-Scrambled-Paperweight
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That’s good news !,thank you Ekimp .
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There are no dates or running rabbits in the paperweight, but the millefiori canes are clearly NEGC. You find them everywhere in New England with great frequency and in fewer numbers everywhere else in the world. Enjoy your find. Allan
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Thanks again and I certainly will !,it’s encouraged a long overdue look at American paperweight history which I’ve found very interesting,especially the movement of glass workers from Europe to
America and actual named individuals.