Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Topic started by: Bernard C on February 17, 2009, 11:00:02 AM
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See http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-11414
I bought this last Sunday, very dirty, tucked away under a shelving unit. I like the pattern as it's simple and reflects light beautifully. I've only seen it before as the two-part comportier; this bowl with a fitting underneath on the base shown in the PG launch advertisement reproduced in Cottle. These are magnificent and big enough to do a classic fruit display with a pineapple at the centre.
I've never seen the bowl as shown in the advertisement drawing, and have wondered if it was ever made, as it shows the pattern going up the sides, which would necessitate three or four side components to the mould.
It is instructive to note the ex-factory trade price, just 1/4 per comportier, that's about 2d per lb. No wonder Sowerby dominated world markets!
Note the cut decoration to the sides. It's by far the largest example of cut Sowerby I have seen to date.
Finally, would some kind soul please provide me with the pattern number. By my reckoning it should be fairly close to 1900.
Thanks for your interest,
Bernard C. 8)
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Sowerby RD 84218 was registered on 18 October 1887.
The corresponding Sowerby pattern number is 1947, and it appears both as a bowl and a 2-part comportier on continuation page 106 of the Sowerby pattern book XI (1885), so the design was registered after the pattern book was produced.
I attach some photos of a 12 inch round dish and a 12 inch 2-part comportier in the pattern, completely in accord with the pattern book. The bowl is marked, with peacock and Rd number, and the comportier unmarked.
The pattern book gives the 1947 comportier in 2 sizes – 10¾ inch and 12 inch; the round bowl in 5 sizes – 5, 6, 8¼, 10¾ and 12 inch; and an oval dish in the same pattern in 4 sizes- 6, 8½, 10 and 12 inch.
The sides of the bowl obviously differ from Bernard’s, so it may well be that the registration was for some other aspect of the design. I notice that Thompson describes the registration as "pattern of dish (imit.cut)".
I have searched the extant pattern books for a 2-part comportier with cut sides similar to that 11½ inch two-part comportier launched PG 1 Oct 1887 (Cottle p20), but to no avail.