Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Topic started by: Patricia on June 29, 2013, 09:29:00 PM
-
Here the flask I found in my box from the auction house. It's big, 29cm! It's also very light, only 300 grams.
Any idea of it's age and what it was used for?
Patricia
-
hello Patricia......... regret no idea as to age - substantial wear might indicate if it was genuinely old, bearing in mind its utility design. I would suggest this is either a carafe or decanter of some sort - does the inside of the neck indicate wear from a stopper? Genuinely old glass is often (though not always) thicker and heavier than modern pieces, and the fact that yours is lightweight tends to support the idea that this one is not old.
Would also suggest that your glass is copying an C18 stopperless decanter...........it has what I believe to be an 'applied string-ring' (used to anchor the string which held the cork in place), although this ring seems a little low on the neck.
The substantial 'kick' was also typical of that period..........helping to both hide the snapped pontil scar, and (I think) providing extra strength during annealing. Seems also to assist with pushing the sediment into smaller area.
Sorry this is of little help with regard to identification, but suspect you aren't going to find a maker. Age might be determined by wear, seeds, and type of glass. Perhaps someone else will know of a factory that is known for copying these older pieces, and in this pale blue colour.
But it looks attractive :)
-
Hello Paul,
I took my bottle to hand another time and here's the verdict.
It has no wear at the bottom but the rim it stands on is too narrow and wobbly for that.
There is no indication it had or should have had a stopper at any time and there are no 'seeds' either.
The reason I thought it might be old is that I once handled an 18th century bulb vase where the glass felt and looked the same.
Some logic huh!
I'll have a go at the bottle collectors here as well but I'm all ears till then. Thanks for all the information though!
Patricia
-
do let us know if you suddently become 'much wiser' about this piece. Going to put head on the block a little more, and suggest Continental manufacture (but don't know where) ;D
-
Hiya.
The middle picture shows a mass of seeds - these are stretched out bubbles. There is no grit in evidence which means it was a good glass maker.
The ring is to stop it from falling out of your hands - which is a feature much loved by glass makers in the beginning of the 19th century.
These decanters had a blown stopper which sat loosely on the neck - so no grinding in evidence.
I would think the origin is Altare or one of the Altarist glass houses in France; the age first quarter 19th century. I would think this is table glass - either for water or for wine. Or a mix of both, of course.
-
Sorry Paul, I thought seeds meant grit. If we are talking little bubbles, the flask has them all over.
Thanks for the info Ivo, no doubt you'll have a good look at it soon.
I will take it to a glass dealer here who sold me my 18th century seed bottle last year. He seemed knowledgeable.
Naturally I'll come back here with his verdict.
Patricia
-
Patricia I came across this site today.
I'm not sure how your flask compares in terms of the amount of bubbles in it and also the colour as that might determine the time frame and the place I guess? Did you get any further information?
Disclaimer - I have no idea about these pieces in terms of age etc but just thought some of the comparisons might be interesting.
There aren't that many pics on the site to view, but ...
m
http://musee-verre.fr/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/P1030838-Copier.jpg
http://musee-verre.fr/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/P1030823-Copier.jpg
http://musee-verre.fr/expositionsconferences
some more pictures of 17th and 18th century flasks
http://www.artcurial.com/fr/asp/searchresults.asp?pg=6&ps=25&st=D&sale_no=1313
there is one piece on this blog that is a similar colour to yours
http://fil2verreantiqueglass.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/verreries-de-la-gresigne-xviii-eme.html