Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Topic started by: stew2u2 on January 19, 2014, 06:18:02 PM
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any help would be grateful on this faceted glass inkwell pen holder. when i acquired it the stall holder thought that there should have been a liner but i don't know. i have looked in my books and online could it be from Strombergshytnn glass or am i barking up the wrong tree
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I would guess Italian - probably Murano.
Strombergshyttan would be marked, be a pale blue (most likely), and much more free-form than this.
Ross
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I also think that there should be a liner or something else that is no longer there. This is why I think this may be the case: I have many years of personal experience using fountain pens and dip pens and use them most every day as my main writing instruments. A good fountain pen with a expertly made nib is nearly frictionless and I can write for hours with no hand fatigue. Dip pens are almost as good especially when you can use a high quality one such as a mother of pearl handle with a well made solid gold nib. Real fountain pen and dip pen nibs are miniature wonders of technology and refinement to work as an ink delivery system. On the other hand the solid glass dip pens you see from Murano and other places are terrible for writing as their nibs are not designed like a proper one - glass pens simply have an end that comes to a point with maybe a little decorative twisting of the glass or such. While they are pretty to look at they are very scratchy and do not hold much ink on the nib. They are mainly for decoration rather than actual use. Getting back to this inkwell, I believe it would most likely have had an insert or something because ink dries up fairly quickly if it is not covered or contained. It is formulated to dry quickly otherwise your writing would take forever to dry on the paper, even with a blotter. Having an uncovered inkwell would mean that you would need to dump out your ink and clean the inkwell every day or two whether you were using it or not as it would quickly become too thick to flow properly and then after a few days it would dry out. It needs a lid or cap or something like that to last longer. I is possible of course that this may not have ever had such a liner or lid but if that is the case my thought is that this inkwell likely would have been made a decoration to hold a pretty glass pen rather than being designed to be functional.
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thanks for looking Ross and kimo the info. the Strombergshyttani have seen are a blueish colour but thought that might have been background colour. still looking, thought if it was an inkwell it would have a top unless its just for show. i have seen one with just a quill think it might be just for show why shape the inside of the glass well if you are going to put an insert in. just a thought could it be for watercolour painting
thanks again
stew
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I doubt it would be used for watercolor painting. One of my hobbies is painting in watercolors and sometimes in acrylics. With watercolor painting you use a palette for your paints that includes many little depressions where you mix your watercolors, not just one container for one color.
Another idea is that it could be an individual ashtray for a cigarette smoker. The notch in the glass might be for resting ta cigarette? If this is the case then it would be complete without a lid or liner.
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Reminds me of an Orchid vase like this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Timo-Sarpaneva-danish-modern-art-glass-orchid-vase-vtg-scandinavian-paperweight-/360728825572?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53fd1d0ee4#ht_176wt_1105
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Reminds me of an Orchid vase like this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Timo-Sarpaneva-danish-modern-art-glass-orchid-vase-vtg-scandinavian-paperweight-/360728825572?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53fd1d0ee4#ht_176wt_1105
that like the one i have seen with a quill and described as an ink well
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Here is one with label:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HAND-CUT-CRYSTAL-JAPAN-ORCHID-SOLIFLEUR-VASE-SCANDINAVIAN-GLASS-ORKIDEA-INTEREST-/331078609580?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d15d2aaac&nma=true&si=MAo9tZxjt%252FvEfnYGqJuebihiLP4%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557#ht_2217wt_1153
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and here are two examples from my personal collection...
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thanks for the info tony think you have it there. but just have to find out what it was made for. think it is a vase the shape of the well means you can water what you have in without disturbing the flower