Glass Message Board
Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => British & Irish Glass => Topic started by: agincourt17 on September 18, 2014, 01:14:10 PM
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A rare Greener & Co. loop-handled basket RD 121985 of 23 March 1889. The RD number is embossed inside the basket base or ‘bowl’. Measures approximately 18cms high x 14cms wide bowl with a 8cms diameter foot; weight 508 grams.
The basket base is decorated externally with a pattern of flowers and leaves against a stippled background, is topped with a reeded or gadrooned rim, and stands on a circular gadrooned foot. The loop handle is of rustic form.
(Permission for the re-use of these images on the GMB granted by Kevin Collins).
I can’t recall ever seeing another example of this Greener & Co. design, and this particular item has the added distinction of being in a coloured glass the like of which I have never seen used for a Greener & Co. piece before. The overall impression is of an opaque glass of an orange-brown terracotta shade, but closer examination shows it actually to be a marbled glass with definite streaks ranging from almost sepia through reds and deep orange through to ochres.
Jenny Thompson does not give a description of the design, so I currently have no idea what the unique design feature of this registration was – shape, decoration, or whatever?
Henry Greener produced many pieces in marbled glass thoughout the late 1870s and into the mid 1880s – various greens, blues, and purples, and brown. Once the firm became Greener & Co., however, comparatively few pieces seem to have been produced in (mostly purple) marbled glass, the majority of coloured pieces being in transparent glass (either uniform plain colours or opalescent colours).
Does anyone have other examples of Greener & Co.’s RD 121985 to show in other colours, please?
Does anyone have any other Greener & Co. or Henry Greener pieces to show in this orange-brown marbled glass, please?
Fred.
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interesting piece, and as usual I suspect the Registration was to protect the shape, which was the most common purpose of a registration. The shape of the basket is certainly unusual - great looking piece.
Unfortunately I can't provide a pic - at least not at the moment - of the image submitted originally to the Board of Trade.
I'm probably going to Kew some time later next week, so can look if you wish.
I take it you've been through the books of Sheila Murray, Colin Lattimore and Raymond Slack?
As far as I can see, CH doesn't include this colour.
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Thank you, Paul.
I would certainly like to see the design representation, please. I will add the details to the GMB lookup request shortly.
I no longer have a copy of Colin Lattimore’s book to refer to, but I can find no reference to the orange-brown marbled glass in Muuray, slack or Hajdamach.
Fred.
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rather late in the day, but here is the Kew image for this basket, and as usual it is the outline shape only that is being Registered.
Must admit that browny-orange marbled colour is very attractive and doubtless very rare.
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Thank you for showing the design representation, Paul.
Fred.
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Here is our Amber one.
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Thank you for showing this, Mike.
Fred.