Topic: Cut glass salt I think, Idenification please

[Tigerchips]

As far as I can remember, this is my first piece of cut glass. I think it's a glass salt, too little to be an ashtray.

It's all nicely cut, just looking at the star cut base makes me wonder how they got it all so perfectly centered. On most glass that I've seen the star cutting doesn't match up in the center properly.

I've had a look on Whitefriars but it's not in the catalogue's.

There is almost no ware to the base. The glass has a slight green or yellow tint.

Weigh's 280 grams. Just over 3.5 inches diameter.



All comments welcome, Any Ideas?  

[Anne]

It could be something like Webb, TC.  Are you sure there is no mark anywhere? Sometimes the etched marks on cut glass are very hard to see.  3.5" is quite big for a salt isn't it? Could it be a pot for a trinket set instead I wonder?

[Nancy128]

Looks more like a master salt.  There are the 'salts' that can be placed for each individual at a dinner table and then there is the 'master' salt that was set on the table and past around.  I like to use 'master salts' in the kitchen when cooking.  The pattern is simple and could be from many american brilliant manufacturers.  It's like a thumbprint design but smaller.  I love the simplicity of the piece.  You could black light it and see if it comes up florescent green, then you can probably guarantee that it's from the brilliant period (1880-1920s) Congrats!

[Bernard C]

Tigerchips — This may surprise you, but I immediately thought of Sowerby and the two Manchester glassworks, Percival Vickers and Molineux & Webb.    These were giant glassworks, each many times the size of the little tiddlers down south, and the three of them specialised in top quality cut tableware.    Not death by a thousand cuts rubbish, but restrained elegant simple and accurate hand-polished cutting on top quality blanks.

Looking at it another way, I believe it was the dominance of these three glassworks that forced the southern glassworks to innovate into coloured and hand-made art glass.    Had any of the southern glassworks concentrated on cut tableware, their inability to compete because of economies of scale would have bankrupted them.

Few pieces are positively attributable to a particular factory.    However there are some that can be attributed without doubt.    These are hybrids, where an attributable pressed glass blank was embellished by cutting.    The three types of object where I have seen this are pickle jar lids, cruet bottles, and lampshade vases.   I have in front of me a rare PV lampshade vase, pattern Rd No 168130 of 13 March 1891 (see Thompson p46).    Instead of the rim being constricted and then flared to take a three-screw lampshade fitting, the rim has been left straight as it came out of the mould, and cut with lovely vertical oval windows, through each of which you can see the whole pattern of the other side of the vase in miniature.   The star at the pointed end is also beautifully hand cut.    The whole vase sits in its original EPNS ball and rod mount, which looks like a giant Hamilton (egg-ended) bottle stand.   Close examination with a glass of the cutting on this piece reveals the very faint striations typical of the finest hand-polished work.

So, Tigerchips, I think your salt is almost certainly one of the big three.

... and watch out for Sowerby cut made from unpatterned pressed blanks that carry the peacock's head trade mark.   I remember buying a lovely pair of cut Sowerby salts about five years ago, one Bank Holiday weekend when we had a stall on Tynemouth Station.    I remember that weekend well, as, on the Sunday, I volunteered to sing "As Time Goes By" to a guitar accompaniment from the stairs.    One minute the market was busy, then, when they heard me, everyone fled.    I was only allowed back when I promised never to sing again!

Oh, and grateful thanks for the elegant thumbnail image links.   I really enjoyed them.   It is such a pleasure having the choice, and not having giant files rammed down the telephone wire on to my PC with no control from me.    Beautiful.    And the links are to .jpg files, not to pre-formatted web pages, so my browser can resize them to fit the available window.   I hope more follow your excellent, well-mannered example.  In fact I am feeling so cheerful I feel a song coming on, the only one I know:-

"You must remember this ...."

Bernard C.  

[Tigerchips]

It has no marks at all Anne.  

That reminds me, I have a lovely deep cut vase with a "Waterford" mark. I never knew it was Waterford until a few years later. Sadly, it is chipped and full of waterstains so not much use.

Oops, I do have other cut glass after all.  :roll:

I'm glad you like it Nancy128. I don't usually buy clear cut glass but I took a liking to this one. There's no florescent green though.

Thank you again Bernard. It never crossed my mind that it might be Sowerby or Percival Vickers.  

... I remember that weekend well, as, on the Sunday, I volunteered to sing "As Time Goes By" to a guitar accompaniment from the stairs. One minute the market was busy, then, when they heard me, everyone fled. I was only allowed back when I promised never to sing again!

So that's where all my customers went. :lol:

I often go down there to make a fool of myself by slipping up in the pricing department's.  :oops:

I remember seeing Tynemouth Station on one of them Car Boot Sale Challenge TV programs. On another similar Car Boot program, you can see the back of my Aunties head.    

I was very dissapointed that I wasn't on the show even though I followed the camera around unintentionally. I remember one of the helpers saying to another: "He gets around a lot".  :lol:

I'm glad you like my pictures, Bernard.  :oops:

In the future, I hope that I'm remembered for making Bernard sing.  

Play it again Bernard...