Topic: Posy ring with prunts and RD number

[glassobsessed]

Christine mentioned in another thread: http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,43181.msg240777.html#msg240777

Could this be a curved version mentioned on page 435 of Hajdamach British Glass 1800-1914? There is what I assume to be a Registered Design number engraved on the bottom but I am having trouble deciding what the number is, possibly 54494 or ? Can't say I have seen an Rd number engraved like that before, was it usual for blown items?

It measures 7" or 18cm long.

John

[ahremck]

Just a thought.  Holmegaard signed small items Hg or Hd at times.  I wonder if Rd = Reidel or something similar.  Also if it were a registered design number as low as that it would surely look very old-fashianed indeed.  I would be trying for a Scandinavian Glass works whose name started with an R and ended with a d - nothing springs to mind instantly, good luck.

Ross

[Anne]

Hand numbered items are around yes, not so commonly seen as moulded or stamped numbers for sure. There's a nice example of a hand-applied lozenge mark in GlassGallery here: http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-11719

The number yours appears to carry isn't listed on the Great Glass website or Thompson (which is pressed glass anyhow.) But the number dates from 1886.  Gulliver's book, referred to by Bernard in the linked image above, might give the answer if someone can check it for you. Sadly it's not one I own as yet, or I'd look for you, John.

[Bernard C]

...   Thompson (which is pressed glass anyhow.)    ...

Anne — Oh no it isn't.   Thompson includes all the class 3 registrations they found from 1842 to the end of February 1908, except that, for reasons of space, she edited out designs from 1884 onwards "not likely to be encountered in the study of household glass".   My experience is that most of the missing registrations seem to be bottles.   Surprisingly all the pavement light and insulator registrations we've found in that 1884–1908 period are in Thompson.

Bernard C. 

[Lustrousstone]

I would say it was definitely Webb "posy rings straight and curved" and that the number was 54494

[glassobsessed]

My thanks to everyone who has commented, it is much appreciated.

I did try looking up the number but ended up a little confused by the site I found (National Archives). I have used the Great Glass site before, no idea why I did not look there this time as the information presented is straightforward....

Anne, please feel free to use any of these photos if you wish to add them to the Registered Designs album: http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/thumbnails.php?album=763

John

[Bernard C]

John — The two similar Webb registrations shown in Gulliver are 100456 of May 19, 1888 and 269928 of January 27, 1896.   Neither are exactly the same.   There seem to be several variations on this theme.   I wouldn't have expected any one glassworks to have made several slightly different versions — this indicates to me that it's more likely that several glassworks were making them.

I wouldn't be surprised if 54494 (or possibly 154494) turns out to be class 4, earthenware, rather than class 3, glass.

As for engraved design registration numbers and lozenges, they're not particularly common.   I usually have about half a dozen examples on my stand at the two big glass fairs, and I'm always happy to show them to anyone so long as I'm not otherwise busy.   Here's another example.

Bernard C. 

[glassobsessed]

Thanks for taking a look in Gulliver Bernard.
I bet nearly every glassworks made something similar, after all they were all supplying essentially the same market and would make whatever was popular at the time and selling well. Economic necessity....

A lovely condiment set Bernard, very modern design for it's day and nice to see other blown items with an engraved Rd number. I had not seen that thread until recently - it dates from a month or two before I joined this forum and I have not bumped into it while searching.

John

[Bernard C]

John — glad to help.   BTW my cruet was pressed, not blown, hence Ray Annenberg's interest in it.   Note the inside corners at the base of the four cruets, impossible if blown.

Bernard C. 

[glassobsessed]

They look mould blown to me Bernard, how would the plunger get in and out to form the shape? Bases with a similar form can be seen on the mould blown range of (square) vases from Dartington Glass, at least, I assume they were mould blown....

John