Topic: Milk Glass Doilie Plaque I.d Request

[Paul S.]

oh gawd...........I wos dun then

However, Raymond Slack did inscribe my copy .......Best Wishes etc. etc., so that probably adds another couple of quid

Copies seem to be coming out of the workwork for some reason - maybe it's only you, me, Roy, Sid and Neil that now collect pressed glass

[Otis Orlando]

Oh dear! to think, we are in a recession.    I suppose there are other alternatives to obtaining some of these books cheaply.  Like they say, " the early bird catches the worm", well in my  case it's "the early worm that will be catching the book."   

Thank you all ever so much for your help.   I never would of thought an aged pressed plaque would not only of gathered dust, but also a vast amount interest.  The only reason why I purchased the plaque, is because I thought it might glow under UV light.   Well, you can omit the UV, but the light in my darkest times of searching............are you!

Thanks again.

[Paul S.]

I did speak to Raymond Slack regarding the matter of longevity of use of moulds - although get the feeling that the answer is not a simple one.          Slack's book is an essential read if you're into pressed glass, and contains much of interest regarding all aspects of mould making and use  -  with information detailing such matters as the acquistion of one factory's moulds by another, and the melting of moulds for armaments during the first war.             It seems obvious that some moulds were used over a long period, and not always by the same factory in whose hands they started life.

Re your comments Otis regarding a possible 'glow' - keep using the torch  -  one day you might come across a piece of 'Patent Queen's Ivory Ware'  -  not only does that carry a lozenge, but it also glows well, having both arsenic and uranium in the mix.          It has the appearance of being ceramic, but is in fact glass, and is discussed in the book.

[Otis Orlando]

Re your comments Otis regarding a possible 'glow' - keep using the torch  -  one day you might come across a piece of 'Patent Queen's Ivory Ware'  -  not only does that carry a lozenge, but it also glows well, having both arsenic and uranium in the mix.          It has the appearance of being ceramic, but is in fact glass, and is discussed in the book.

Thanks Paul, I appreciate your valuable information.   I'm now sifting through some of my past pieces that have never been identified.   Praying that  I will find a Qeen's Ivory Ware'  ...........................  Don't look very promising . 

I can't really say I was into press glass,even though I do buy it now and again,  but I am now, thanks to you all. . 

[Paul S.]

unfortunately, nothing in the Kew records to indicate this was manufactured in anything other than plain and coloured Vitro-Porcelain  -  I assume that is what the examples shown here are - has it been said as much, I've rather lost the plot.
Sorry the second pic is a bit duff, but it confirms the comments made earlier about this pattern being part of 'An Ornamental Design for a Desert Service'  -  alghough I wasn't aware of seeing different shaped pieces in the Registers.                Might it not be unreasonable to infer from this description of a 'Desert Service', that at the time of Registration and perhaps for some while after, this design was used soley for table purposes and not for Ornamental purposes - as would be implied if the piece had been conceived with iridescent carnival in mind - just my thoughts - I've no experience of seeing the word carnival in the registers, so probably flying a kite here. 

None of this helps to date Otis' piece, and any suggestion of such would be purely speculative.         But a good find nonetheless Otis, and a good 'conversational' piece.

[Otis Orlando]

Hi  Paul, sorry I have not been able to get back to you until now.  Thanks for looking all the same and for your most recent info.  I'm not sure what you meant by vitro-porcelain, so decided to look this up.  I found information,  that it was first introduced in the USA in the 1930's.  Then I found that Sowerby produced Vitro-Porcelain in 1877.   I'm confused .  In other words, I'm trying to find out if my piece can also be referred to as Vitro-porcelain.

This site below,  that you are probably familiar with has some interesting information, as I was unaware that some  moulds were sold to other companies, which of course, if this occurred with my piece, yes it would be difficult to date.

http://www.pressedintime.com/sowerby.htm

With reference to your second and third picture, are these glass and if so, is my piece an ornamental or is it a 'desert service?'. 

During further investigation I came across this site:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ANTIQUE-SET-5-HENRY-GREENER-SOWERBY-OPAL-MILK-GLASS-PLATES-1876-/300876710926?pt=UK_Art_Glass&hash=item460da6440e#ht_4318wt_1200

The information within the description refer to Henry Greener working for Sowerby and then pulling out to work on his own.   Is this correct?  As previously mentioned, I'm not knowledgeable on the subject matter in question, so please forgive me if I have not been clear on anything mentioned.  It's just that I have become very interested in the plaque/plate and would very much like to find out as much as I can about it, even if a date cannot be ascertained.   I wonder why the pictures have also been removed.

[Lustrousstone]

Yes your plate is vitro-porcelain; it just means glass that looks like china. Paul's pictures are from the archives at Kew so are photographs of drawings of glass. You piece is part of a dessert set. The use of the word ornamental here means pretty and functional rather than simply functional.

The missing pictures means the ebay seller has removed them from the hosting site.

Henry Greener worked for Sowerby as a salesman as a young man before going into business with James Angus in the Wear Flint Glass Works. He started his career in glass as an apprentice to John Price at age 12. He didn't have sole control of a business until Angus died and he was 49 (Slack, p85).

[Otis Orlando]

Thanks Christine for clarifying this.   The information you have provided is more than helpful and hope to get some of the books Paul has suggested, soon.   I Appreciate your help .