Topic: Opaline white hen and hen basket help please.

[brucebanner]

I have had a good look and can not find this one.

It is a to part mould slit in the middle and has a milk glass opaline look to it, i have no idea of age or maker.

7 inches in length.

Regards Chris.

[Anne Tique]

On Pamela's http://pressglas-pavillon.de/ it's listed as Fenne 1909, you'll find it in the categories 'Deckeldosen'...the basket's different though, but I thought the chicken's a match...

Just realized that there's a similar one from  Cornhill Glass Works Sunderland and Vallerysthal did the same chicken but again, different baskets...

And looking again, there's a white one in the unidentified section which has the same basket but seems to be a later mould...

[Paul S.]

Shirley Smith was the big name in these things  -  referred to usually as 'hen on nest', and if you punch this phrase into the Board's search you should have enough to occupy you until Christmas  -  next year.         They seem to have been around since God was a boy, and I suspect the majority made outside the U.K. - the States have made a lot in the last half century.

Shirley Smith was a GMB member I believe, although probably not for the past four years or so, and she had a web site that carried much information on these things, but believe that link taken down when the lady published her book on the subject.
Smith's tome has the title 'Glass Hen Nest Covered Dishes Identification and Value Guide'  -  and there's eight copies on Abe Books this morning I see  -  ranging in price from the Dollar equivalent of £82 to £210, so only for the really keen.

I did post a similar piece some few years back, and Anne (Mod.) very kindly added a link (which may in fact have been from Smith's web site)  -  but unfortunately I can't now find my own post to see if the link still works.

In view of the long and varied history of these pieces I'd suggest that without the book identification is not easy.

[brucebanner]

Thanks for the info Paul i will look into getting the book maybe when the list of books i need drops down a little, the next is the decanter book, fingers crossed i might have that for Christmas if i'm good

[glass man]

Back in the mid 1980's I knew a lady that was into antiques. She told me that with a vintage hen on a nest, if you hold it up to the sun, if you would  see a rainbow in the ruffled rim it is old. I never seen one nor do I remember if it  was only on clear glass or milk glass.  Any ideas on this? They have been coming from China for awhile.
Thank's Bob

[Paul S.]

Bob  -  if you're referring to the effect known as the 'sunset glow', then this wouldn't be seen on clear glass, and occurs only on translucent pieces and around the edges of opaque milk glass - presumably only on those pieces that contain phosphates, and is seen when viewing the glass under transmitted light (i.e. light viewed after it has passed through the glass  -  as opposed to reflected light).         The reason being, presumably, is that the additives (to the batch) that give rise to these reddish tones prevent the glass from remaining clear.

According to the books, prior to c. 1930 this effect was created by powdered calcined animal bones, but on later pieces the effect was achieved in a more controlled way by addition of the chemical phosphates alumina and fluorine.
As a decorative effect (within glass) it seems to have had a long history.

I'm sure I've seen these 'hens on nest' in clear glass, but I'd take a guess that there are a lot more in opaque white glass, with a lesser quantity being coloured.     Sowerby did a frosted chic butter dish apparently, but no sunset glow it seems.              I believe that the expression 'milk glass'  -  when these things appear as opaque white glass  -  was originally a piece of terminology from the States, but Belknap's book does include a few pieces in colours other than white.          Unfortunately, he makes no mention of the make-up of the glass, or for that matter any reference to a sunset glow.

I've not been aware of seeing an example from China, but it seems from what you're saying that the modern examples are simply opaque white glass minus the phosphates, thus missing the sunset glow?

In the past there have been mammoth discussions on the GMB, in an attempt to define peoples' views on the differences between opal, opalescent, opaline and opaque white glass  -  I should think you could float the Bismark with the ink we have used

P.S.    Chris  - for my money, The Decanter Book is miles out ahead of the Hen on Nest book (with apologies to Shirley Smith)

P.P.S.      my humble suggestion would be to avoid the word 'opaline' for pieces such as this i.e. plain white opaque material.        The word opaline is a description that seems to have been used specifically to describe the pastel coloured partly translucent glass  -  mainly coloured with metallic oxides (dark blue and even black)  -  with an appearance less dense (and more delicate) than ordinary opaque white glass.
Often French (Baccarat), but also from Bohemia and Murano.
It's rare that I'd agree with a modern States description , but in this instance I'm happy with 'milk glass', failing which simply opaque white glass.