Posted 1 year ago
NittanyLio…
(1 item)
Hey everyone! I started a nice uranium glass collection and I've been able to identify all the pieces except for this one. I found it at a vintage/antique store in Northern Virginia and searched everywhere online but couldn't find anything to identify it with confidence. There are no markings and it looks like it could possibly be Victorian hand blown glass when comparing to similar pieces. Who do you think the manufacturer might be? What year or era do you think it is?
My leads are, so far...
Fenton Glass - They make a lot of art glass that is prevalent in antique shops in my area, but I saw nothing else that looked like this. Their stuff can tend to look more "frilled" and refined and this piece isn't like that. The owner of the antique store said it might be Fenton, but didn't label it as such and seemed unsure.
Every time I see a piece that very closely resembles this and I look it up, it keeps bringing me back to manufacturers in Stourbridge, England. I couldn't find an exact match, but there are a number of Jack in the Pulpit pieces or other bulbous vases from the 1800's Victorian era with that cranberry opalescent uranium look.
Stevens & Williams (and Honeybourne) - Supposedly, S&W, which acquired Honeybourne Glassworks, started the trend of making glass like this in the 1850's. It apparently was such a challenge to make, other manufacturers started making glass in this style to "prove" themselves. Although the cranberry opalescent uranium color and style is a match, the shape is not. Their glass tends to be more frilled like Fenton.
Britannia Glass Works (Thomas Webb & Sons) - My best guess so far is this manufacturer. I found several 1890's era vases of varying shapes with the exact same cranberry opalescent look, but not the same shape. I also found vases by Thomas Webb & Sons from the 1930's with the same exact shape (bulbous bottom, thin neck and flat, ribbed, wide top), but they were satin Burmese uranium glass. So...this is the only company where I found a match for color/style (1890's) and separately a match for shape (1930's).
I am curious to hear your thoughts and best guesses. Am I on the right track? Wrong track?
Dimensions? Height, width, weight? An image of the bottom might help...
Thanks! Okay, I added an image of the bottom. It has no markings, just a slight indent and spot where the blowpipe had been with a dark-colored impurity in that part of the glass.
Height - 4.25"
Width of Top - 4.5"
With of Bottom - 3"
Weight - I don't have a scale sensitive enough to weigh this. It's pretty light and isn't particularly thick, although it doesn't feel particularly thin and fragile either.
It's definitely not by Fenton. This is Victorian art glass, & could be English (there were a lot of other glassmakers besides the two mentioned that made pieces like this) or maybe even Bohemian. It's really hard to pin down exact makers without any distinguishing marks, or a documented shape/decor. This style of glass was made by many manufacturers in the late 19th century. It's a pretty piece, & I think just enjoy it for what it is!
agree, not Fenton; likely Victorian/EAPG era.
other examples for comparison:
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-victorian-vaseline-opalescent-1922314028
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/exquisite-cranberry-opalescent-472892881
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/victorian-opalescent-vaseline-glass-3840298433
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/rubina-verde-victorian-blown-glass-1809232376
Wow thanks both of you! That's the first time I've seen a picture of an identical piece--so it sounds like I was on the right track with my research. I like to keep records and labels of my things, so it really helps me to have confidence in it.
I'm going to leave this unsolved in case anyone is able to pinpoint the specific manufacturer or year, but I'm happy to know it is, indeed, Victorian art glass from England. It is such a pretty little piece and the more I look at it the more I'm drawn to it. I'll enjoy it regardless of whether or not I ever find out.