Stunning American Brilliant Period Cut Glass Bowl

Antiques : Glass, Crystal : American Brilliant Period

 

Here, we are quite pleased to be able to offer a most stunning piece of American Brilliant Period (1875-1915) crystal cut glass that was very elaborately cut. This lovely American Brilliant cut glass bowl is incredibly heavy and was cut on a quite thick blank, having well defined & very precise cuts all over. The cutter of this particular bowl must have been very proud of his work on this superb piece, as you cannot find an area that isn't cut.

This piece was made more toward the early part of the AB Period. The reason we know this is because toward the end of the American Brilliant Period, owners of the big glass houses found that they could save on labor costs by eliminating the polisher, which was ultimately the last step in finishing a piece. At this time, they discovered that a piece could be dipped briefly in an acid wash, achieving almost the same result as if it had been polished. However, the difference (although subtle) is that the clarity was not quite as clear as it had been when actually polished. It appears a bit more "wavy" (for lack of a better word) than pieces that had previously been hand polished. This piece has wonderful clarity and is believed to be either Hawkes or Pairpoint, due to the low "U" cut between two scallops at the lowest parts of the rim. However, we have not been able to find a signature.

This particular piece has been black light tested for cracks and none have been found. However, there are some very minuscule flea bites scattered about. Most are not large enough to photograph but can be felt when holding & turning the piece. There is one chipped sawtooth on the rim that was a thin chip measuring approximately 1/4" in diameter, but it didn't take out the entire chip, just the inner portion of it. So, considering the above mentioned notes, we believe this bowl to be in VERY GOOD CONDITION, meaning that although not in mint or perfect or excellent condition, there are no major problems. It also has wear to the base which is consistent with pieces of this age that were lovingly cared for, but certainly used.

This lovely bowl measures 8" in diameter, 3-3/4" in height, and the glass is approximately 1/2" in thickness. It weighs just over 5 lbs.

Item ID: AU-1041