English Art Glass Flower Basket Pale Pink w Clear Overshot Briar Thorn Handle c 1880

012313-4/RL-516

This is a beautiful example of English overshot glass and it makes the basket extraordinary. The flower basket dates to the 19th century, circa 1880.

These types of overshot flower baskets were also produced by the Boston & Sandwich Company and Hobbs Brockunier in the United States, and sometimes it is difficult to determine the actual origin as the different glass makers produced glass of many similarities.

The basket is 5 ¾" high, and 5 ¼" by 5 ½".

The glass is pale pink and the glass is delicate and light. The body of the basket is from a mold with alternating ribs of different sizes swirling up the sides. The rim has deep and tight vertical crimps. The handle is a rustic briar or thorn and is of clear glass. The clear glass extends above the edge rim.

The clear overshot of finely ground shards forms a layer on the outside of the basket.

There is one chip on the edge, to the left of one corner and to the right of the handle; I point to the flaw with red arrows as it can be difficult to see due to the deep crimping on the edge. The edge rim also has a few spots of nibbling or tiny nicks, which is the nature of this glass. It is also the reason why so much of the overshot glass flower basket production does not survive to this day.

The pontil is round with a few flecks of overshot glass.