Archive for Glass
Thomas Webb glass pink satin glass paperweight ?
Posted by: | CommentsThomas Webb pink satin glass paperweight
Thomas Webb glass paperweight
Has anyone every seen one of these before? It is supposed to be by Thomas Webb who certainly made lots of satin glass. This is the first paperweight of its kind I have seen and I have been looking out for unusual glass paperweights for over 20 years now.
This glass paperweight has a lovely pink colour under bright light however in daylight it is a little dull.
It measures about 6 cms diameter and 7.5 cms high. I must admit it looks a bit like a mushroom growing out of my desk.
Perhaps someone could help me shed some light on this piece ? I am going to do some research myself and will add any findings here.
paperweight base
Pretty Perthshire Paperweights
Posted by: | CommentsScottish glass paperweights and especially Perthshire paperweights are always popular and dont stay in my shop for long. I’ve just added some pretty ones to antiquesavenue.co.uk antiques shop as you can see here:
-
- perthshire butterfly paperweight
-
- perthshire pebble paperweight
-
- perthshire millefiori paperweight
-
- perthshire paperweight
Last minute vintage gifts for Mothers day
Posted by: | Comments
cranberry glass perfume brooch
Mothers day is just over a week away now so you need to buy your Mum a prezzie in the next few days. Here are my final thoughts on what she would appreciate, How about a vintage or antique perfume bottle ? If you are in the UK there is still time to get one of these to you but please do order and pay for your gift by 9.00 am on Thursday 19th to guarantee delivery.
-
- miniature perfume brooch
-
- cranberry glass perfume brooch
-
- art glass perfume bottle
-
- caithness glass perfume bottle
Victorian pictorial paperweights – souveniers from the past
Posted by: | Comments
victorian pictorial paperweight
I have had a couple of enquiries recently from readers wanting to know about their Victorian Pictorial paperweights. There is not a lot of information about these around. Here is my understanding:
Originally these paperweights were cheap souvenirs, just like the holiday souvenirs you can buy today. They were made by attaching a picture ( originally a lithograph) to the base of the glass weight and then sealing this with a layer of paper. Later the Lithograph was replaced by a photograph or a print . Occasionally you might come across a hand painted example but this would be quite rare.
How can you tell the age of these souvenier paperweights?
I like to look at the scene its self. What are the people wearing? Are there any cars in the picture? If there is a famous landmark in the picture you can consider the date the landmark was built. A colour photograph will be 20th century as will any souvenir paperweight made of resin rather than glass.
What are these souvenir paperweights worth?
These currently do not fetch a lot of money from £5 upwards to about £25. The value will depend on factors such as : age ( Victorian worth more than 20th century if all other factors are equal), Shape of the paperweight ( round is usual less common shapes may be worth a little more, rarity and desirability of the scene) Very importantly the condition of the picture – many of these have wear to the picture which can greatly reduce the price.
Care of your Pictorial Paperweight
Do not use water on these are you will ruin the picture. If necessary a wipe over the glass with a soft cloth taking great care with the base or the picture will come off!
Victorian pictorial paperweights are interesting pieces of social history and would make a great collection. How about trying to find ones of places you have visited? My opinion is that these are worth collecting for the future as they are currenly undervalued.
pictorial paperweight on serpentine base
Goldstone – millions of copper sparkles
Posted by: | Comments
And how about this wonderful Victorian heart charm made from goldstone?
Wedding cake anyone? Vintage Venitian glass beads
Posted by: | Comments
Venetian glass beads
This vintage glass necklace is another wonderful piece from the owner of the Palais Royale perfume bottles. Cyril tells me :
My wife has also got a Victorian necklace from the same source, pictures attached. It is 30 inches in total length.
Well I have to differ slightly on this necklace I think it is a bit later than Victorian most likely from the 1920s or 1930s. It is made of venetian glass hand made lamp work beads. The pinks, blue and gold combination would make this a very collectable necklace. Each bead has been hand crafted over a hot flame with each intricate detail being a separate piece of applied coloured glass. These are known as wedding cake beads . This term comes from the way the beads look as if they have had the decoration applied in the same way as icing is applied to a wedding cake.
I have no doubt that the beads here are genuine vintage pieces of jewellery but please do take care if you look on the interenet or eBay to buy wedding cake beads . These are still being made today with most being imported from China and India. The new ones have a slightly different appearance so pleas make sure you buy from a reputable source unless you know exactly what you are looking at.
A genuine venetian glass wedding cake bead vintage necklace would sell for somewhere between £30 and £130 depending upon condition, colour, length and pattern of the beads.
Palais Royale – French antique perfume bottles
Posted by: | CommentsI get a regular stream of questions asking for information on your antiques, it is always interesting to take a look but today it was a real pleasure to be sent a photograph of these wonderful perfume bottles.
How pretty are these? So very desirable for any perfume bottle collection. The gentleman who sent me this picture tells me that they were given to his wifes mother in 1922 and they were not new then – he believes that they are venetian glass.
I completely agree that they were not new in 1922, these are Victorian. I think that they are Palais Royale pieces. The Palais Royale is in Paris and was built in1629 for Cardinal Richelieu, later becoming the residence of the Duke of Orleans. Shops and cafes were built in the grounds of the palace and these were patronised by wealthy visitors looking for trinkets and souvenirs. Commonly we find today small pieces known as Palais Royale – they have a few things in common – ornate gilt metal work, mother of pearl, mirrors, glass, flowers for example.
This perfume bottle set would originally have had a cover ( you can see the grove in the wooden base where it would have fitted ) – I think a glass dome rather than a wooden case – who would want to hide such finery. I notice that there are “Gems” set into the metal – it is difficult to be sure from one photo but these are most likely glass. I see some of the flowers are also coloured – perhaps enamel? There was a great french glass making industry and so the perfume bottles could well be French although they may have been imported from Italy. I suspect that the blue colour is overlaid on the glass but again this would need to be looked at in person to be sure.
Age – Victorian, Retail value? - a few hundred pounds depending upon condition.
AntiquesAvenue has a few genuine vintage perfume bottles for sale but not quite as grand as these.
Can you identify these glass paperweights?
Posted by: | Comments
Glass Paperweight
From Todays Post Bag:
I have two paperweights bought in 1970 they are both scolloped eight segments with different patterns inside I have not seen anything else like it can you tell me anything about them?
My Reply:
The shape of these paperweights is most unusual however the canes inside have a very “Cogged” appearance which is typical of paperweights made in Murano, Italy around the time you purchased these. They are quite collectable because of the unusual shape however I dont think they have any great value. If they were mine I would be selling them for around £25 each. I hope this helps
- Two Paperweights
AntiquesAvenue always has a nice selection of European Glass Paperweights for sale
