Postscript (21 Jun 2006): The writer informed the Museum last year that, in his opinion, the items in this file, as exhibited in mid July 2005, are incorrectly labeled. The brief explanations mentioned here are not intended for use on any revised label; they are included merely to help the reader -- and potential museum visitor -- understand why corrections are necessary. With luck, the Museum will consider the following suggestions as it did in 1998 when Acc. Nos. 98.4.278B, 280, 281, and 279B -- four colored wine glasses which were incorrectly reported as being cut in the Russian pattern (Corning Museum of Glass, Annual Report 1998, p. 27) were brought to the Museum's attention. Fortunately, before being exhibited the wines' pattern-name was changed to the correct one, Persian. The writer undoubtedly was not alone in pointing out this error.
The corrections suggested below were made by the Museum during 2005, with the exception of the official spelling of Philip MacDonald's name which remains unknown. Because these errors are typical of the kinds of errors one finds in today's museums, and because visitors interested in cut glass should be aware of them, the original list of suggested corrections, dating from July 2005, is given here.
Item: Acc. No. 65.4.23: "Canoe-shaped Centerpiece Cut in 'Hobnail' Pattern. J. Hoare & Company, 1880-1895". Pattern is cut in the Quarter Diamond pattern not Hobnail. Hobnail is composed of three intersecting sets of parallel miter cuts; Quarter Diamond is composed of four intersecting sets of parallel miter cuts. Quarter Diamond is the pattern's generic name as well as the one used by the Hoare company as its pattern name for this design. Reference: Ca.1890 J. Hoare & Company catalog.
Item: Acc. No. 90.4.170: "Amberina Pitcher Cut in the 'Russian' Pattern, 1886-1888". This pattern is not the Russian pattern, which, by definition, must have single stars on its hobnails. It is, instead, the pattern from which the Russian pattern developed. At the time indicated here this pattern with its uncut hobnails was known variously as Hobnail & Star (Dorflinger), Cut Hob & Star (New England), Octagonal Diamond & Rosette (Boston & Sandwich), Octagon Diamond & Star (Straus), No. 60 (Mt. Washington), and Star & Hobnail (Hawkes). If it is assumed that the pitcher was cut by the New England Glass Company -- because of this company's association with Amberina glass -- then this company's name for the pattern, Cut Hob & Star, should be used.
Item: Acc. No. 85.4.24 "Wineglass in the 'Russian' Pattern, with Foot Cut in Same Pattern, 1881-1890." Although the foot and bowl are cut in the same pattern, this pattern is not the Russian pattern. It can be found in Hawkes's catalogs as Star & Hobnail (see above). Not surprisingly, catalogs of the period listed Star & Hobnail and Russian as two distinct patterns.
Item: Acc. No. 85.4.25: "Bowl . . . Cut in the 'Russian' Pattern, 1882-1888." Again, not the Russian pattern but a close relative -- Dorflinger's Brilliante pattern. Note the use of 12-pt hobstars on the pattern's hobnails. In addition to the pattern itself, the bowl's rim is cut in Dorflinger's interpretation of the eighteenth century's "scalloped and cornered brim" cutting, a style that the company invariably used with its Brilliante pattern. Research is underway to discover the bowl's shape-designation. This bowl is located on a shelf devoted to products of the New England Glass Company. Reference: Numerous examples of the Brilliante pattern (but not this particular one) are shown in the ACGA's C. Dorflinger & Sons composite catalog.
Item: Acc. No. 98.4.138: "Decanter Cut in the 'Persian' Pattern, 1882-1896." This is an example of Hawkes's Russian, not Persian, pattern. Collectors formerly called the pattern Russian Canterbury to distinguish it from three other Russian variations, but today most collectors simply use the name employed by the several companies that cut the pattern -- that is, Russian. This decanter is shown in Sinclaire and Spillman 1997, illus. 140, p. 64, where the pattern is correctly identified. The pattern known as Persian -- as distinct from the Persian variation of the Russian pattern -- is definitely not "a variation of the 'Russian' pattern" as stated in this exhibit's explanatory note.
Item: Acc. No. 2003.4.76: "Ice Cream Tray Cut in 'McDonald' Pattern." The pattern on this ice-cream tray has been given an assigned name that is the name of its designer, Philip MacDonald. The pattern should be called "MacDonald", not "McDonald" because it is now known that the applicant's name was misspelled on the second page of the patent's application, where it was given as Philip McDonald. Realizing this error, the USPTO has replaced the original page with a new one that eliminates the name McDonald. In other words, according to the Patent Office, Philip McDonald does not exist. One must, therefore, always refer to Philip MacDonald as the designer and "MacDonald" as the pattern's name (until its official is discovered).
Updated 21 Jun 2006