Copper-Wheel Engraved Dish with Wafer Foot, c1870. An elaborate, all-over engraving. Branches of wild roses alternate with groups of leafstalks. Five branches contain four wild roses each, with the flowers arranged differently in each grouping. Five groups of leafstalks; each group has three different leafstalks, for a total of 15 different leafstalks. The design's border pattern matches that found on the Lincoln tableware (1861) but without the latter's c-scrolls and pendants. A 32-pt star is cut on the dishes' wafer base which has been trimmed and beveled at the wheel.
The engraving contrasts effectively against the shiny, clear glass of the blank which is without a noticeable tint but which has a stray bubble or two and a couple minute stones of undissolved solids. In other words the blank is typical of what was produced during the third quarter of the nineteenth century. All leaves and petals are shaded. In addition, the centers of the roses are highly polished as are the tiny berries on a single stem that accompanies each group of roses; the berries' husks are left matte.
The dish is attributed to the New England Glass Company, based in part on a scrapbook that contains material used at "The New England". Briefly, this source shows the aforementioned Lincoln border pattern, slightly modified, as an unnumbered pattern on an unnumbered page. A close relative is Pattern No. 362. Both of these border patterns are slight variations of an English pattern that is shown on items made by Apsley Pellatt & Company of the Falcon Glass Works, London, about 1860 (Corning Museum of Glass), although this style of border was in use in England many years previously. The Pattern No. 362 border pattern can be seen on a goblet at the Chrysler Museum that has also been attributed to the NEGC (Merrill, N. O., 1980: Engraved New England glass at the Chrysler, The Glass Club Bulletin, No. 131, pp. 3-4).
In addition, the company's scrapbook contains a simplified version (as Pattern No. 107) of the pair of twisted vines that is the base for the pattern's branches and stalks. These twisted vines provide visual movement, encouraging the eye to sweep around the dish.
A set of seven professional photos (digital) has been prepared and was offered, without charge, to The Glass Club Bulletin of the National American Glass Club for publication. Regrettably, however, the editor of the Bulletin rejected this offer. Consequently, the complete set of photographs is being made available here, as follows:
Special 1 -- The original set of seven images, without any modifications.Special 2 -- The original set of seven images, modified by using automatic settings for brightness and contrast.
The writer found this richly-engraved dish during the summer of 2005. In some ways his experience was typical; in other ways it was very unusual. To begin with the latter:
As described above, the dish is remarkable, but for reasons one might overlook. As expected in such an engraving the copper-wheel technique is first class. There is no question that a master engraver was involved. But there are additional indications that the dish is special, and not some run-of-the-mill factory product (which, of course, can be quite delightful in its own way). The entire surface is engraved, save only the applied wafer foot. One wonders why anyone would engrave a dish in this manner if it were to be used; its contents would almost completely obscure the engraving. Consequently, one must conclude that the dish was a special undertaking for a special purpose -- perhaps as a presentation gift -- even though it lacks the engraved initials or other devices frequently used when such a purpose is intended. The interior of the dish shows no wear. It probably was used only as a display piece over the years; it certainly was not used as a container for fruit, etc. or as a catch-all.
Of particular interest is the design's "lay-out". Its elements are carefully arranged. Although it fills the surface of the dish, the design does not give an impression of crowding -- the branches of roses and the groups of leafstalks "breathe". In addition, the design is two-dimensional. There is little or no attempt to produce perspective. In looking at the engraving one does not automatically think "Bohemian", as is so often the case with engravings of this period. However, given the dish's likely date, the engraver probably was taught the basics of engraving by a Bohemian or German immigrant.
The design has a freedom, a lack of confinement, that says "American", not "Bohemian", to this writer who sees an Oriental influence in the careful arrangement of the design's vegetative components -- an expression of the American Aesthetic Movement in engraved glass, perhaps.
Photographic representations of engravings can be quite misleading because the glass is often photographed against a diffuse light source, as in this case. One needs only to look at the dish against natural light at, say, a distance of 18 inches or so to see something quite different. The design registers in sharp contrast to the shiny surface of the blank, and the engraving comes alive. One can see all of the design in detail, excepting only the tiniest of leaves and the husks of the berries that are present within the groups of wild roses. This was a deliberate attempt on the part of the designer/engraver: to produce an engraving that one could fully appreciate without using a magnifying glass!
On the other hand the buying experience was typical, but in this case it favored the buyer, not the seller. The writer found the dish in an above-average group shop on Market Street in Corning, NY, a town where "glass experts" are present in abundance. In fact, the dealer who was offering the dish is regarded as an expert in the field of Carder-Steuben glass. Yet the dish was priced absurdly low. And it was displayed with the greatest carelessness, placed on the top of a display case close to its edge. When such a situation is encountered, one immediately suspects that either (a) the item has irrepairable damage or (b) that the dealer is completely ignorant of the importance of the piece. In this case (b) applies because no damage was detected. In fact, it is obvious that the dish has been treated with respect during its lifetime. A couple discreet questions eventually revealed that the seller had purchased it from a private party in Elmira, NY about ten years ago. While this is only a tiny bit of provenance, every little bit is important, and one should always make an attempt to discover an item's history. The seller could have done his homework and realized the full potential of the dish, but the writer has found that "experts", as well as non-experts, often do not bother to take the time to do this. As a result, the alert buyer can sometimes come across a real "find" quite unexpectedly.
Updated 5 Mar 2007