Foreign Cut Glass on American Tables

1. A COMMEMORATIVE COLOGNE BOTTLE IN THE SHAPE OF A CROWN

Commemorative glassware has been defined as follows: "Glass objects, of great variety, that are decorated to commemorate some event, person, or cause, by a portrait, scene, or inscription" (Newman 1977, p. 75). The popularity of this glassware extends from the days of the Roman Empire (gladiatorial combat!) to the present day. Newman provids a list of suitable topics which is so lengthy that it would be tedious to repeat it here. It is sufficient to write that the cologne bottle in the shape of a crown, which is the subject of our discussion, records an event that was widely celebrated in the British Empire of 1897 -- the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Victoria.

Information contained in this file relies heavily on an article "written exclusively" for The Antiques Journal by R. S. Williams-Thomas (note 1). At the time he wrote the article, 1978, Williams-Thomas was chairman of the board of Royal Brierley Crystal (Stevens and Williams Ltd.) in the English Midlands. He writes as follows: "Records [of our company's involvement with commemorative glassware] start with the exciting items produced to commemorate Queen Victoria's famous 60th Jubilee" (note 2). Subsequently, the company continued to produce commemorative glassware which was highly regarded at the time it was produced, as it is today.

In the year of the Jubilee six special, commemorative items were produced by S&W. All but one of them contained suitable dates, royal cyphers, and/or inscriptions. The exception was the crown cologne. Its designer probably felt that further embelishment would be redundant, if not downright distracting.

While Williams-Thomas provides a couple photographs of actual commemorative glassware, his brief article is especially valuable because it also reproduces the sketches and notes that were the means by which the company recorded its products. At this time photographs were not used, at least not routinely. Although the original sketches are now sometimes somewhat faded, the ones in the article have been redrawn (traced?), and the hand-written notes that accompany them have been typed, for publication.

The sketch, upper right, represents the company's crown cologne: pattern (i. e., item) number 23,732, issued in 1897. The accompanying note is succinct: "Crown shape, Scent Bottle, richly cut". The original factory price of 25 shillings undoubtedly refers to a colorless example; the listing does not mention color. The retail price would have been about three pounds, ten shillings in London and double this amount in New York, based on estimates for cameo glass given by Williams-Thomas (1983, p. 31).

Apparently the cologne was made in only one size. Color and size options may have been recorded separately and could be on file at the Stevens and Williams factory. There is no record as to how many commemorative colognes were produced, but Williams-Thomas believes that production of all six items was unlimited. Each could have been produced for several years after 1897, perhaps especially the cologne which contained no inscription or date that would have tied it to a specific event in the past.

The following images are of a crown cologne bottle, amethyst cut-to-clear, that is believed to have been made by Stevens and Williams as one of the company's 1897 commemoratives. The images were kindly made available by Gail Bush, the cologne's former owner who indicates that the cologne was originally owned by a nanny in the Vanderbilt household. The image on the left provides a view that can be compared directly to the Stevens and Williams sketch. Although not every cut-glass motif is depicted in the sketch -- because of limitations imposed by the scale of the original drawing (somewhat enlarged here) -- most of them are. On the right the bottle has been rotated 45 degrees.

Two additional views of the cologne follow. On the left the rotated cologne is shown in a top view with its stopper removed, and on the right is a view of the cologne's base.

Finally, here are two close-up views of the cologne bottle: the first view, an oblique view of the cologne's body and the second view, a top view of the bottle with stopper removed:

A blown globe inside a blown globe provide the main components of the crown cologne's blank. The outer globe, or shell, was prepared by cutting four large apertures in its surface (a technique known as cutting-as-shaping), leaving two crossed arches which represent an actual crown's pair of metal arches. The arches are slightly depressed where they cross, giving the crown its characteristic profile. A ball (orb) at this intersection is the cologne's neck, providing access to the interior globe and containing its stopper.

International cut-glass motifs, most of which had been in use since the 1820s, were then cut on the cologne's outer surface. There are eight motifs, in all, which can be described as follows:

The underside of the cologne's base is cut with (i) English strawberry diamonds while the base itself is cut with horizontal bands of (ii) slanted and elongated bullseyes ("almonds") and (iii) prismatic rings (step-cutting). The arches contain (iv) miter cuts ("splits"), (v) prisms, and vertical bands of (vi) small, open (table) diamonds accompanied by horizontal and vertical bands of (vii) strawberry (fine) diamonds. Single miter cuts on the cologne's neck (ball or orb) define one horizontal band and four short, vertical bands which also contain strawberry (fine) diamonds. The stopper is topped with a Maltese cross formed by intersecting meter cuts. Its arms are (viii) panel-cut.

The Stevens & Williams cologne bottle has the dimensions: H = 6.5" (16.5 cm), max W = 5.0" (12.7 cm). It sold for $3,163 at an eBay auction in 2005.

The Stevens and Williams design has had its predecessors, one of which is shown and discussed as follows:

The crown cologne at the right was sold at Sotheby's for 940 pounds sterling, including buyer's premium, at the auction company's London showroom on 18 Dec 2002. It is described as having "some typical chips" and a measurement of 5.5" (14 cm), dimension not specified but probably height. The auction house believes that the cologne was "probably" made by Apsley Pellatt, c1820, and offers this description of it:

A cut-glass crown scent flask and stopper, the circular openwork form cut with raised and fine strawberry diamonds, star-cut base, with removable central prismatic-cut tapering bottle with diamond-cut neck, the stopper in the form of a Maltese cross.

Both the Stevens and Williams cologne and the crown cologne at Sotheby's are based on the shape and components of St. Edward's Crown, sometimes called "the crown of England". A slightly depressed area at the intersection of the two arches on the colognes preserves the distinctive shape of St. Edward's Crown whose profile has graced the Royal Cypher since 1952. Appropriately, it is also seen on the Royal Arms that is displayed by Stevens and Williams Ltd by virtue of a Royal Warrant ("By Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen").

The triangular projections that flank the arches on the crown at Sotheby's, but not on the S&W example, are probably meant to represent the fleurs-de-lys that are found in these positions on St. Edward's Crown, where they alternate with crosses pattée which are positioned at the ends of the arches (Packard 1981). The crosses have been eliminated on the cologne at Sotheby's, and both crosses and fleurs-de-lis are missing from the Stevens and Williams cologne.

St. Edward's Crown was made for Charles II (1661) and is said to contain gold from the crown used by St. Edward the Confessor in the eleventh century. It is the crown that is actually used in the coronation ceremony and has been used in every coronation since Charles II, with three exceptions. Queen Victoria's coronation was one of these, because, with a weight of about 5 lbs (2.3 kg), it was felt that it would have been too heavy for the young queen. Therefore, a crown of similar design, but lighter in weight, called the Imperial State Crown, was made for her. Today, as earlier, the Imperial State Crown is the country's "everyday" crown, suitable for wearing to formal state occasions. Its weight is about half that of St. Edward's Crown. Although the Imperial State Crown has been altered for successive monarchs, including the present queen, the crown today closely matches the appearance of the original crown as depicted in Sir George Hayter's painting "The Blessing of Queen Victoria" (1838). Elizabeth II wears it in the famous coronation portrait of her by Cecil Beaton (1953). Although the Imperial State Crown, and not St. Edward's Crown, was used in Victoria's coronation, it is the latter crown, with its greater historical significance, that was chosen as the model for the cut-glass crown colognes of the mid and late nineteenth century.

Cut-glass crowns with arches and simple crosses appear as early as the first quarter of the nineteenth century, for example on the rim of a bowl that Hajadamach states was "probably made for a royal service" (1991, p. 42-3). Elaborately cut glass of this type was produced in England as early as the first decade of the century -- earlier than previously thought -- when the use of "steam mills for cutting", a phrase used in advertising copy of the day, became increasingly widespread. This resulted in the development of a large variety of miter-cut motifs which produced a style that gradually replaced the shallow slice-cutting of the previous century. This new style was exported to the emerging cut-glass industry in America, with obvious effect.

Whether the crown cologne at Sotheby's was made in 1820, 1831, or 1838, a span of only 18 years, is relatively unimportant. Whoever made it, and for whatever reason, the designers at Stevens and Williams would probably have been aware of two-piece cologne bottles of this design and would have been prepared to re-design ("modernize") them as one-piece crown colognes and decorate them in a manner similar to earlier examples. Designers of this period in England were usually well-trained in historical design. If this argument is valid, then the cologne at Sotheby's can be considered to be a prototype for Stevens and Williams' design of 1897, as can a similar crown cologne at the Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston, UK (shown in SCENT BOTTLES by Alexander Walker [Shire Books, 1987]).

We tend to forget that crowns such as St. Edward's Crown and the Imperial State Crown are made of two parts: the metal crown proper and a velvet liner or cap that protects the wearer's head. One can think of the slanted and elongated bullseyes at the S&W cologne's base as representing the velvet liner's border of ermine which is turned up at the metal crown's base and is always seen on royal crowns that are designed to be worn, however briefly.

The additional cuttings on the Stevens and Williams cologne can be described as follows: The motifs on the cologne's arches combine to generalize the designs found on the broad, thick gold arches of St. Edward's Crown (The Imperial State Crown uses a design of oak leaves and acorns), while the step cutting, above the "ermine" border, corresponds to the metal crown's rim. Additionally, the cut-glass cologne preserves the orb and cross of St. Edward's Crown at its neck and on its stopper. Although the orb's equatorial band is represented, its single semi-meridian (two segments) has been replaced with two semi-meridians (four segments). While this seems odd, it probably was done because the cologne, unlike the original crown, has no front/back; each quarter has equal value. The semi-meridians are also seen to be extensions of the vertical strawberry diamond bands on the cologne's arches, so this may have been an aesthetic decision. (Other manufacturers of crown colognes have decorated their orbs differently.) The Maltese cross on the cologne's stopper is an approximation of the cross pattée that surmounts St. Edward's Crown.

The foregoing material provides a high degree of confidence that the amethyst-cut-to-clear crown cologne in this file is, indeed, one of the half-dozen pieces of commemorative glassware designed by Stevens and Williams to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. However, a measure of doubt has been cast upon this conclusion by the appearance of an identical cologne, in colorless lead glass, in the second Boggess book, IDENTIFYING AMERICAN BRILLIANT CUT GLASS (1996, illus. 662). That cologne is said to be "signed Steuben". However, the cologne's present owner has been contacted, and she states, unequivocally, that the cologne in the Boggess book is not signed by Steuben or by any other manufacturer (note 3). It is shown here, below on the left, in a photograph that is clearer than the one published in the Boggess book. The cologne can be compared to an authentic Steuben crown cologne, on the right, which was designed by Frederick Carder in Corning during the 1920s (Gardner 1971, p. 97; also, Sinclaire and Spillman 1997, p. 194).

This comparison is made because some collectors believe that the example in Boggess book shares the same blank as the Steuben cologne, and is, therefore, a Steuben product. While the blanks used are very similar, there are significant differences that become apparent in this side-by-side comparison. Note the different necks on the two colognes and the colognes' bases. On the Steuben example this area is recessed. These differences, and others, lead to the conclusion that the two colognes used two different blanks: one made in England, the other in Corning.

That the blanks used for these two colognes are closely related is not unexpected. Carder was a designer at Stevens and Williams when the 60th Jubilee articles were produced. He probably carried the design of the crown cologne in his head -- or perhaps in his steamer trunk -- when he moved from Brierley Hill to Corning. Subsequently, he designed this version of the Stevens and Williams cologne for Steuben, some twenty years after his arrival in this country in 1903 (note 4).

Cut-glass cologne bottles in the shape of a crown -- any crown -- are rare. If the reader knows of an example, the writer would appreciate being informed. He will then include it in this file.

Acknowledgement. The writer wished to express his appreciation for the help given him by the Corning Museum of Glass and by several individuals, including the intermediary (JM) who "miraculously" was able to locate the present owner of the colorless Stevens and Williams cologne (BG) who provided its photograph. Special thanks to the owner of the colored S&W cologne, Gail Bush, whose inquiry initiated this intriguing investigation and whose assistance has been considerable.

NOTES:

1. The Antiques Journal, Vol. 33, No. 6, pp. 31-33, 47-8 (Jun 1978). A history of Stevens and Williams, THE CRYSTAL YEARS, also written by Williams-Thomas, was published by S&W in 1983. It includes material that was originally published in the Journal. A capsule history of the company can be found in Newman (1977, p. 298).

2. Williams-Thomas has overlooked a two-color cut-glass vase that contains a sulphide of Victoria's head, no. 12,237 in the S&W catalog (Hajdamach 1991, p. 283). The vase is dated 1887, the year of the Golden Jubilee. Apparently, for some reason, S&W did not consider this item to be a commemorative, although Gardner, in his book, does (1971, p. 11).

3. See Gierow, H. P., 1984: A Steuben cologne, The Hobstar, Vol. 6, No. 5, p. 9 (Jan 1984) for a brief discussion of this "Steuben" cologne which has the dimensions: h = 6.25" (22 cm), max w = 5" (17.7 cm). The author makes no mention of a signature. The existence of this supposed Steuben signature was questioned early in this investigation because of the hundreds of errors that have been found in the five books written by Bill and Louise Boggess (see The Boggess Project). It is known that these authors did not always examine the items they chose to illustrate. They sometimes simply used photographs sent to them, and passed along any claims concerning the items that the senders might have offered, without confirming them or undertaking any significant research. In addition, the Boggesses have frequently shown that they are unable to recognize basic motifs and pattern characteristics, an obvious requirement for anyone involved in the identification of items of cut glass. Regrettably, the Boggesses have also demonstrated a reluctance to admit their errors and to provide corrections in print. Their books are not considered reliable by many students of American cut glass.

4. The only crown colognes that are illustrated in the catalog of Carder/Steuben line drawings are the two shown in this note (Gardner 1971, p. 242). It is clear from them that Gardner has misidentified the cologne in his book. It is not no. 6432. That cologne should probably be regarded as an experimental item that was never put into production. The line drawings show simplified colognes with only one arch, a slimmer bottle, and a stopper with a long dauber. The distinctive shape of St. Edward's Crown has been lost. Cutting is limited to the stopper's Maltese cross, except for some light cutting or engraving on no. 6450. These drawings confirm the conclusion that the "Steuben" cologne in the Boggess book was not made by Carder/Steuben.

The Gardner cologne is at the Corning Museum of Glass and is the only Steuben cologne in the shape of a crown that is in the museum's collection. It is also the only Steuben crown cologne that Jane Shadel Spillman, curator of American glass, has seen. Additionally, the Rockwell Museum also has no crown cologne in its extensive collection of Steuben glass. Neither museum has an example of the Stevens and Williams colognes discussed in this file (letter from JSS, 9 Jan 2004). Although it would be highly unusual to find a second example of the crown cologne that is shown in Gardner's book, examples of the two line drawings are not beyond the realm of possibility. A search is on!

Updated 28 Apr 2005

2. STEVENS AND WILLIAMS HOCK GLASSES IN COLOR

The illustrations in this section are taken from Williams-Thomas's brief history of Stevens and Williams Ltd., a book that is difficult to find in this country (Williams-Thomas 1983, p. 67). The glasses are not dated but all were probably made during the period 1900 to 1920, except the short wine which was probably made earlier, c1880. Although the glasses are not discussed in detail in the book, they are here because they represent different uses of color on glass.

It is notoriously difficult to reproduce colors accurately in photographs. An image can only hint at a true color. In addition, and complicating any analysis, Stevens and Williams used several shades of a particular color. For example, no less than seven shades of amber were in use; Williams-Thomas lists five of them as auburn, cairngorm, old gold, and chrysophase. Textual descriptions are of little help; for example, plain amber is described as a "Greenish dirty brown colour"!

Fortunately, this file is not concerned with colors per se but how they have been used on products from Stevens and Williams. The following analysis is an attempt to describe the colors on each glass. The glasses are numbered 1 to 6, left to right, with no. 7 in the foreground.

• No. 1 - Brown cut to yellow cut to colorless.

• No. 2 - Green cut to colorless with red blob at base of bowl that produces "a very faint colour suffusion ... reflecting upwards", according to Williams-Thomas.

• No. 3 - Green cut to colorless; brown cut to colorless (on English strawberry diamonds).

• No. 4 - Blue cut to yellow cut to colorless.

• No. 5 - Reddish amber cut to yellow. (*)

• No. 6 - Amethyst cut to colorless; indeterminate second color at mid bowl.

• No. 7 - Amber cut to yellow. (*)

Updated 31 Mar 2004