Posted 5 years ago
artfoot
(367 items)
So, what can I tell you about this piece? It stands 8 1/8" (20.5 cm) tall with a 2" (5 cm) diameter throat and a 3" (7.5 cm) diameter base. It has multiple layers of glass - first, a thin clear layer, then a thin white layer rolled in multicolor frit, and finally, a comparatively thick clear casing. It appears to be blown into a base mold - there is no pontil scar. The top rim is sheared and polished flat. Nothing, so far, to rule out Czech production but here's the clincher. The underside wears an acid stamped "Made in Japan" export mark. In my mind, that pretty much guarantees this item is Japanese production. And, speaking of my mind, I believe the acid stamped MIJ marks are an indicator of pre-WWII production exported to USA.
To back up the dating (1930s vintage) this item has an affixed decal which reads (curiously) "Souvenir of Rockville, Conn". Rockville, Connecticutt, in the 1930s was a prosperous town full of textile mills. Its most recent claim to fame was as the childhood home of "The Rockville Rocket" Screamin' Gene Pitney. Today, it barely exists as a part-of-town in the enveloping suburbia - "The Rock" has lost its glory.
Because of the size of this piece and the sheared rim, I suspect this may have been originally fitted as a lamp base.
All I can say is YOU NEVER KNOW FOR SURE. Loved it on facebook and here. The color are very attractive in this spatter application. Thanks for posting.
I found my first piece of glass, that at a quick glance certainly gave the appearance of being Czech but having a "Made In Japan" acid stamp on the underside, probably 15 years ago. Since then, in studying pieces, and also with the help of what you have posted here and elsewhere, I have come to find that although their "spatters" have a similarity to Czech glass, they also seem to have an aesthetic of their own which can be differentiated from Czech once you have seen enough of it.
Very nice piece and well written article, this is a keeper!