Millersburg Radium Carnival Glass

This gorgeous antique purple amethyst 9" carnival glass bowl has a sawtooth edge & a iridescent radium finish. It has the "Holly Whirl" pattern with the "Near Cut Wreath" exterior by Millersburg glass.

The Millersburg Glass Company opened on May 20, 1909. The company was built by John Fenton who had decided to leave the Fenton Art Glass Company to "strike out on his own". He was a creative glass making genius, but he was not the businessman his brother Frank was.

The company produced beautiful crystal & some carnival glass in amethyst, green & a soft marigold. The first carnival glass they made had a satin finish much like the other carnival makers because John was of course, using the Fenton process. After 7 months of experimentation the now famous "radium" finish was introduced. This very high gloss, radium finish was an instant success & Millersburg continued to use this process until the company's demise in 1911. John Fenton's poor business practices & the competition of other glass companies (Northwood, Fenton, & Imperial) led to the company declaring bankruptcy in June of 1911 & the company was sold in September of that year.

The finish of this bowl has a beautiful watery/shiny gold tone with a rainbow of colors including pink, purple, blue, green & yellow. The beauty is ever changing depending on the light, the angle, & the background. When tilted the bowl shows it's transparent nature & the observer can clearly see the base pattern underneath.

It measures approximately 9" (22.9 cm) in diameter & 3" (7.6 cm) tall. It weighs 1lb 4.4oz (580 grams).