BRILLIANT CUT GLASS VASE, “BUTTERFLY & DAISY” C. 1900

This Fabulous Brilliant Cut Glass Vase Has a Winning Charm! The beautiful “butterfly, daisy and floral” motif with its zipper cutting down the sides as well as an unusual scalloped rim, gives this brilliant cut glass vase all the bounce that is required of a “choice” piece. The shape is somewhat that of an hour glass. This would be from the “Naturals” or “Intaglio” period of cut glass making in the United States at the time. This lovely brilliant period cut glass vase proudly stands 11 3/4” High and was cut approximately 1900-1910. It could have been made by the Pairpoint Corporation of Massachusetts who was famous for its art glass lamps, sterling and eventually cut glass. On the other hand, the Canadian company of Roden Brothers also cut similar butterfly patterns. There is no signature so attribution more than likely is Pairpoint which is an American Glass Company.

COMMENT: When it came to cut glass, Pairpoint Corporation was well known for its “butterfly & floral” motifs. This piece does not carry a signature; however from various researches we feel that quite possibly this vase could be from this factory. As we know many of the earlier pieces of cut glass were not signed when they left the various factories.

Signing cut glass became more common after 1905. Signatures came into being to protect the specific patterns attributed to specific companies, due to loss of pattern books as the workers moved around from different companies. The signature would protect the pattern from being copied by another company who was not the original owner of a particular design. Some workers did steal pattern or design books as they were fired or rehired by a different company.

This specific cut glass vase was found in Montreal, Canada at a Place Bonaventure Exhibit (Antique Show) some years ago and apparently came from an affluent household there. This would make sense in the fact that Pairpoint did have an outlet in Montreal shortly after c. 1900 and the original purchaser probably bought it from the outlet there.

Some people would argue that this could also be a pattern executed by Roden Brothers of Canada. Roden Brothers of Montreal and Toronto cut similar “butterfly & floral” motifs around the same time period. Many of their pieces were not signed. Roden Brothers started their factory in Montreal as silversmiths in 1879 and had branched out into cutting glass as well. Because the vase is not signed and that I have not found an exact illustration, I will not ardently argue the issue of who made it. I will say I once have seen a piece of Roden that was signed with a similar motif but it did not compare. However anything is possible! In 1900-1907 Roden Brothers moved from Montreal and opened shops in London & Toronto, Ontario. In Ontario they were especially well known for their sterling. Little information is available about them and would require much more time than I can spare at the moment.

Is it not interesting that so many cut glass companies first opened shop as silversmiths and evolved to becoming well known for their glass? Well crystal and silver go hand in hand!

CONDITION: BTEF condition.

HISTORY OF PAIRPOINT CORPORATION

Pairpoint started many years ago in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1866. Later in 1870 the property was purchased by William L Libbey of Boston. He now joined his Mount Washington Glass Works with Pairpoint. In 1894 Pairpoint bought out Mt. Washington and in 1900 they merged and became known as the Pairpoint Corporation. At this point they were just as well known as Gorham in the United States and were just as big if not as big. Their branches were proliferating New York, San Francisco and Montreal. This was success! Unfortunately, as with many other great factories, they too fell prone to the Great Depression and rumblings of WW II in the near distance and had to close their doors in 1937.

Pairpoint was well known for its silver and lamps. Today as in the past, Pairpoint is and always will be held in high esteem World wide.