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This is classic Thomas Webb LEMONESCENT. The uranium content in the yellow glass is less than 1/2 of 1 percent of total weight of the glass batch. It was made just like Hobbs Rubina Verde Opalescent.
This is classic Thomas Webb LEMONESCENT. The uranium content in the yellow glass is less than 1/2 of 1 percent of total weight of the glass batch. It was made just like Hobbs Rubina Verde Opalescent (small gather of cranberry, followed by a gather of vaseline glass with opalescent properties). The pieces were shaped, then the opalescent was 'struck' by returning the piece to the glory hole for a reheating.
Look closely: one dish is a bright finish and one has a satin finish. When Webb originally sold these, they were put into a silverplate frame that was specifically crafted for this shape. As a double did not exist, I found someone who has a ORIGINAL SINGLE MARMALADE WITH FRAME and I had my friend take pictures from all angles. I then took those pictures to a silversmith and had him craft a frame like it would have been made originally. The original is silverplate. The reproduction is sterling. This project is not for the faint-of-heart: The frame by itself was $625. No, it would not be any cheaper to have someone make a silverplate frame, as there are more steps and would have been just as expensive. I found a pair of matching vintage silverplate spoons to complete the set.
The silver work is so exact for these two bowls, that I cannot alternate/switch the bowl from one side to the other. I can't even rotate the dish 90, 180, or 270 degrees within the side that the dish is supposed to be. This is due to the bowl having irregular sides that stick out at different levels. Whenever I take the dishes out of the frame, I mark them with post-it notes so they get back to their proper space.
It appears that the bowl rests on the little 'blades' or 'tulip petals' coming up from each corner. However, they are just to keep the pieces from tipping out when it is moved. The glass does not touch any of the eight corners. Each piece rests only on the top flat surface of the little 1/2 balls that make up the 4 corners of each side.
The center ring was made large enough so that the spoons hang over the dishes, but don't bump the glass if they swing a little bit. This is so (hypothetically), the marmalade can drip back into the bowl, and not down the outer rims of the bowls. Each dish (when found by itself, with no frame) usually sells for $250-375.
Mr. Vaseline Glass
(aka: Dave Peterson) |
