Decanter
Manufacturer: Mt. Washington Glass Works (American)
Artist: Glassblower, John Liddell (American)
Date: about 1885
Dimensions:
H with stopper: 50.0 cm (19 11/16 in.); H without stopper: 43.2 cm (17 in.); Rim Diam: 3.75 cm (1 15/32 in.); Max Body W: 16.4 cm (6 15/32 in.); Base Diam: 11.9 cm (4 11/16 in.)
Medium: Ruby and opaque white glass, overlaid with colorless glass; blown; looped, applied, and tooled decoration
Place of Origin: New Bedford, Massachusetts
Classification: Glass
Credit Line: Gift of Alexander K. Liddell and Mrs. Christina Dewar Newth
Object number: 1954.12
Label Text:A bottle or decanter in the form of a fire bellows is but one example of a time-honored tradition of fashioning glass versions of objects that would be utterly impractical in the medium. Devised as ornaments to delight and amaze, such whimsies were often showpieces or presentation items. This one was made by John Liddell, a Scottish-born glassmaker who immigrated to Massachusetts in 1885 at the age of 30.
DescriptionDecanter: blown and tooled to approximate shape. Opaque white threads applied and pulled up to create a loop pattern. Expanded and overlaid with colorless glass, then blown and tooled to final shape. Bands of colorless rigaree applied on edges of body; other applied and tooled colorless glass decoration on body, including two bellows "handles" on the base. Applied and tooled lip, stem, and foot. Stopper: blown and finished by tooling, then cracked off the blowpipe at the bottom end.
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