Decanter

Manufacturer Mt. Washington Glass Works (American)

ArtistGlassblower, John Liddell (American)

Place of OriginNew Bedford, Massachusetts

Dateabout 1885

DimensionsH 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.)

MediumRuby and opaque white glass, overlaid with colorless glass; blown; looped, applied, and tooled decoration

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of Alexander K. Liddell and Mrs. Christina Dewar Newth

Object number

1954.12

On View

Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion (2444 Monroe Street), Glass Pavilion Gallery, 3

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.

Label TextA 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.Published ReferencesRogers, Millard F., Jr., "Stylistic Influences on Nineteenth-Century American Glass," Antiques, vol. 78, July 1960, pp. 57-59 (Reprint 2, pp. 26-28), repr. p. 59, center right.

The Toledo Museum of Art, Art in Glass: A Guide to the Glass Collections, Toledo, Ohio, 1969, repr. p. 114.

Wilson, Kenneth M., American Glass, 1760-1930, The Toledo Museum of Art, New York: Hudson Hills Press in association with the Toledo Museum of Art, [Lanham, Md.]: National Book Network [distributor], c1994; 2 v. (879 p.): ill. (some col.); p. 603, no. 966, repr. (col.) p. 574.

Page, Jutta-Annette, The Art of Glass: Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio, Toledo Museum of Art, 2006, p. 152, repr. (col.) p. 153.

Exhibition HistoryNew York, Steuben Glass; Moscow, Masterpieces of American Glass: Corning Museum of Glass, The Toledo Museum of Art, Lilian Nassau, Ltd., 1990, repr. p. 49, fig. 79; p. 94.