Spoon Holder

Manufacturer Gillinder and Sons (American, 1861-1930)

Date1876-1885

Dimensions6 11/16 × 3 13/16 in. (17 × 9.6 cm); Base diam.: 3 3/8 in. (8.5 cm)

MediumColorless glass.

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph S. Riegel

Object number

1961.45

Not on View

DescriptionPressed upright in a female mold of three vertical sections bearing the Pioneer pattern and forming most of the side and the top of the foot, stem, and bowl up to the top of the band of decoration, with a base plate that formed the lower edge and bottom of the foot, with a cylindrical cap ring that formed the plain area of the bowl above the decoration and rim, by a plain male plunger. The moldmarks extend from almost the bottom edge of the foot vertically up the stem and through the bowl, each passing through the trunk of a pine tree. Rim fire-polished. Band of decoration afterward frosted by acid etching. No pontil mark.

Label TextThe use of hydrofluoric acid to etch a matte finish on glass began about 1870 and continued to be popular for the rest of the century. This Pioneer, or so-called “Westward-ho!”, pattern showcasing the wilderness encountered by early pioneers was introduced by Gillinder at the time of the Centennial of the United States and was one of the most popular acid-etched patterns. The Compote and Cover with a kneeling Native American is part of the same set.Published ReferencesLee, Ruth Webb, Early American Pressed Glass, Wellesley Hills, MA, author, 1960, pp. 292-294 (Pioneer, or so-called westward-ho, pattern), form no. 13, pls. 89-92 (various forms).

McKearin, George S. and Helen McKearin, drawings by James L. McCreery, American Glass, New York, Crown, 1941; rev. ed., 1948, pp. 395, 398, 409, pls. 209, nos. 12, 14 (two goblets).

Bessie M. Lindsey, American Historical Glass, Rutland, Vt., Tuttle, 1966, pp. 203-206

Keefe, John W., "American Lacy and Pressed Glass in the Toledo Museum of Art," Antiques, vol. 100, July 1971, pp. 104-109 (Reprint 2, pp. 151-156), p. 109, repr. fig. 11.

Spillman, Jane S., American and European Pressed Glass in the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning Museum of Glass Catalog Series, Corning, NY, Corning Museum of Glass, 1981, p. 280, nos. 1102-1103 (low-foot compote and saucedish).

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.) ; 32 cm., 1994, p. 504, no. 839.

Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, Currier and Ives, December 1961.