Magnificent American Brilliant Cut Glass Centerpiece Bowl Sells for $110,000
Rare centerpiece featuring an impressive sterling silver rim with winged serpent handles and feet highlights Woody Auction ‘Presidential’ event.
DOUGLASS, Kan. – It was, as Woody Auction promised, an “exceptionally rare opportunity to add an outstanding, one-of-a-kind-piece to your collection.” And during a frenzied bidding war, one enthusiastic collector took advantage of that opportunity, snatching up a magnificent American Brilliant Cut Glass (ABCG) centerpiece bowl for $110,000 Saturday, March 16, during the house’s “Presidential Auction Weekend” event.
The 8 3/4 in. by 14 1/2 in. centerpiece, set in elaborate sterling silver mounts, soared past its presale estimate of $20,000-$25,000. Including buyer’s fees, the final sale price for the bowl was $132,000.
“One-of-a-kind pieces are a true rarity and when they sell at public auction for the first time in decades, they never disappoint,” auctioneer Jason Woody said. “This beauty was no exception!”
Cut in the Crystal City Pattern (also known as Wedding Ring) by J. Hoare, the centerpiece features an impressive sterling silver rim with winged serpent handles and feet. Coming from the late Tom Jacks collection, the striking centerpiece has been featured in several publications through the years, adding to its superb reputation.
The Woody Auction event was called the “Presidential Auction Weekend” because it also featured the collections of former American Cut Glass Association presidents: the collections of Wilbur and the late Mary Bluhm (ACGA president 2006-2008); and the Leon and Carol Torline collection (ACGA president 1998-2000). Both couples spent decades dedicated to collecting some of the most profound pieces of brilliant glass in the field.
Cut Glass History
Cut glass became the rage after the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, where many of the major American makers showcased their wares and demonstrated the cutting process. Thick, heavy, clear glass was cut with deep miter cuts that removed wedge-shaped pieces. Then, with a succession of increasingly smaller wheels, more delicate mitered cuts were made, creating allover, or repeating geometric patterns. The finished piece was either polished by hand with wooden wheels or with an acid bath, resulting in a brilliance that gives the glass its name. It could take as long as six months to finish larger items.
American Brilliant Cut Glass (1876-1910) was made in full sets, including goblets, wineglasses, water tumblers, dishes, and many accessories, from knife rests shaped like barbells to candelabra. Cut glass dishes were used to serve any food that was not heated, and cut glass bottles adorned many women’s vanity tables. Most brides were not given silver, but expensive, heavy cut glass bowls and pitchers.
Around the turn of the twentieth century, cutting factories looked for ways to reduce the cost of producing finished glass. Some factories began using fire-polished blanks that had the initial cuts pressed into them. Cutters needed only to add the finer cuts to finish the piece. Factories also introduced designs with engraved floral elements and fewer heavy miter cuts.
Because of the influence of European, English and Irish designs on the American glass industry and similarities between American companies’ wares, cut glass identification is difficult.
For complete “Presidential Auction Weekend” results at Woody Auction, click here.
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Paul Kennedy is Editorial Director of the Collectibles Group at AIM Media. He enjoys Mid-century design, photography, vintage movie posters and people with a good story to share. Kennedy has more than twenty-five years of experience in the antiques and collectibles field, including book publishing. Reach him at PKennedy@aimmedia.com.
