Joann Tortarolo on behalf of the Redlands (California) Historical Glass Museum has sent out pictures of art glass she thinks might be Steuben to several sources. We’ll follow up in the next few weeks with the inquiries and the responses. The first one is the following bowl.

The piece in this picture is an 11″ plate–although the museum description says it is a bowl. The description further states that it is a handblown plate of the air bubble pattern. I have done some research on the Carder Steuben site and it looks like to me that it is Shape #6358–reeded and bubbly–but not sure of the color. Joann

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Response to Joann Tortarolo

Marshall Ketchum gives his opinion ——

Joann –

This is probably not Steuben. It was probably made by Fry. Steuben and Fry handled their bubbles and threading differently. Steuben used mostly random bubbles while Fry used mostly controlled bubbles. This piece has controlled bubbled. Fry threading uses a fine thread and it is applied densely on the base glass. It is usually dense enough so that the base glass cannot be seen through the threading. Steuben threading uses a fairly large diameter thread and it is applied much less densely. Compare the threading on your piece with the threading on the 6030 vase on our website or the theading on the 6358 goblets.

http://www.cardersteubenclub.org/shapes/item-view.cfm?category=Shape Index&recordID=23638&back=1

Marshall

Other Responses–it’s Fry

I wanted to share with you all the response of one of Michael Krumme’s friends who is a Fry collector. It looks like the plate is definitely Fry. The Freeds that she mentions are one of the founders of the H.C. Fry Glass Society. I have emailed the officers of the Society with a request for help and a copy of the picture. I will let everyone know when I receive a response.

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— On Sun, 1/13/13, Nancy wrote to Michael Krumme

Hi Michael,

I tend to agree with you and Marshall but not in the role of an aficionado of any glass company.

The Freeds, who were extremely knowledgeable about Fry, came away from a Steuben seminar, held by Corning, realizing that there is a category of glass made by Fry and Stueben which is virtually identical. Some of the threaded glass is in the category.

It’s hard to tell from a picture but another factor in favor of Fry as maker is the style of bowl, Fry made a HTF console bowl that has the straight sides as the bowl pictured seems to have…. it’s not a common shape. I’ve seen only one in my time of searching for glass. That said, it doesn’t prove it’s Fry but I tend to agree with those who believe that it is.

Happy New Year, so nice hearing from you!

Nancy

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Hi Joann,

The only Fry glass reference book that I have at present is the one with the maroon colored cover. I skimmed it quickly, and saw no plates with applied threading. That’s not to say that they didn’t do them; they did. It’s just that that book is a fine start, but by no means comprehensive.

I am cc’ing this message to four friends, Bob, Nancy, Larry, and Lyle for their input. Nancy

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Friends, Joann is on the board of the Historical Glass Museum in Redlands, CA, and is working to document and catalog the museum’s collection. A collector here in So. Cal. passed away a few years ago and left his Steuben glass collection to the museum. As it turns out, not all of the pieces are in fact Steuben, but Joann is doing her best to ask questions of those “in the know” and to get things right.

Joann, my own overarching thought is, I trust what Marshall told you.

Michael Krumme

Carder Steuben Club | ashovers@kddk.com | http://www.cardersteubenclub.org/

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2013 Carder Steuben Club annual Symposium will be held at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY from September 19-21, 2013. The festivities will begin with Frederick Carder’s 150th birthday celebration on the evening of September 18, 2013.