The Glad and Sad Parts of Collecting - the GLAD Part
By Joseph A.A. Bourque, Jr.
Issue No. 296 - December 1997
Dear Reader,
A few years ago, while at a local antique
shop, I was able to purchase a matching three-piece table-center. It
consisted of a pair of No. 437 9½" candlesticks and a 14-paneled 10"
diameter bowl. (Photo at left)
All three items have a copper-engraved (CE) cutting decor depicting
a six-petaled flower centered upon four stemmed leaves. Above and below
the floral designs are six-line cut narrow bands. (Detailed cutting
photo at right) All these copper engraved cuttings are a bit crude,
denoting the work of an apprentice cutter. The standards of each
candleholder have 12 oval vari-lined cuttings (three rows of four), all
being equidistant. (See photo at left, right candlestick)
The bowl has the LARGE Triangle-C trademark, each equilateral side of the triangle measures eight millimeters, which should date this set to circa 1925.
The table-center set's coloration is that of Cobalt-1, which had a short production life. The color is quite perceptible to the eye. It has the same blue hue of the 1920s and early 1930s. It is my understanding that Cambridge made two Cobalt colors, with Cobalt-1 being the lighter of the two.
This three-part centerpiece displays a very noticeable "gathering effect," a Cambridge term, by which those areas that are thicker display a darker color which is purplish-blue in this case. The thinner areas show lighter coloration.
Until next time,
Joe