Inverted Strawberry pattern introduced around year 1908
Q: This is a photo of a clear glass, footed bowl. I had forgotten about it and found it while looking for a small bowl to serve raspberries. I bought it at an antiques shop years ago just because it appealed to me, and I don’t know anything about its history. It is decorated with strawberries, blossoms, leaves and vines and is in mint condition. The height is about 3 inches, the diameter is 5 inches, and there are mold marks on the base.
I am hopeful you can tell me something about the maker, pattern, vintage and value.
A: Cambridge Glass Co. made your bowl. The factory was established in Cambridge, Ohio, in 1873. The pattern is called Inverted Strawberry. The company introduced these kinds of patterns around 1908, making pieces in clear, color and carnival glass. The glass was available in clear, green, blue and purple. The Inverted Strawberry pattern can be found on candlesticks, footed bowls, table sets, jelly compotes, goblets, berry sets and covered powder jars. The intaglio pattern is depressed into the surface rather than raised. The words “Near Cut” and the letter “C” in a diamond were two of the Cambridge marks. “Near Cut” can be found on some examples of this pattern. The factory experienced a series of financial difficulties and passed through several owners. It closed in 1954 only to reopen again in 1955. By 1958, it was forced to close once more. In 1960, Imperial Glass Co. bought their molds. By 1984, an era of versatile glass making came to an end: Imperial Glass filed for bankruptcy and closed.
Your footed bowl was made in the early 1900s and may be worth $25 to $50.
Q: I have a Japanese vase that sat on my grandmother’s mantle in the house I grew up in during the 1930s. There was another vase, but it
was broken many years ago. It is decorated with Asian figures, raised white dots, pastel multicolored flowers and geometric shapes. The height is about 18 inches, the diameter is 6 inches, and it is in perfect condition. On the bottom is Japanese writing. I would appreciate it if you could tell me anything about our vase.
A: You have a Satsuma pottery tankard rather than a vase. A tankard is a tall slender pitcher, not to be confused with a round short pitcher. Satsuma ware was made as early as the 1600s in the Japanese province of Satsuma. A Japanese feudal lord attempted to conquer Korea and failed. He and his army captured 22 Korean potters. They returned to Japan, settled in the Satsuma region and were put to work in potteries. Early pieces were sparsely decorated and looked very different from those made in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In the mid-1800s, potters added human figures, raised enamels, moriage (white dots), more colors and gold trim. There were four periods of Satsuma design. The Edo period lasted from the 1600s to 1868; the Meiji period from the late 1800s to early 1900s; the Taisho period from 1912 to 1926; and the Showa period from 1926 to the present.
Your tankard was made around 1900 and would probably be worth $145 to $225.
Address your questions to Anne McCollam, P. O. Box 247, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Items of a general interest will be answered in this column. Due to the volume of inquiries, she cannot answer individual letters.