Showing posts with label Pairpoint. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pairpoint. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

The Rarity of Napoli



QUESTION: Recently, I discovered a glass biscuit jar at a regional antiques show. I collect art glass but have never seen anything like it before. What’s so unusual about this piece is that it seems to be painted on both the inside and outside. Can you tell me anything about it?

ANSWER: The only type of art glass that’s painted on both the inside and outside is Napoli glass, produced by the Mount Washington/Pairpoint Glass Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Albert Steffin, the head of the Mount Washington decorating department, patented Napoli glass on May 22, 1894. He had found a way to decorate clear glassware on both the inside and outside. In a way he used another method of glass decoration called “reverse painting,” which originated in Antioch around 200 A.D., as his inspiration. During the 18th and early 19th centuries, American and European mirror and clock makers used this type of decoration to ornament the tops of mirrors and the glass doors of wall clocks.

Steffin’s method began by first outlining the basic form on the outside of the glass in silver or gold metallic paint. This outline then served as a guide for producing the design on the inside using colored enamels. This decoration process produced a novel and almost three-dimensional effect unlike the decoration on any other type of glass.

But Steffin didn’t invent this type of decoration solely as a way to produce a unique type of glass. He actually was more concerned about the savings it would give him because with two different types of paint, each on a different side of the glass, he would only have to fire his pieces once, thus offering him a big savings on fuel. If he applied the two different types of paint on the outside, he’d have to apply and fire one, then do the same for other and firing again. Firing both types of paint separately also resulted in a brighter finish and correct coloration.

Workers at the Mount Washington factory produced the majority of Napoli glass pieces using the same forms as the firm’s other art glass lines—Verona, Royal Flemish, and Crown Milano.  But the Napoli pieces have an interconnected network of lines that looks like a spider web which makes them stand out from other kinds of art glass.

One unusual decoration on Mt. Washington glass depicts Brownie figures, created by author/illustrator Palmer Cox. Brownies were extremely popular within a few years after Cox published his first children’s book in 1887.

Of all the art glass on the market, Napoli is the hardest to find. At first glance, it doesn’t look like it would be particularly valuable, but its rarity drives the prices of pieces upward. Many pieces have gilt lines painted on the outside which makes them especially appealing to collectors.

Each piece bears a mark on the bottom in gold enamel. with the word “Napoli,” followed by the shape number.  If the mark is in silver, then the piece may also bear another mark of “MW” for Mount Washington. Common shapes include vases, punch cups, marmalade and cracker jars. Salt and pepper shakers are the rarest.

To read more articles on antiques, please visit my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the other 17,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Tiffany Lamps Go for Big Bucks


QUESTION: An art dealer came to our house to look at a painting and noticed the Tiffany chandelier hanging in our dining room. A year and a half later, he called back with interest to purchase it for a significant amount in cash. I did some checking and discovered that an original Tiffany back in 1977 sold for $22,000. What is the best way (if I was even to consider selling it) to get the most value for what it's worth?

ANSWER: This is just one of many questions I have received about Tiffany lamps. The recession has got everyone looking to sell items that may have some value. And with the Antiques Roadshow highlighting some valuable Tifffany lamps, people have gotten dollar signs in their eyes.

Tiffany Studios, founded by Louis Comfort Tiffany, designed and produced the only authentic Tiffany lamps. Historically, Tiffany, himself, never actually made any of the lamps, but just oversaw their production and design. He personally guided the lamps that came from his studio  between 1899-1920 through all stages of their creation. This not only included the shades, but the handmade bronze bases as well.

Tiffany’s magnificent lamps were an instant commercial success. Wherever they appeared, they received prizes and awards. He was the first to design lamps to be operated using the new electricity, then only affordable by the wealthy. But once his lamps caught on, several other American companies, including Handel, the Pairpoint Corporation and Quezal, emulated his designs.. While Handel and Pairpoint concentrated upon creating innovative lampshades, often, but not always, in the style of Tiffany, Quezal helped to satisfy the increasing demand for the iridescent glassware, called favrile, popularized by Tiffany in America.

The name "Tiffany" has become a generic term for windows, lamps, and glass of–or imitating–the period. However, there were many other firms in the U.S. and in Europe doing similar and in many cases nearly identical work. This has lead to a great deal of confusion, and much work by other companies has been sold as "Tiffany,” often with false "Tiffany" signatures added to it.


It’s important to note Louis C. Tiffany and Tiffany Studios did NOT mark or sign many of their lamps in any way. However, it’s often easy to forge Tiffany signatures on similar-looking period or reproduction items. Many genuine Tiffany pieces that weren’t signed originally have probably had forged signatures added to them to increase their worth and make them easier to sell, as well.

By his vision and energy, Louis.C. Tiffany succeeded in blending classical motifs with bold new techniques in glassmaking to create a distinctive American art form. The demand for Tiffany lamps among today's collectors attests to the lasting value of his work. The table lamp with the wisteria design pictured above recently sold for over $600,000. If that doesn’t get dollar signs in people's eyes, nothing will.

If you have what you think may be a real Tiffany and it doesn't have a signature, send a photo and description of it to Christie's Auction House to have it verified.

To read more about Tiffany lamps, go to my Web sites: Writing at Its Best and The Antiques Almanac.