Davidson Pressed Glass – My New Piece

I’m always excited when I’m waiting for a new piece of pressed glass in the post. I’ve been waiting for a few days now. These days I find most of what I buy on eBay.

The post guy brings me the parcel this morning and I was keen to get the package open to see what my purchase was like.

Well packaged that’s what. This is always good especially with antique glass.

Then the two pieces of vintage glass themselves, dark black and shiny. They’re a bit smaller than I expected, I mustn’t have checked the dimensions. But I have no problems with that as they are both fine pieces.

Many pressed glass pieces were useful but not visually interesting. Yet some were very attractive and some I think were a form of art. These are beautiful, sharp and with a marine inspired pattern.

You can see from the pic they are a sugar bowl and cream jug in jet glass. The moulding of shells and coral are crisp and parts of the pieces are quite sharp. On careful inspection I can’t find any damage.

Which Pressed Glass Manufacturer?

So where were they made? There are no maker’s marks or registration marks or numbers but the pattern is close to another marked piece I have. That’s a blue and white vitroporcelain spill vase by Davidson of Gateshead in North-East England. It has the lion rising from a mural crown inside the base. And the design on the spill vase is almost identical to that of my new pieces.

So I reckon it’s pretty safe to attribute this to the Davidson pressed glass factory as the design is so like a confirmed piece from those works. The date of manufacture is likely to be in the 1880s or 1890s.

I’m pleased with my new acquisitions. They’re in perfect condition and great examples of Davidson pressed glass from North-East England in the later part of the 19th Century.