Late 19th century American brilliant glass large retailer cut-crystal bowl — an elaborately cut, highly prismatic beauty

This large American brilliant glass crystal bowl with a hand-cut sawtooth rim is a glorious example of 19th century American cut crystal mastery. This stunning piece of the glass cutter's art measures 8" across and 3-5/8" high inches high. This bowl is like a glass-cutter's sampler, covered all over in various shapes and patterns, including fans, feathers, and crosshatching, and six hobstars. Its intricacy, the particular use of geometric patterns, the fact that it is hand-cut and not partially pressed, and its lack of an acid-edged manufacturer's name all point to it's having been made around 1880 to 1900.

This is a heavy bowl that makes a long, beautiful tone when tapped with a spoon. The bowl's weight and the elegant ring it makes indicate that it has a high lead content, which allows for crisper cuts and greater clarity.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States took the art of crystal cutting to its height. Using electric-powered spinning wheels that provided more even and precise cuts than the old gas-powered wheels, artisans pressed uncut glass pieces against the wheels to cut patterns into the surface, then polished the final bowl until it sparkled like diamonds. After 1910, many companies cut costs by pressing some of the design into the blank piece, then cutting just the details. This piece dates before that time and is fully hand-cut. The slight variations in the spacing and depth of the cuts shows the handcrafted nature of the work, which makes it rarer and more valuable.

Before 1910, cut crystal patterns usually featured primarily geometric patterns such as diamonds, fans, and hobstars. These intricate patterns created the most impressive prismatic effects. From 1910 onward, the fashion turned to the cutting and engraving of designs from nature. These most often included flowers and leaves, but also sometimes included fruit or birds.

Some early brilliant glass pieces had the names of the manufacturing companies acid-etched into them, either on the inside bottom of the bowl, or on the outside bottom. However, many old pieces simply had paper manufacturers' labels affixed, and these often fell off during washing or wore away. As a result, it's not uncommon for even the finest antique cut crystal to be unsigned. This unsigned bowl is likely one of the early pieces from a manufacturer that did not yet use acid etching.

ABP glass has a lead content of up to that of modern crystal, which gives it a high refractive index; this means it creates magnificent prismatic rainbows when the light hits it, and it rings like a bell when struck with metal. The lead will not wear off or spread; handling it or eating from it will not harm you. You can display it as it is, or use retailer it to serve your famous potato salad, seven layer dip, tiramisu, or Oscar night popcorn, or display it outside as the world's most elegant birdbath, all without worry.

Unlike pressed glass, every cut on a piece of brilliant glass (also known as crystal) is made by an artisan. These cuts are not the rounded, smoothed-over edges of pressed glass; they're sharper, and the refraction of the light is crisper. This creates diamond-like cuts and prismatic rainbows. The tiny variations in the cuts are evidence of the hand-crafted nature of the piece.

This piece has no cracks, but has a few small chips on the outside of the bowl and on the saw teeth, tiny "fleabite" chips along some cuts, and very light scratches on the inside and the bottom. The bowl is so dazzling and the pattern so busy, it's difficult to find flaws without searching for them in earnest. These small flaws are standard with a piece of this size, complexity, and age. Please see centers of the last two photos for examples of the largest chips.

USPS shipping is included FREE within the continental US. I don't accept returns, so please review the description and the photos carefully, and feel free to ask me about any questions you may have before purchasing. Many thanks!