Large Victorian Green Paperweight Dump c1870

Description

Heading : 19th century glass doorstop or ‘dump’
Date : c1870
Period : 19^th Century
Origin : Yorkshire bottle glass factories. England
Colour : Green
Body : Seven encased ‘foil’ flowers in a three tier formation. stalks protrude from a single major air tear surrounded by a fine powdered film
Base : Rough
Glass Type : Lead
Size : 13.5cm tall and approx. 9cm in diameter
Condition : Two small circular bruises as shown
Restoration : None
Weight : 1630 grams

Additional Information :In the 19th century and into the early 20th century prior to bottle plant automation these were made in large numbers

Paperweights and doorstops are often referred to as “dumps” as they are said to be a means of using up molten glass at the end of a shift. but to claim that all are ‘end of day’ items simply doesn’t stack up. Too many are beautifully decorated not to have been catalogue items intentionally produced for sale.  a product line. Admittedly many are made from green bottle glass marked with the names of many a Yorkshire and North east factory and will have been end of day items. Some have ground and polished bases and it seems unlikely that a simple end of day item would merit the effort.

This peice was produced via the addition of metallic powder to the glass which acted as condensation centres for dissolved gas. This must have required skill and time. the former was certainly available but time is not abundant at the ‘end of the day’. we all want to go home.