These photographs are of a Davidson jade sugar or preserve pot with a slotted metal lid, probably original, but I cannot be absolutely certain. Apart from a small amount of base wear, there are the standard wear marks from a spoon on the inside rim, including a very small flake at about 11 o'clock on the interior view. Nick Dolan in his 1993 Shipley Exhibition publications gives the launch date of jade as March 1931 at the British Industries Fair, and dates it up to 1941.
The pattern comprises three rows of interlocking cubes, and was introduced by the Fostoria Glass Company of Fostoria, Ohio as their "American" range in 1915 [Lesley Jackson, 20th Century Factory Glass]. In Britain a small range of this pattern was apparently made by Bagley's of Knottingley (at least it appears on a photocopy of what looks like a Bagley catalogue page). Joblings of Sunderland produced their 2077 range using the interlocking cubes pattern as the background and embellishing it with leaf-like stars and/or fancy handles.
I think this little pot was probably a trade sample from a projected range that was subsequently rejected. Hence its rarity - I have not found anyone who has ever seen anything like it before. I have recorded it as I shall be putting it up for sale in the near future, probably on ebay.
© Copyright 2002 Bernard Cavalot (7cp2)
