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Off-hand Black Glass Whimsy Ball Free Blown c1780-1840
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Off-hand Black Glass Whimsy Ball Free Blown c1780-1840
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Hand Blown Antique Bottle Glass Whimsy in Dark Emerald Green from the late 1700s or early 1800s (absolutely guaranteed as genuine, see full details below) Figure 1a. The black glass ball listed for sale is shown supported on a black glass bottle dating from about 1780 (the bottle is not for sale at this time). But unlike the bottle, the glass witch ball is actually a dark emerald green when viewed in strong sun light (see photo below with sun shining directly through the ball). This type of emerald green glass was made at a few early American glass houses before 1820 after the fashion of Bristol green glass produced in England. Figure 1b. The glass striations on this ball, especially noticeable around the blow pipe shaft have been slightly accentuated by weathering over the centuries. The blow pipe shaft was ground by the glass worker to remove the sharp, rough edges at the time it was produced. Figure 2. This glass ball looks mostly like black bottle glass in both reflected sunlight and in doors. However, when placed with back-lighting, the ball projects a fine rich emerald green hue (see next photo below). Figure 3. Looking at the glass ball with the sun directly behind it (you are looking into the sun). T are about 10 small bubbles in the glass. The inside of the ball has dirt and grime that collected over the last two centuries. WELCOME ITEM DETAILS: This is one of those rare items from the glass industry when various whimsies were produced at the end of the day. Only the black glass ball is for sale in this listing and all other items are for comparisons only (see below). Unlike the hundreds of new and post 1900 art glass balls sold as kugel ornaments and witch balls, this glass sp is guaranteed to be more than 150 years old with a full refund if you are not completely satisfied. It displays the age related characteristics that only time and original hand blown bottle glass display. T are striations in the glass that have been accented by weathering over the centuries. T is also the oily sheen of patina along one part of the ball w it rest against some kind of material that absorbed water. Finally, the blow pipe shaft, often mistakenly called a pontil by collectors was ground down to remove sharp edges after the blow pipe was snapped off. A rare glass whimsy that may be American or Bristol and I will simply choose to leave that argument up to the experts. The ball weighs five ounces and has a diameter of 3.5 inches. In the 18th and 19th centuries, glass sps in aqua, blue and green were hung by doors and from beams or rafters for various reasons of which some include folk superstitions. In the United States, the practice seems to peak in the early to mid 1800s and then decline as other uses replaced these witch balls. In the southern US, bottle trees seem to replace witch balls as colorful cobalt blue bottles became more common among rural families and I recall seeing a bottle tree first hand in Texas in the 1970s. Somew I have a slide of the tree. The superstitious beliefs behind these wonderful relics of regional folkways are partly lost to the old days and some tales conveyed today are equally misguided interpretations that will only be exposed by solid historical and anthropological research in the future. The captioned photos show the important details that bottle collectors and glass connoisseurs like to find. This glass ball is free blown and not molded as many post 1850 glass balls were formed (see target balls, Christmas ornaments, and even weathervane decorations). It was hand blown and then shaped into a sp with the help of a marver. It is actually made of dark emerald green glass that appears black in most setting due to its thickness. But when light can pass completely through it, the color projected is a deep rich emerald green of the most sought after hue. Some glass tablewares were made in this rich emerald color they included decanters, wine glasses and even some bottles between 1760 and 1850. The grinding of ha... 
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