GI 25 Washington / Classical Bust Portrait Flask

GI – 25

Washington Bust And “Bridgetown New Jersey – Clay Bust And “Bridgetown New Jersey” Portrait Flask


Bridgeton Glass Works, Bridgeton, New Jersey

Topaz with Strawberry Puce Striations Quart

Provenance: Anonymous

What an exciting flask. This quart GI-25 Washington – Clay classical bust flask is a piece of art. So beautiful to see with its extremely rare topaz glass color and strawberry puce striations. The embossing is crisp and the condition is excellent. A true masterpiece.

This flask was made at the Bridgeton Glass Works in Bridgeton, New Jersey from 1836 (or early 1840s) to 1855, and features George Washington facing right in a classic pose with a braid of hair worn hanging at the back of the head. He is wearing a toga. The copy ‘BRIDGETOWN NEW JERSEY’ with no spaces between the words is embossed in a deep arch over Washington’s portrait. “Bridgetown” should be “Bridgeton.”

GI-25 Washington Bust And “Bridgetown New Jersey – Clay Bust And “Bridgetown New Jersey” Portrait Flask illustration

The reverse of the flask also has a classical bust looking right that was once thought of as Zachary Taylor, but now, most believe it is Henry Clay. The copy ‘BRIDGETOWN NEW JERSEY’ with no spaces between the words is embossed in a deep arch over the bust. Bridgeton is again spelled incorrectly with an extra “w.” The quart has a sheared mouth with a pontil scar.

GI-22 Baltimore Glass Works Washington – Clay portrait flask (left) and GI-25 Bridgetown Glass Works Washington – Clay portrait flask (right) comparison

We have a very similar GI-22 Washington classical bust quart in the museum that is embossed Baltimore Glass Works instead of Bridgetown Glass Works.

You can find this flask in aqua and light green which is comparatively scarce; clear green and light yellow-green which is considered scarce; emerald green is rated as rare; dark amber (black), dark olive amber (black), and deep wine are very rare; and a yellowish color with a topaz overtone and sapphire blue are considered extremely rare.

Lot 183: Washington – Classical Bust Portrait Flask, Bridgeton Glass Works, Bridgeton, New Jersey, 1840-1860. Yellow with a topaz tone.

Support:

Washington & Clay antique bottle flask soars to $52,650”

Antique Trader Antiques Auction NewsMarch 19, 2012

Woodstock, Conn. – A rare and historical portrait flask showing strong busts of George Washington and Henry Clay, made circa 1840-1860 by Bridgeton Glass Works (N.J.), soared to $52,650 in the Internet and catalog auction of Session III of the Thomas McCandless lifetime bottle collection. The auction went online Jan. 18, 2012 and accepted its final bid Feb. 1. The portrait flask was the top lot in a session that grossed around $440,000. Combined, all three sessions grossed a little over $1 million. “For a single bottle collection to top the $1 million mark is truly extraordinary,” said Norman Heckler Sr., of Norman C. Heckler & Company, the Woodstock-based firm that conducted the auctions. The blown quart Washington-Clay historical flask was the auction’s star lot: A common bottle in mold design, in an unlisted and extremely rare vibrant light yellowish color with a topaz tone, the flask’s bold portrait busts complemented its strong embossing and perfect condition. Norman Heckler, Jr., observed, “Glass as an antique collecting category has drawn interest from collectors who recognize the historical significance and beauty of antique bottles and glass. Many also feel, too, that it is a greatly undervalued category.” All prices quoted include a 17 percent buyer’s premium.

Norman C. Heckler & Co. auction sale advertisement.

Primary Image: GI-25 Washington Bust And “Bridgetown New Jersey – Clay Bust And “Bridgetown New Jersey” Portrait Flask imaged on location by the FOHBC Virtual Museum midwest studio led by Alan DeMaison.

Support Images: Auction Lot 183: Washington – Classical Bust Portrait Flask, Bridgeton Glass Works, Bridgeton, New Jersey, 1840-1860. Yellow with a topaz tone, sheared mouth – pontil scar, quart. GI-25 Unlisted and extremely rare beautiful color, strong embossing. An exceptional example. Ex Pardoe collection. – Norman Heckler Jr. & Sr., Norman C. Heckler & Company

Support Images: Auction Lot 107: Washington Bust And “Bridgetown New Jersey – Classical Bust And “Bridgetown New Jersey” Portrait Flask, Bridgeton Glass Works, Bridgeton, New Jersey, 1840-1855. Light steel blue with a sapphire tone, sheared mouth – pontil scar, quart; (faint 1/2 inch star fissure above Washington bust). GI-25 Beautiful color and crisp embossing. – Norman Heckler Jr. & Sr., Norman C. Heckler & Company

Support: Reference to American Bottles and Flasks and Their Ancestry by Helen McKearin and Kenneth M. Wilson, Crown Publishers Inc., New York, 1978.

Support: Reference to Striated Beauties by Mark Vuono, Antique Bottle & Glass Collector, August 2013

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