This is a true story that happened this evening. I had the sherbet below listed on eBay as Bryce etch 410. It looked like Bryce pieces we had a couple years ago, although the stem shape wasn’t quite the same. I like the etch a lot and was happy to find the sherbets recently on an antiquing trip.
A knowledgeable and kind glass lover emailed me that my identification was incorrect and the piece was Lotus etch by Dorflinger.
Until this point I had only a vague awareness that Dorflinger made exquisite, expensive cut crystal and an even more vague recollection of some etched designs. Time to hit the books.
Replacements shows pictures of both Bryce and Dorflinger patterns and mine clearly mataches Dorflinger Lotus. An interesting note is the production date is given as 1907 to 1918. That is before the Art Deco period, which began in the early 1920s. I’d always figured the Egyptian-looking lotus motif was from the Art Deco influence, which often incorporated ancient Egyptian designs. The dates are wrong for that.
My eBay contact looks on the right track. However, Replacements is not always correct. Time to verify.
I checked my trusty Florence’s Glassware Pattern Identification. No Dorflinger Lotus, but other Dorflinger patterns were there. The Bryce 410 design is slightly different from mine. Hmmm.
Next, time to do some background on Dorflinger. There is an entire museum dedicated to the glassmaker. They made exquisite cut crystal during the American Brilliant Period, and several flower etched designs. My Lotus is one of the simplest patterns.
Time to update my listing!
