Featured Question about a Fenton Milk Glass Silver Crest Footed Comport

Like everyone, I am bringing stuff up from the vault (my basement) and revisiting it to sell on EB. Several years ago, I posted it either here or on the ebay PGP board and someone commented that it was painted - before Fenton started to do (something). I can't remember what the something was. The gist of it was that it was painted by hand and then did not get either re-fired or something else that set the paint. The poster who commented stated that the paint was in good condition for being made before Fenton started doing this something. Do you all know what that something would have been?

Anyway, its' Silver Crest with Apple Blossom Decoration, Footed Comport 7429-AB, 1969 -1971. Apple Blossom designed by Louise Piper. TIA!

 

Fenton also sold blanks to Abel Wasserman -Charlton decorating
You might want to see if it was one of theirs.

If it was painted by Fenton, I would start with the 1970-80s catalogs on Fenton Fanatics.

 

I'm not sure I can answer your question but I can tell you what John Walk wrote in his "Fenton Glass Compendium 1970-1985". On pg. 50 he says that "Apple Blossom and Yellow Rose were the first decorations besides Violets-in-the Snow, designed by Louise Piper in the late 1960's after the opening of Fenton's decorating department. Both decorations were made on a lot of the same shapes as Violets-in-the-Snow but are much more scarce."

I'm familiar with all three decorations John Walk mentions and have come across many examples, especially of Violets-in-the-Snow. I don't recall finding any pieces that showed much in the way of wear to the decoration. It's quite possible that at some point Fenton changed their production technique to help the decorations adhere better (especially as the decorations became more complicated and they added gold, glitter, and other fluff) but I'm not familiar what that change might have been or when it might have occurred. Sorry I can't be of more help.
Don

 

Morning Don -
Good information.

 

Thank you, Cluttered. And a good morning to you as well!
Don

 

This is the description of the item on ebay, not sure if it helps you remember better, or not.

Here's a beautiful 6 1/4" tall by 8" diameter footed Milk Glass Compote. This Art Glass was made by the Fenton Art Glass company. The line was called Silver Crest. It is Milk glass with an applied Crystal edge. This rare hand painted item was made starting in July of 1969 and made in limited amounts for only 18 months. The design is called Apple Blossom, and was created by designer and decorator Louise Piper. This piece is NOT signed. It is in perfect condition with no chips or cracks, and no stains or mineral deposits. This floral design is not common to find today. Any white or dark spots shown in the photo are from camera glare. This will make a great accessory to any Fenton collection.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Fe...-Blossom-Compote-by-Louise-Piper/352841635886

 

Ah, Flipper's post answers my question. I know less than nothing about this field but did wonder if this was correct:

 

Thanks for all your help and comments. @flipper That listing is helpful. I pretty much know all of the info because I have the Whitmyers book but I think my initial problem with this Comport was that I priced it too high at first. And I see that seller has already lowered the cost. But since Mother's Day is coming up, I thought someone would want it at this time of year (and yes, it's sooo helpful that we're in the middle of a pandemic).

Maybe it was the user @fenton who commented on it. But really, I think I'm obsessing and should just list it and move on, LOL! That's what happens when you don't have enough to think about, other than what to buy at the store to hold you over for the next 2 weeks.

One final observation - the paint on this Comport is different from what I normally see on Fenton glass. It feels like paint, very matte and textured.

 

Fenton called it a footed comport. But who searches that term, comport, so many people list as compote. Although I think Footed Bowl is more accurate

 

And Fenton should know. Is it a generally used term in the glass/table ware world? I definitely get far more search results when I use 'compote' & Google suggests that's what I meant if I type in comport. Dictionaries don't seem to recognize the usage, although Replacements.com does. In researches in my own areas of interest I have occasionally come across a typo/error in one otherwise authoritative source that got perpetuated in other sources that used the first one as a reference. I'm always saying hubris is going to get me struck down by the gods when I question the writings of an expert, but printed sources are not always correct. Guess this model will have to stay a comport/compote, since Fenton has put the former in print & both get used by the public. A very pretty & delicate looking thing.

 

As I understood it Comport was the dish that held the compote. Compote being the actual food.

These are definitions from online dictionaries.

COMPORT
a large English glass dish of the 18th century used for holding fruit or candy and having a wide, shallow top supported by heavy stem and foot; compote.

COMPOTE
1: a dessert of fruit cooked in syrup
2 : a bowl of glass, porcelain, or metal usually with a base and stem from which compotes, fruits, nuts, or sweets are served

 

Ah, good to know. I may or may not ever have need to make the distinction, but I like having an accurate understanding of words. Thanks!

 

one might consider the audience when considering to call this a compote or comport. Reviewing old catalogs the form was often titled by it's contents. Thus a comport was often called as compote, but also often a footed bowl; a sugar bowl was designated a sugar; a creamer was a cream; a toothpick holder a toothpick, a spoon holder a spoon which we now call a spooner, etc... guess those catalog editors figured their audience was smart enough to figure it out...

 

Ola, I would use all 3 in my title: compote, comport and footed bowl. Cover all your bases

 

@TallCakes Yes, of course, you're right about the names. It sometimes amazes me when I see the things the ebay finds correctly, even with the wrong words. I've often wondered if the search algorithm includes images.

@patd8643 Good advice. There was only room for 2 words so I chose Compote and Bowl, based on what TC said above about the use of the item. Actually I should have called it a Pretty Thing.

 

And wouldn't you know, just this afternoon I came across the word capote, a kind of women's bonnet.