Antique Westward Ho Gillinder Pressed-Molded Antique Lidded Compote 12 7/8\" For Sale

The Westward Ho! c.1820\'s Pressed-Molded Antique Lidded Compote is a stunning piece of Americana decorative collectible made of frosted glass. With its original design and press molded features, this antique compote exudes a unique charm and historical significance. Originating from the United States in the early 1800s, this piece showcases the craftsmanship and style of that era, making it a valuable addition to any collector\'s display.

In the mid-1820s, the development of press-molding radically changed the American glass industry, increasing output and bringing affordable decorative glasswares within the reach of a broader consumer market. In this new production process, workers placed gathers of molten glass in a machine press and applied pressure, forcing the glass into the contours of a mold. In about two to four weeks a worker could learn to run a glass press that replicated the time-consuming handiwork of cutting glass.

Firms such as James Gillinder & Sons, based in Philadelphia, produced a range of new patterns that took advantage of press-molding’s abilities. For their exhibit at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876 the firm erected a small glass factory, measuring 96 feet wide by 109 feet long, where visitors could observe a variety of glass-making processes and purchase the wares for sale. Also at the 1876 fair, French glass with an acid-etched finish was on view for the first time in America. Gillinder adopted this technique as can be seen in the banding and finial of this compote made around 1878. The compote’s pattern, first called “Pioneer” and then “Westward Ho,” includes charging buffaloes, deer, and a woodland backdrop with a seated Native American to form its finial. This pattern’s celebration of America’s westward expansion earned it a place in theexhibitionFrederic Church, Winslow Homer and Thomas Moran: Tourism and the American Landscapeat the Cooper Hewitt in 2006. After curator Gail Davidson requested a loan of this important example of American glass for the exhibition from the Brooklyn Museum, the curators enabled the loan to become a donation, as they had a duplicate and kindly offered this one to the Cooper Hewitt.