Decorated Candlewick - Part VI - Miscellaneous Decorations

by Virginia Scott
Glass Review - July/August 1983

In my final articles about decorated Candlewick, I am discussing Silver Decorated Candlewick assorted information which does not seem to fit into the categories previously discussed. Most of the information here has come through the Candlewick collectors rather than from Imperial files. I will be discussing such things as silver overlay, encrustation and fittings; opaque Candlewick; hand-painted Candlewick and Candlewick combined with wood.

CANDLEWICK AND SILVER

Many collectors have found Candlewick items with silver decorations or fittings. These decorations seem to fall into about four categories, as below:

  1. Silver Encrusted - Only two pieces of Candlewick which are completely covered with silver have been reported. One is a 10½" dinner plate, the other, a 400/24 80 oz. pitcher. It seems reasonable to assume that other pieces will be discovered.
  2. Silver Bands and Beading - Plates with silver beads have been reported. One collector has a 400/30 sugar and creamer which have three silver bands. The outside bands are thin while the middle band is wider. Somewhere in my Imperial research I have read about "platinum decoration" being used. I would suppose that the pieces with silver beads and bands are platinum decorated.
  3. Silver Overlay - Quite a number of Candlewick items with silver overlay have been found. Most of the items are serving pieces and include the 400/68D heart-handled pastry tray, relish dishes, large plates, sugar and cream sets, large bowls and the 400/87F fan vase. One of the most attractive patterns in silver overlay is a very realistic "Lily of the Valley" design, No. 1. This pattern has been found on a 400/30 sugar, the pastry tray and a fan vase with arched-bead handles. An intricate pattern of fruit - grapes, berries, cherries, strawberries - and leaves has been found on a 400/30 sugar and creamer and on a tray. Various floral designs have been found on belled bowls, plates, relish dishes, plates and trays. A 400/110 candy dish has an overlay pattern and a silver rim. I have no information as to whether Imperial put silver overlay on Candlewick items. It seems likely that the Candlewick blanks (plain Candlewick) were purchased by other companies and the overlay added. Items with overlay were quite popular as wedding and silver anniversary gifts during the 1940's.
  4. Silver Stands, Bases and Holders - Imperial's Candlewick card file lists four "Peg Nappies". Two of these, a 6" and 7" are listed as having been made for "Crown Silver Company". A peg nappy has a peg, usually spiral to screw into a metal base. Often the base can be used separately as a candleholder. Other peg pieces were also made by Imperial in Candlewick pattern. I have seen small peg plates and a friend has a 10½" cake plate with a sterling base. When Imperial recently sold items from their storage area, several peg bowls were brought out. One was shaped like a ball lily bowl, another was a float bowl. No. 2 shows a sketch, sent by a collector, of a Candlewick plate permanently attached to a sterling base. The Crown Silver trademark as sketched is on the base. Other pieces which have similar bases have been discovered. Both the flat 400/30 sugar and creamer and the footed 400/31 have been found on silver bases. Bowls have been found on short and tall silver bases.

I am often asked whether the cake stand and compote in No. 9, bottom right, are Candlewick. These items are NOT Candlewick as they have a Diamond pattern pressed into the glass. I do not know what company makes these pieces but bases with "Duchin" and "Mayfield" trademarks have been found.

In addition to metal bases, Candlewick may be found in metal holders and trays. No. 3 is a picture found in a 1956 Better Homes & Gardens Shopping Ad and shows Candlewick cruets fitted into a silver tray. Collectors have also found the relishes in No. 4, 5 and 7 in metal holders, some silver and some chrome. Everlast Metal products company made holders for glass items of many companies. One collector found a 400/102 relish, No. 5, in a fancy holder. "Six floral cartouches are spaced around the rim with two forming handles," she wrote. "The center section has a metal lid with a raised floral finial."

Community Silver Plate put out boxed sets using Candlewick with silver plated servers. "Twilight", No. 6, combines a 6" ashtray with a butter spreader; "Ballard", No. 8, uses a ladle in the heart-shaped nappy.