Pairpoint Cobalt Blue Engraved Floral Center Bowl Controlled Bubble Pedestal

Details

Description

Pairpoint Cobalt Blue Wheel-Engraved Floral Art Glass Center Bowl with Controlled Bubble Pedestal, New Bedford, circa 1915–1930

A striking example … Read more Pairpoint Cobalt Blue Wheel-Engraved Floral Art Glass Center Bowl with Controlled Bubble Pedestal, New Bedford, circa 1915–1930

A striking example of early 20th-century American art glass produced by the celebrated Pairpoint Manufacturing Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts. This elegant center bowl combines richly colored cobalt glass with finely executed wheel engraving and a distinctive controlled-bubble pedestal base, illustrating the technical sophistication for which Pairpoint became internationally known.

The wide, shallow bowl is rendered in luminous cobalt blue glass, its interior delicately decorated with wheel-engraved floral and foliate motifs arranged in a flowing circular composition around the rim. The design depicts stylized wildflowers and grasses—motifs favored by Pairpoint engravers in the early decades of the 20th century. The engraving is executed with exceptional delicacy, creating a soft frosted contrast against the saturated cobalt ground.

Supporting the bowl is a sculptural clear glass pedestal filled with controlled air bubbles, sometimes referred to as a “bubble ball” base. This decorative technique—achieved by trapping air within the molten glass during the blowing process—became a signature visual element in Pairpoint tablewares and art glass during the 1910s and 1920s. The sparkling suspended bubbles provide a lively optical counterpoint to the smooth cobalt surface above.

During this period Pairpoint emerged as one of the leading American producers of luxury art glass, continuing the tradition established by Mount Washington Glass Works while introducing innovative decorative techniques and refined modern forms.

With its bold cobalt color, elegant engraving, and visually dynamic bubble pedestal, this bowl exemplifies the refined artistry of American art glass produced in the early 20th century. It would have originally served as a center bowl for fruit or flowers on a dining table or sideboard, where the vivid color and sparkling base would catch and reflect surrounding light.

Dimensions
Diameter: 12 in.
Height: 5 in.
Base diameter: 4 in. See less