Stretch Glass Bowls:
Terms & Definitions
Bowls
Bowls come in every size and shape. As with plates, they may have snap, stuck up or ground marie (rare) bases (see plates for illustrations of these terms). Others have short round bases (often called low-footed) or distinct feet (usually three).
Bowls are commonly confused with comports which are actually bowl-like pieces where the bowl is attached to a moderately long to very long stemmed foot.
Bowls are usually defined by how the rim is shaped. The rim would normally be a simple cup shape when the piece came from the mold. This shape is often called "normal" in some company descriptions. More commonly, the bowl rims are gently flared out or cupped in. More extreme shaping often elicit terms such as wide flared, wide flared and cupped. When the bowl rim is flared out and rolled over, "rolled rim" or "flip bowl." Bowls with wide bases and narrow rims (straight sided, flared or cupped) are often called "flower bowls" because cut flower heads were commonly floated on the surface of water as a decoration.
Central Glass topaz bowl with FLARED rim.
Diamond Glass-Ware bowl in crystal with CUPPED rim.
Imperial bowl in ruby in the NORMAL shape (how it should look coming out of the mold).
Fenton "melon rib" bowl in aquamarine with ROLLED rim (sometimes called a flip bowl).
Diamond Glassware Egyptian Lustre (black) bowl with WIDE FLARED AND CUPPED rim (sometimes called an ice cream bowl).
This Lancaster "green lustre" (green enamel & flower decoration on crystal stretch glass) is commonly called a "straight side" or "45-degree" bow. Lancaster and Diamond made nearly identical bowls with this shape.
Northwood three-FOOTED fern bowl in russet with CUPPED rim.
This US Glass comport may look like a low footed bowl, but notice that the stem is much narrower than the low footed bowl to the right.
This U.S. Glass opaque pink bowl is listed as a "low footed" bowl in their catalogs and this form is commonly confused with comports which also have pedestal bases.
