1700's DEMIJOHN BOTTLE WICKER COVERED

***Hello Everyone!

Quick Story: My dad collected Antiques for over 50 years. As a kid, my dad had an Antiques Store. My dad is getting older and recently sold his house. The house was filled with his most precious finds: Chinese Potteries, Porcelains, Paintings, Etchings, Prints, Tobys, etc, and many many Antique and Rare Books (several are signed) some books are as old as 1600's.


My dad gave me everything. I was the only kid so he wanted me to have all of his most precious treasures. I feel blessed. I will be posting a few things on here in the next few weeks in hope of getting a few more information on certain pieces. I still have 12 boxes of Antique books that are unopened so it will take me some time but will try to post the best finds on here. ***


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What I know about this piece:
- Circa 1700's
- 20" x 12"
- Blown Glass with lots of bubbles (had to look inside with a light)
- Many imperfections in the Bottleneck but no cracks or damage (it looks cracked but it's not, just imperfections)
- Was used on ships to transport Water, Oil, Wine and Medications
- I believe the Wicker Cover may be original but not certain
- I wanted to remove it but since it's in great condition, I opted to keep it on instead. I was reading that most of the Original Wicker on old Demijohns are falling apart and cracking so not that many left with the original cover.
- I would love to hear more if anyone knows something more about it!

 

Just my way of thinking,but something that utilitarian would show a lot more wear.I think the wicker is newer .The bottle looks right .Im often wrong though!

 

That was also my first impression . Perhaps I should remove it but I am not 100% certain if it was added later on or not. All I know is Wicker furniture date as far back as 5000 years ago and it preserves very well in good temperate conditions. I really want to remove it and see if there are markings on the bottle but worried that I be making a mistake...

 

I can't speak to the bottle, but to my eye the fibre material is not showing 200 plus years of wear , dirt , dust and grime.

 

btw....you are giving us fine photo's with a wealth of information as you understand it to be..............and that's head and shoulders above what a regular new member offers us !

Thank you !!

 

Thanks! I appreciate that comment

 

u deserve it !!!

 

ps...sidebar.....
we like to chat here, goof around and have fun, all while helping out the OP....so don't worry if a thread goes sideways from time to time !!

Also...we;re not all here all the time.....so good information can come in minutes...days....sometimes even longer...
no one gets paid here...

 

Cool! And I appreciate that it's free information too so I will try to help other members as well! My strong suit is Porcelains (Meissen, Limoges, Royal Doulton, Royal Albert, Sevres, etc... mostly Figurines

 

hah,,,,,u just made about a dozen friends here !!!!!
our porcelain Forum is bursting with all those......& we constantly get more !!!

 

I am no expert in glass (nor in anything else) but this wicker vessel strikingly reminds me of my grandmother's vessels to bring water to her house where I used to stay during my childhood. I myself used to drink water from a similar smaller piece. Also used by villagers to keep strong home made alcohol. Mundane object used by everyone around. A, my grandma's had a handle also made of wicker.
Local craftsmen, mainly gipsies used to make them and sell for little price to the villagers. But still I remember my granny
Now it can be found at the local flea markets.

Intriguing for me that someone considers it a valuable antique, no offence meant, just curious about how different we are because of our different background and upbringing.

 

Thanks for your reply IvaPan! That's really cool to read and I really appreciate you sharing a bit of your childhood stories!

The value in this item really is not the wicker itself but the bottle that's 300 years old.

The wicker is justs a bonus since it's almost intact, but the more I look at it, the more I think the wicker cover is not original.

So I may remove it and show pictures of the actual bottle soon.

Have a great day!

 

Known here as a carboy. The wicker may not be original, but it's old.

@IvaPan - utilitarian bottles like this go back literally thousands of years. I love that. The value sometimes is in the rarity: so many got smashed.

 

Unfortunately you'd have to remove the pristine wicker to examine how the lip & mouth are joined to the neck,color,bubbles & mineralization of glass,and pontil (blow tube) mark on the base.
Do some countries re-weave/recycle antique bottles for some reason ?

 

If it's going to be reused, then yes.

 

Iva Pan-Antique Bottle Collectors can get very over the top when bidding on rarer bottles.That's why all those 'tunnel rats' are risking their lives digging deep holes in the middle of teetering demolished buildings.
You might hit that Flea Market when you visit the old village next time (and ship back an old Gypsy Wagon ).

 

As I'm fond of saying.......... ( ya ya, I say lots o' stuff ! )..

you can have new weaving over an old bottle,
but...
you can't have old weaving over a new bottle !!

 

WOW- Where'd that bottle come from Komo,were you out diggin' a Victorian outhouse ?

 

not mine.......
Tlingit 1st Nations from around 1890

 

incredibly beautiful piece,why isn't it mine ?