ITEM 2028. BLACK GLASS STORAGE JAR WITH THREADED PEWTER CLOSURE, (similar to Van den Bossche plate 147, #1), deep yellow olive, dip-mold cylinder, pontil scar, 10 5/8"H x 4 1/8"D, sheared and tooled mouth fitted with a period pewter closure, a mint bottle exhibiting some minor usage wear. French, C. 1800, rare.

This early storage jar is fitted with a wonderful pewter stopper and it is the first example of its type that we have encountered. The jar is most likely French and definitely quite early, dating to the late 18th or early 19th century. The bottle's state of preservation is truly amazing, as there is no damage to the glass and the two part pewter closure exhibits only the expected wear and patina of a 200 year old utilitarian object. It appears that the bottle was blown in a dip mold and then expanded - the pewter closure is original and beautifully crafted. "Multi-media" glass vessels of this period are highly unusual, as the cost of producing such an object would have been substantial and bottles of this type would presumably have had a limited audience because of their high cost. (Most storage jars of the era were "sealed" with cork and wax or cheesecloth and by adding the closure, the manufacturer would have incurred the added cost of hiring a pewterer…) This is truly a great object!