Imperial Glass Candlewick Hughes Cornflower

Covered mustard pot, ladle, and mayonnaise dish set.

William John Hughes was born and raised in a small Ontario town in the late 1880's and as a young man started his career working for Roden Brothers Silversmiths of Toronto.  When the firm expanded their line to include crystal, Hughes was asked to learn how to engrave glass.  He threw himself into the art and experimented from his basement eventually designing and refining the pattern known as, what else, the Hughes Cornflower.

By 1914 Hughes had left the employment of the Roden brothers to devote himself full time to producing and selling his own line in the basement of his home where he continued for over 30 years before moving to a larger facility after his son in law took over the company.  In it's heyday over 30 cutters and 80 staff were employed at it's production plant, so it truly is a Canadian success story!

Hughes did not produce the glass blanks he used, he was not a glass manufacturer.  The glass blanks they used were imported from many different companies over the years but the most constant source came from The Imperial Glass Company, Bellaire Ohio, with their candlewick design being the most popular line used by Hughes.

Ruffled 6" bowl with handles

I have several pieces of Imperial glass and what I like most about it is the way it feels in my hands, like silk.  The elegant candlewick design was first introduced by Imperial in 1936 and the range of items went from some 40 odd items to over 200 by the 50's and it quickly became Imperials most sought after pattern.  The clearness of this crystal was perfect for etching and cutting.  I'm not surprised that Hughes chose this glass for this popular pattern with it's sharp cuts and delicate scrolls!

6" ashtray, trivet, or dish

Due to it's popularity other cut-glass makers made their own designs of this pattern on similar glass so not all cornflower is authentic.  One major design difference is in the number of petals making up the flower - Hughes used 12, 3, and the single bud in his works.  Below is an example of what I believe to be look-a-likes, as there are only 10 petals.  They are still crystal and they are cornflower, but they are not Hughes.
 

Look-a-likes

The beautiful Imperial Glass Candlewick Hughes Cornflower engraved covered mustard pot with ladle, and clear candlewick mayonnaise dish set is in wonderful condition with no chips or cracks.  The mayonnaise dish is 4  5/8" in diameter, excluding handles.

Asking - $45 set

The 6" ruffled Imperial Glass Hughes Cornflower glass dish is also in wonderful condition with no chips or cracks.

Asking - $12

The clear Imperial Glass Candlewick 6" ashtray, trivet, or dish is much heavier than the set or ruffled bowl, and is chip and crack free.

Asking - $8


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