Sometime around 1920, an elegant 8″ tall crystal compote slipped out of the hands of a nervous hostess as she was serving stewed rhubarb to a dinner guest. The sudden drop to the floor not only embarrassed the hostess and stained the Persian carpet below, but also snapped the cherished heirloom in half. Luckily, her slightly annoyed but handy husband snatched up the broken diamond-cut decorated bowl and attached it to a recently discarded large wooden spool. Seeing that the marriage of crystal and wood needed further embellishment, he gilded the spool to help jazz it up. The now slightly less nervous hostess was able to enjoy the newly restored compote again, but from then on filled it only with butter mints…just to be safe.
This quartet of compotes shows a variety of original glass bases; perhaps one of which looked like mine.
Photo courtesy of Laurel Leaf Farm