Past Imperfect, The Art of Inventive Repair

This small colorless free-form blown cordial glass goblet measures 4.5 inches high and was most likely made in America or England in the early to middle 19th century.

After the base broke off, a sweet replacement base was fashioned and attached to the remains of the knob stem. I applaud the tinker who made this simple yet elegant repair on such a small goblet.

This similar cordial glass suggests what my goblet would have looked like before it was fitted with its replacement base.

Photo courtesy of iCollector

I’m a big fan of early repairs which drastically change the overall appearance of the piece. This tiny cut glass cordial, nearly 4.5 inches high, had a matching glass base which must have broken off over 150 years ago. Since there was no way to effectively repair the detached glass base, a tinker had to create a metal replacement. I assume the owner who had the repair done was thrilled to have a functioning cordial again, even though it must have stuck out like a sore thumb among the other “perfect” ones in the set.

Perhaps the original base on my cordial glass was faceted like this example. We will never know.

Photo courtesy of Corning Museum of Glass