Jain tumbler - Jain Glass Works - Muscadine tumbler - Beaded Spears tumbler
Olympic Tudor & Beads tumbler -  Paneled Grape tumbler

 

The Carnival Glass of India, Part 10:

Rare and Notable Jain Tumblers

by curculiosglass

Four Suits Tumbler in marigold carnival glass
Jain Glass Works, circa 1930's

photograph by junkinjak

          This is Part 10 of a twelve-part guide on carnival glass from India.  This section of our guide offers a sampling of carnival glass tumblers made by the Jain Glass Works of Firozabad, India in the 1930's.  Part I of this guide contains general information on the Jain Glass Works, India's most prominent carnival glass manufacturer, which launched the production of the first iridized Indian glass in the 1930's.  India's carnival glass consisted primarily of tumblers and pitchers. 

          To see other parts of our guide, click on the links in the guide Table of Contents at the end of this page.  This guide was made possible by the many E-Bayers who came together to contribute photographs to this project.  Please leave feedback by clicking the button at page bottom.

 

Introduction

            There are 75 recorded Indian carnival glass tumbler patterns; these are all listed in Part 8 of this guide.  Such tumblers have been documented in various resources, most notably in the works of Glen and Stephen Thistlewood, and at the website Tumbler World  (tumblerworld.com/JainNew2.html).  Part 8 and Part 9 of this guide series document an additional 10 tumblers that were previously unknown in carnival glass literature, but which appeared on E-Bay between 2007 and 2009.

           This section, Part 10, showcases examples of an array of Jain tumblers, with the purpose of aiding E-Bayers in identifying rare specimens, and also with the aim of giving collectors a sense of the breadth and beauty of Jain's workmanship.  The patterns shown here include:   Four Suits, Beaded Spears, Beaded Spears Variant, Olympic Tudor & Beads,  Paneled Grape and Muscadine.

 

Photographic Gallery of Jain Tumblers

 

A Four Suits Tumbler in marigold carnival glass
Jain Glass Works, circa 1930's

photograph by junkinjak

Four Suits.  We show this tumbler here, because this handsome pattern exemplifies Jain Glass at its best.  The tumbler features a striking geometrical pattern of curved intersecting lines divided by smooth leaf-shaped openings.  A 1/2-inch band of clear glass circles the top, and just under this are four regularly-spaced oval panels.  On each panel is a Maltese Cross, and within each cross is a card suit:  a club, diamond, heart or spade.  The tumbler shown here is 4 3/4" high and measures 3" wide from rim to rim.  Slightly smaller Four Suits tumblers have appeared on E-Bay that measure 4 1/2" high with 2 3/4" rim diameters and 2" bases.  Bases are smooth and iridized.  This pattern has been documented in marigold carnival glass only.

 

 

 
  
A rare marigold Beaded Spears Tumbler, flared shape
photo by junkinjak

Beaded Spears.  Beaded Spears tumblers are listed as "rare" by the Standard Encyclopedia of Carnival Glass, 11th ed., pp. 34, 308.  The Beaded Spears pattern features a clear 1/2-inch band encircling the tumbler above a series of six upward-pointing triangles that interlock with six downward-pointing triangles.  The downward-pointing triangles are decorated with criss-crossing lines, with clear circles centered near the top of each triangle.  The upward-pointing triangles are decorated with geometric designs; Glen and Stephen Thistlewood write in  A Century of Carnival Glass that "The upward pointing triangle within the design is an auspicious talisman symbolizing goodness and aspiration" (p. 172). 

          Beaded Spears tumblers appear in two basic shapes:  with flared sides, as shown above, and with straight sides, as shown below left.  Both shapes appear in two sizes:  small tumblers that are 4 1/2" in height; and taller 5 1/2" tumblers.  Depending on tumbler size and shape, bases range from 2" to 2 3/4" and rims from 3 1/8 to 3 1/2"; flared tumblers have smaller bases and narrower mouths than straight-sided tumblers.  All documented Beaded Spears tumblers appear in one color only:  marigold.

Bearded Spears Variant.  Jain also issued a variation on the Beaded Spears pattern (now known as Beaded Spears Variant).  Variants appear in both marigold and blue carnival glass; a blue variant in shown above right.  On Beaded Spears Variant tumblers, a band decorated with a crosshatched design circles the tumbler just under the clear band that rings the rim.  The downward-pointing triangles are clear and patternless.  According to the SEOG, "while all of these variants have similar patterning, each has some portions that are different" (p. 34).  On some, both the downward-pointing triangles and encircling band are left undecorated.  Most variants have flat bases, but on some, the bases flare slightly, and the flared skirts around the bases are decorated with crosshatched lines.

 

             

A rare Olympic Tudor & Beads tumbler
photo by junkinjak

Olympic tudor & Beads.  This tumbler pattern was featured in an article titled "Top Ten Non-USA Tumblers," written in 2001 by carnival glass expert Glen Thistlewood.  An Olympic Tudor & Beads tumbler now appears at the Thistlewoods' carnival glass website, where it is identified as the only known example in this pattern (http://geocities.com/carni_glass_uk_2000/tumblers.html).  In July, 2009, E-Bayer junkinjak of India unearthed a second example of this tumbler.  This wonderful find is shown above and below; junkinjak has provided multiple photographs to aid collectors in identifying the pattern.

  

Detail photographs of an Olympic Tudor & Beads tumbler,
showing the tumbler's impressed flower design, interior and bottom edge

photographs courtesy of junkinjak

The Olympic  Tudor & Beds pattern features a floral design consisting of a four-petaled flower connected to leaves and a short stem terminating in a bud.  This design is very similar to that found on a vase pattern known as Herbal Medicine, featured in Part 2 of this guide.  As shown above, a chain of interlocked circles girds the top of the Olympic Tudor & Beads tumbler.  A ring of raised dots encircles the bottom.  The tumbler's base is smooth and iridized.                .            

            These tumblers have been found in the color marigold only.  They measure 4 3/4" tall, with base diameters of 2" and rim diameters between 2 7/8" and 3".  This tumbler pattern is not documented in the Standard Encyclopedia of Carnival Glass.  One additional photograph of the pattern does appear, however, at the Tumbler World website (tumblerworld.com/JainNew2.html).  The tumbler is also featured in the Thistlewood's 2001 book, A Century of Carnival Glass,  at p.175.

 

     

Paneled Grape tumbler (left and center),
with Muscadine tumbler (right)

photos by ponypainter (left) and bottleman

Paneled Grape.  This pattern was first featured in the Thistlewoods' works and appears in their A Century of Carnival Glass (2001), under the name "Beaded Panels and Grapes" (p. 171).   Paneled Grape tumblers feature exceptionally fine and detailed moldwork.  The tumblers have three panels, each depicting grape leaves and clusters.  The panels are separated by plain panels outlined with raised bead-like designs.  A band encircles the top rim of each tumbler, decorated with grape vines, leaves and fruit.  These tumblers are documented in marigold only, in two sizes:  a shorter 4 1/2" tumbler (shown above), and a taller 5" tumbler. 

Muscadine.  This pattern was also featured in the Thistlewoods' A Century of Carnival Glass (p. 175).  Muscadine tumblers are now characterized as "rare" by the Standard Encyclopedia of Carnival Glass, 6th ed. (pp. 192,361).  We show a Muscadine tumbler here together with Paneled Grape, because the two patterns are sometimes confused.  Like Paneled Grape tumblers, Muscadine tumblers  feature three panels showing grape clusters above and below a single grape leaf, and these panels are separated by plain panels outlined with raised bead-like designs.  Unlike the Paneled Grape tumbler, however, on Muscadine tumblers the band encircling the top bears a repeated geometric design.  The SEOG  calls Muscadine "almost a twin" to Paneled Grape, "except that it has a band of geometric squares-within-squares and diamonds-within-diamonds instead of grapes and leaves".  The tumbler shown here is 5 1/8" tall with a 2 1/4" base and 3 1/8" rim diameter. 

A Muscadine Variant tumbler also exists, on which the encircling band varies.  Instead of squares-within-squares and diamonds-within-diamonds, the band features circle and diamond shapes outlined by raised beads.  These shapes interlock to ring the tumbler.  A picture of a Muscadine variant tumbler can be found at the website Tumbler World (tumblerworld.com/JainNew2.html).

 

A rare Vineyard Harvest tumbler
photo by ponypainter

Vineyard Harvest.   This pattern features a third variation on Jain's grapevine theme.  The top and bottom of the tumbler are encircled by raised double lines.  Between these are what the Thistlewoods describe in A Century of Carnival Glass as "large, pendulous bunches of grapes" (p. 176).  The thumbler shown here measures 4" in height.  Tumblers also appear in a 5 1/2" size.  This Jain tumbler pattern has been documented in marigold carnival glass only.  Another example of the tumbler can viwed at the Tumbler World website (tumblerworld.com/JainNew3.html).  

This is one of the very few tumbler patterns that is still listed as "rare" by the Standard Encylopedia of Carnival Glass, 11th ed. (2008), pp. 276, 393.  The first known examples of this tumbler were found in Australia, and thus the pattern originally was known by the name "Australian Grape".  The SEOG notes, however, that "since then and especially since Robert Smith made his Jain Glass Works discovery," the pattern has been attributed to Jain rather than an Australian glassmaker.  Bob Smith, as noted in Part 1 of this guide, owns the largest carnival glass tumbler collection in the world, and he was instrumental in bringing Indian carnival glass to international attention.

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          Many thanks to E-Bayers bottleman,  junkinjak, ponypainter and reclaimed seattle,  for generously contributing photographs to this guide.   And Rights to all photos belong to the photographers, and pictures should not be used without their permission.  Text is (c) 2008 curculiosglass, all rights reserved.  To locate any E-Bayer whose name is mentioned here, or to visit his or her store, simply click on "SITE MAP" on the bottom of your screen, and then click on "Feedback Forum" on the right top corner of the screen that next appears.  Type or copy the E-Bayer's name into the search blank.  To see our other guides on glass, click on GUIDE INDEX.   If you found this guide helpful, please leave feedback by clicking the button below.