The cast glass process of manufacturing inverted dome bowls
was a way to get much finer detail in the relief design of the bowl.
This renders a much finer design than ordinary blown in mold glass.
Molten glass was poured into a mold that was the reverse of the
relief design. The result was a heavier glass than Blown in mold glass.
The heavier glass created a cameo translucence of light and dark shades
that also highlighted the relief beauty of the bowl. The heavier glass
was also a much sturdier form that was less likely to chip and break
from the hardware that carries the bowl.
Many of these bowls were decorated in relief detail that makes them
especially appropriate for Classical and Colonial Revival
environments. With a scarcity of original fixtures made for a
Greek Revival for example, built in 1840, these bowls do a good job filling the
need left from this scarcity.
Other bowls were decorated in a more Victorian appropriate relief.
In general, these bowls make a great foyer fixture and are able to put
out quite a bit of light when upgraded electrically. Needless to say,
these Antique Lighting fixtures will work in many rooms of your home.