GII-74 Eagle – Cornucopia Flask

Provenance: Anonymous

We are pleased to have on display this beautiful green pint GII-74, Eagle-Cornucopia flask. The embossed motifs are strong and the glass color is impressionable. The flask is attributed to the Keene Marlboro Street Glassworks in Keene, New Hampshire which opened under the direction of Henry Schoolcraft and his two partners in 1815 and continued in operation under a number of operating firms for the next 35 years. The vast majority of the plant’s products appear to have been unmarked with the exception of a few named flasks.

The American eagle was chosen to decorate more flasks than any other single motif in the entire repertoire of flask design elements. It is not hard to understand why, as our young country chose the American bald eagle as its emblem to signify strength, power, and sovereignty on the Great Seal of the United States.

The cornucopia brimming with flowers or produce or both is an ancient motif used throughout time to symbolize prosperity and plenty. On historical flasks, the overflowing cornucopia certainly was a purely decorative element but also reminded one of our young country’s good prospects, especially in the first half of the 19th century.

The GII-74 Eagle-Cornucopia flask presents its motifs on oval panels. An American eagle is embossed on what is considered the obverse side of the flask with its head turned to the right and wings partially raised. The shield on the eagle’s breast has five vertical bars and two horizontal bars and is almost straight at the top. There are three arrow thunderbolts in the left talon and an olive branch in the right talon. The eagle is standing proudly on a rock formation.

The reverse of the flask has a large embossed cornucopia coiled to the left and filled with produce. To the left of the cornucopia is an embossed “X”.

The pint flask has no median ribs and has a smooth edge, plain lip, and pontil mark. Known colors are aqua, golden-amber, and dark amber which are considered scarce while yellow-green and blue-green are thought of as rare.

The GII-72, GII-73, and GII-74 Eagle-Cornucopia flasks are relatively easy to distinguish. The GII-72 does not have an embossed “X” to the left of the cornucopia and has a medial rib on the side of the flask. The GII-73 is similar to GII-72 but has an “X” embossed to the left of the cornucopia with a medial rib on the side of the flask. The GII-74 is similar to the GII-73 having the embossed “X” to the left of the cornucopia but has no median ribs on the side of the flask.

Primary Image: The GII-69 Eagle-Cornucopia flask imaged by the FOHBC Virtual Museum midwest studio by Alan DeMaison.

Support Images: Auction Lot 31: Eagle – Cornucopia Historical Flask, possibly Keene Marlboro Street Glassworks, Keene, New Hampshire, 1830-1850. Aquamarine, sheared mouth – pontil scar, pint. GII-74. A flask not commonly seen in this color. Fine condition. An interesting characteristic of this flask is the faint muted horizontal ribs on either side of the mold seam most evident in the upper shoulder region. Robert and Janice Weekes collection. – Norman Heckler, Norman C. Heckler & Company, Auction #164

Support Images: Auction Lot 37: Eagle – Cornucopia Historical Flask, Keene Marlboro Street Glassworks, Keene, New Hampshire, 1830-1850. Brilliant olive-yellow, sheared mouth – pontil scar, pint; (light exterior high point wear). GII-74 Interesting fold of glass at base of neck. The first that we have seen in this incredible color. Fine condition. Ed & Sherry Losacano collection. – Norman Heckler, Norman C. Heckler & Company

Support: Reference to American Bottles and Flasks and Their Ancestry by Helen McKearin and Kenneth M. Wilson, Crown Publishers Inc., New York, 1978.

Support: Reference to Keene-Marlboro-Street Glassworks by Bill Lockhart, Beau Schriever, Bill Lindsey, and Carol Serr

Join the FOHBC: The Virtual Museum is a project of the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors (FOHBC). To become a member.

See More Historical Flasks

Historical Flasks Gallery

Click on a historical group and flask below!

Featured Stories

FOHBC Virtual Museum: Now Open Free 2020

Free Entry!

With COVID-19 canceling many events, bottle shows, and public gatherings and closing the museums that many of

Read More

HELP US FILL THE BOTTLE

Donate with PayPal

Scroll to Top