GXII-10 “Union” Clasped Hands – Eagle Flask

Provenance: Anonymous

Our exciting quart GXII-10, olive green “Union” and Clasped Hands – Eagle historical flask is quite an example among all “Union” flasks. Although the mold itself is quite common, the color of this flask makes it very special. To date, this is the only Union flask, in any Union mold, that is found in this olive-green color though examples exist in darker shades of yellow-olive glass. The GXII-10 can also be found in aquamarine which is common, blue-green and yellow-green, and citron which is considered scarce, and various shades of amber which are considered very rare.

The general meaning of the symbol of the clasped-hands motif can be found on funerary monuments and reliefs from ancient Greece, through the Roman period, and right up until the 18th and 19th centuries when it became increasingly popular with those of the Christian faith. During the Classical Greek period (fourth and fifth century B.C.) the clasped-hands motif is thought to have represented the bond between the living and the dead. Clasping hands are a symbol of human unity. It is a nearly-universal gesture signifying solidarity, teamwork, peace, friendship, togetherness, and union. It complements “shaking hands” and is important for completeness. In America, during the 1860s and into the 1870s, clasped hands represented the struggle to preserve the Union during the Civil War. This is undoubtedly the meaning of our GXII-10 “Union” and Clasped Hands – Eagle historical flask.

When looking at the obverse face of the flask, you see a large shield with narrow molding, shallow ogival top, ogival sides with a point at the meeting of the upper and lower fields, then curving sharply to a point at the bottom. The upper field has narrow horizontal bars reaching to the frame with rounded ends and top and bottom in shallow ogee curve to inverted points at center. The clasped hands in the frame show a cuff and part of a sleeve at the ends. The lower field has fifteen broads vertical bars of graduated length, broken by a round-ended oblong frame with narrow molding. Each side of the shield has a slender olive branch. There are 19 leaves on the left and 22 leaves on the right in a double-ogee. The left laurel extends beyond the top corner of the shield and the lower part of the star. Above the shield are 13 large stars, one near each end of the shield and 11 in a shallow arc above embossed copy reading “UNION” in large fancy letters, also in a slight arc, midway between 5 center stars and the point of the shield.

The reverse of the flask depicts a small flying eagle or peace dove flying right with feathering rather pebbled of the neck, body, and wings by short ribs. The term peace dove attribution was thought of and brought to light by Jim Bender, an extremely knowledgeable collector of Union flasks. The tail has 5 long curved ribs. The small head has a prominent eye and a long hooked beak. The wings are raised high in flight. There is a broad tail curving downward. Depending from the breast is a large shield at nearly a right angle to the eagle and top at right extending beyond the breast. There is an indication of horizontal bars, above the pennant and vertical bars below, a long olive branch curving to the left, and a thunderbolt, 6 arrows, to the right. There are narrow pennants with wide deeply forked ends. The top one is curving upward across the middle of the left wing. The lower pennant is down across the shield above the center and curved downward close to the olive branch. There is a large frame beneath with narrow molding with deep ogivals at the top and bottom with incurved ends.

The quart flask sides are smooth, the neck is tall, tooled, and has a flat square ring below a thickened plain lip. There is a Type 12 base.

To date, only three examples of this GXII-10 in this olive green color are known. One is in the Corning Museum of Glass (pictured in the museum), one is in the Matt Lacy collection, and this example whose provenance comes from the extraordinary Union Flask collection of Bill Borchert. The Borchert Collection was auctioned through Glass Works Auctions where this flask was purchased by Jim Bender and later dispersed through his collection when sold in 2014.

Primary Image: GXII-10 “Union” and Clasped Hands – Eagle historical flask imaged on location by the FOHBC Virtual Museum midwest studio led by Alan DeMaison.

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

Support Image: Photograph of Union Clasped Hands on shelves by Jim Bender.

Support Images: Auction Lot 86: “Union” And Clasped Hands – Eagle Historical Flask, Midwest America, 1860-1870. Medium to deep yellow olive, applied mouth with ring – smooth base, quart; (light exterior high point wear). GXII-10 Strong mold impression and in a deeper rare color. Fine condition. Timothy and Christine Hill collection. – Norman C. Heckler & Company, Auction #159

Support Images: Auction Lot 131: “Union” And Clasped Hands – Eagle Historical Flask, probably a Pittsburgh glasshouse, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1860-1870. Medium blue-green, applied square collared mouth – smooth base, quart; (professionally cleaned, 1/4 inch open bubble to left of eagle). GXII-10 Beautiful color. Mike Roberts collection. – Norman C. Heckler & Company

Support Image: Dark olive green glass; mold-blown, applied collar. Obverse: shield with vertical stripes in the background, clasped hands in upper portion and oval in the lower portion. Reverse: flying eagle with banner in beak and shield on breast; frame below. Inscription: “UNION” above the shield. Edges: vertical seam. GXII-10, McKearin Antiques – Corning Museum of Glass

Support Image: Auction Lot 341: “UNION” / CLASPED HANDS – EAGLE, (GXII-10), Midwestern, ca. 1855 – 1870, light to medium citron green color quart, smooth base, applied ring mouth. Perfect condition, strong impression, and in an unlisted color for this mould. – Jim Hagenbuch, Glass Works Auctions | Auction #147

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