Imperial Scroll Embossed
By Tom Wayer
Scroll Embossed has been one of my favorite carnival glass patterns since I saw my first example many years ago. With its circles, curved arcs, and plumes the pattern reminds me of a cross between Art Nouveau and Art Deco and its years of production do span the years between those two styles.
The Scroll Embossed pattern (sometimes called Peacock Eye) was made in several sizes of bowls and compotes and also in plates, all with the pattern on the interior. Small sauce bowls are 4 1/2 to 5 inches across, round or ruffled and have the File exterior as do the master berry bowls which can be 9 to 10 inches across. Round or ruffled bowls 6 1/2 to 9 1/2 inches across can have the File exterior, a plain exterior, or occasionally a Hobstar and Tassels exterior. Bowls can have a smooth edge or a sawtooth edge.
There are three sizes of Scroll Embossed compotes. Large compotes are around 4 1/2 inches tall and 7 to 7 1/2 inches across, ruffled and have the Eastern Star pattern on the exterior. Small compotes are around 4 1/2 inches tall and 5 to 6 inches across, ruffled and have a plain exterior. Miniature compotes are around 3 inches tall and can be round or ruffled. A few green goblets are known which were shaped from the miniature compote mold.
Plates are 9 inches across with a sawtooth edge and have a plain exterior with either a smooth or a starred base. There is a one of a kind 8-inch teal plate with the Hobstar and Tassels exterior and a smooth edge.
A stunning purple seems to be the most common color for Scroll Embossed pieces followed by marigold. Many green pieces have much more colorful iridescence than the usual Imperial Helios green. Other colors such as smoke, clambroth, amber, lavender, violet, aqua/teal, blue, Vaseline, and even amberina are also available but not all colors are found in all shapes and sizes.
Imperial reproduced carnival glass 9-inch bowls in Scroll Embossed in the 1960s and 1970s in colors not found in the original bowls. I have seen them in ice blue, ice green and white and they are all marked on the bottom with the later Imperial I over G mark. In England the Sowerby glass company also used a version of Scroll Embossed on the interior of their Diving Dolphins pieces and the interiors of some small bowls and ashtrays.
Two 9-inch plates, purple on the far left and lavender on the second to the left. The bottoms of the bases both have a star pattern. Two 9-inch plates, Helios green on the second from the right and marigold on the right. The bottoms of the bases are both smooth.
Two green bowls with plain exteriors, 7 1/2 inches and 8 inches are shown on the left. On the right is a 7 1/2-inch green bowl with 6 ruffles and a 7-inch purple bowl with 8 ruffles. Both bowls have the Hobstar and Tassels exterior.
On the far left is an 8-inch clear bowl with pastel iridescence and a plain exterior, while second from the left is 9-inch smoke bowl with the File exterior. Two 7 1/2-inch purple bowls shown on the right. The second from the right has a plain exterior while on the right has a file exterior.
Four sauce bowls with File exteriors are shown in the picture on left. Two purple sauces are on the top and a smoke and a clambroth below. Three small compotes are shown in the picture on the right. They all have plain exteriors and the colors are purple, marigold, and Helios green.
On the left are shown two small compotes in blue and amber and a miniature compote in purple is on the bottom. They all have plain exteriors. On the right are shown three large compotes with Eastern Star exteriors in purple, marigold, and clambroth.
Photos courtesy of Tom Wayer.
This article first appeared in the ICGA Pump in the December 2023 issue and is reprinted with permission.