Panther - The Story Behind The Glass
G & S Thistlewood, November 2015
Panther centrepiece bowl, blue, Fenton
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Detailed drawing of Panther pattern, Glen Thistlewood
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Panther? Puma? Tiger? Wild Cat? Whatever the beast might be in the fabulous Fenton pattern known as Panther, it’s a fascinating one. Our theory is that the story behind this design leads all the way to Persia, and the creature in the Carnival pattern is actually a Persian Tiger (aka Caspian Tiger) below, right.
Just look at this breathtaking design on a fabulous Persian rug, below left. The pattern features the tree of life design motif which, in Persian rug design, shows a connection between mortal life and the spiritual world; it portrays the immortality of the soul and thus represents eternal life.
But just look at those creatures in the centre … tigers, surely ... they have stripes. They could have been models for the Fenton “panther” which appears to have stripes. These fabulous creatures are surely Persian Tigers.
Just look at this breathtaking design on a fabulous Persian rug, below left. The pattern features the tree of life design motif which, in Persian rug design, shows a connection between mortal life and the spiritual world; it portrays the immortality of the soul and thus represents eternal life.
But just look at those creatures in the centre … tigers, surely ... they have stripes. They could have been models for the Fenton “panther” which appears to have stripes. These fabulous creatures are surely Persian Tigers.
Qum Persian Rug Tree of Life (detail). Grateful thanks to Carpetbeggers Museum of Folklore and Historical Persian Rugs for permission to share the image.
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Persian or Caspian Tiger
Image in Public Domain, courtesy Wikimedia Commons. |
So, how might this design have been the inspiration behind a Carnival Glass pattern produced in West Virginia by Fenton? We feel the link was likely to have been the Style Books and Journals such as “The Practical Decorator and Ornamentist” that were aimed at designers generally. These pattern books contained motifs from many different design styles ranging from ancient Eygptian and Greek, to Persian and more. Their stated aim was “to supply the Decorative Artist and Ornamentist with an almost inexhaustible fount of inspiration.” We believe that these style books with their many, easily copied design motifs, were the source of quite a number of Carnival designs – and Fenton’s Panther was surely one of them.
So, how might this design have been the inspiration behind a Carnival Glass pattern produced in West Virginia by Fenton? We feel the link was likely to have been the Style Books and Journals such as “The Practical Decorator and Ornamentist” that were aimed at designers generally. These pattern books contained motifs from many different design styles ranging from ancient Eygptian and Greek, to Persian and more. Their stated aim was “to supply the Decorative Artist and Ornamentist with an almost inexhaustible fount of inspiration.” We believe that these style books with their many, easily copied design motifs, were the source of quite a number of Carnival designs – and Fenton’s Panther was surely one of them.
Detail of Fenton's Panther pattern
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The Panther bowl exterior pattern is Butterfly and Berry
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Down Memory Lane A unique Panther master bowl came up for sale back in 1991, when it was the highlight of John & Lucile Britt's second auction of their amazing Carnival Glass collection. The bowl is shown on the right (from the auction flyer signed by John and Lucille). The colour is Nile green, an opaque yellow-green. One of Carnival's great rarities. We show details of their first auction in our Carnival Glass Ephemera feature. |
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Read more of The Stories Behind The Glass in Carnival Glass Times