Mid-Century Modern Sterling Silver and Translucent Glass Tray by Dorothy Thorpe
About the Item
- Creator:Dorothy Thorpe (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 1.25 in (3.18 cm)Width: 12.5 in (31.75 cm)Depth: 12.5 in (31.75 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950
- Condition:
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU793419639792
Dorothy Thorpe
Dorothy Thorpe glassware was a chic staple of every mid-century modern wet bar, paricularly her festive Roly Poly silver-banded tumblers. Although not as widely known as such contemporaries as Eva Zeisel and Edith Heath, Thorpe was one of a group of creative and entrepreneurial women whose designs captured the imagination of the postwar homeowner with her modern and festive designs.
Thorpe was born in Salt Lake City in 1901 and settled in Los Angeles as a young woman. She began creating her signature glassware using the trade name Dorothy Thorpe Originals in the 1930s. Thorpe was a designer, not a glassblower. To create her shimmering wares, she purchased glass blanks from a variety of manufacturers and subjected them to various techniques, including sandblasting, etching and silver overlay. Initially Art Deco in style, the pieces were signed with a large T and smaller D. Thorpe also worked in ceramics and, in the 1940s, with Lucite, producing a line of household items, such as magazine racks, sculptural lamps, candlesticks and umbrella stands.
After World War II, Thorpe was inspired by the new interest in the flowers and animals of the South Pacific to begin incorporating tropical floral motifs into her work. She traveled to Hawaii and studied local irises, roses, azaleas, narcissus and eucalyptus. The decorative patterns based on these studies were created primarily by sandblasting, which makes a glass surface appear frosted. From the 1930s through the ’50s, Thorpe’s designs won her many fans among the members of café society, including Princess Grace of Monaco and the Shah of Iran. They were also widely imitated. Vintage tumblers that bear a silver stripe around the rim but lack the “DT” signature on the bottom are not Thorpe originals.
In the 1950s, Thorpe created the glassware line Atomic Splash, which featured the energetic geometric patterns that were so popular at the time. Atomic Splash patterned drinking glasses and serving dishes bore a silver overlay that evoked an explosion. She also designed a line of ceramic tableware decorated with a wreath of spring flowers in collaboration with Crown Lynn Pottery, in New Zealand, and, in the mid-’60s, created coffee sets for the Santa Barbara and Monterey companies. Among her own ceramics products were lines glazed iin the eye-catching shades Orange Persimmon and Blue Periwinkle.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Mid-Century Modern Sterling Silver Tray with Stylized Grape and Vine MotifsLocated in New York, NYThis beautiful sterling silver decorative tray was realized in Great Britain, circa 1950. It features a circular centre with rounded scalloped sides that offer stylized grape and vin...Category
Vintage 1950s English Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Set of Six 24kt Gold Plated Roman Themed Coasters Signed by Piero FornasettiBy Piero FornasettiLocated in New York, NYThis stunning set of six coasters were designed by the legendary Piero Fornasetti for Saks Fifth Avenue in Milan Italy circa 1960. They feature circular porcelain bodies with raised ...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
MaterialsGold
- Enrique Garcel Mid-Century Modern Lacquered Goatskin Pagoda Style Bar TrayBy Enrique GarcelLocated in New York, NYThis beautiful Mid-Century Modern bar tray was handmade in Colombia, circa 1980. It features a pagoda form with stylized chinoiserie style legs; a volumetric rectangular body and a b...Category
Vintage 1980s Colombian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsGoatskin
- Midcentury Sterling Silver Decorative Dish with Foliate Tray by J.E. Caldwell CoBy J.E. Caldwell & Co.Located in New York, NYThis stunning Art Deco decorative tray was realized by the Philadelphia based fabled American jeweler and producer of fine luxury silver goods, James Emmot Caldwell, since 1839. It f...Category
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Platters and Serveware
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Mid-Century Modern Handblown Gradient Smoked Murano Glass Hourglass DecantersLocated in New York, NYThis stunning pair of Mid-Century Modern decanters were realized in Murano, Italy- the island off the coast of Venice renowned for centuries for its superlative glass production. They feature sinuously curved and undulating bodies in a sultry gradient smoked Murano glass. The bodies ascend from circular bases tapering to horizontal elliptical centers before receding in diameter once more to their ringed mouths. They are fitted with conical stoppers also in smoked Murano glass. With their graphic and idiosyncratic silhouettes and beautiful glass quality, these decanters are sure to delight discerning collectors of first rate (and rare) Mid Century Modern objects...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Barware
MaterialsMurano Glass
- Mid-Century Modern Tortoise Bakelite Salt and Pepper Shaker Set by Au Bain MarieLocated in New York, NYThis elegant Mid-Century Modern salt and pepper Shaker set were realized in France circa 1960 by the esteemed maker Au Bain Marie. They feature sinuously...Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern More Dining and Entertaining
MaterialsBakelite
- Vintage Dorothy Thorpe Etched Glass Platter, Tray Signed by Dorothy ThorpeBy Dorothy ThorpeLocated in Los Angeles, CAVintage Dorothy Thorpe Carved and Etched Glass Platter, Tray Signed Top Corner of the Tray by Dorothy ThorpeCategory
Vintage 1940s American Platters and Serveware
MaterialsGlass
- Vintage Dorothy Thorpe Tray Antiqued Silver on CrystalBy Dorothy ThorpeLocated in Los Angeles, CAVintage Dorothy Thorpe Tray has been Hand Decorated with Antiqued Silver on Crystal UnsignedCategory
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
MaterialsGlass
- Vintage Dorothy Thorpe Gold Scroll Textured Glass TrayBy Dorothy ThorpeLocated in Los Angeles, CAVintage Dorothy Thorpe Gold Scroll Textured Glass Tray has been Hand Decorated with Gold Leaf UnsignedCategory
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
MaterialsGlass
- Vintage Dorothy Thorpe Atomic Splash TrayBy Dorothy ThorpeLocated in Los Angeles, CAVintage Dorothy Thorpe Atomic Splash Tray, Hand Decorated Antiqued Silver on Crystal, UnsignedCategory
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
MaterialsGlass
- Mid-Century Modern Danish Designed Teak Tray by Jens Quistgaard Made by DanskBy Dansk, Jens QuistgaardLocated in London, GBA Mid-Century Modern (Scandinavian Modern) Danish teak tray designed by Jens Quistgaard for Dansk of the USA. A Teak tray designed by the highly regarded and very collected Jens H...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
MaterialsTeak
- Vintage Silvered Glass Ice Bowl in the Manner of Dorothy ThorpeBy Dorothy ThorpeLocated in Nantucket, MAArt Deco tapered glass ice bowl in the manner of Dorothy Thorpe. The entire surface of the glass is silvered inside and out, including the bottom and with no decoration on the mirror...Category
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Barware
MaterialsGlass