Antique Gillender & Sons EAPG Pioneer best Pattern Pedestal Pitcher

The Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition in 1876 put Gillender & Sons on the map, literally. For the exhibition best, they built an entire glass-making factory, which was such a hit for the 10 million or so attendees that the company continued to produce its Centennial souvenirs long after the exhibit.

In the late 1870s they devised their Pioneer pattern, also known as Westward Ho, of which this pedestal pitcher is an example: an acid-etched wrap-around scene of a sylvan log cabin flanked by a galloping stag and a wide-eyed buffalo. At the base of the handle, the head and neck of a dog.

The pitcher also features a fanned base, a fluted "frosting" rim surrounding the spout, and a thumb rest at the top of the handle. It is in flawless, original condition, with no chips, flea bites, cracks, hairlines, scratches, scuffs, or repairs.

Please note: there is an inward curve in the circumference of the frosted disk of the upper stem visible in the closeup of the stag (see photos), part of its original manufacture.