please help!! need to id bulldog figurine/statue

18 years ago

hi! sorry, no picture..the only picture that exists is in my husband's brain!! i have been married to this man for the past 8 years, and he has been totally obsessed with replacing a black glass bulldog that he used to have. The story (which i have heard well over a hundred times) goes like this. his aunt grace gave him a black sitting bulldog, very very heavy, many many years ago. from what i have gleaned from listening to him with half an ear, it stood about 10-12 inches high, and was totally black, shiny. he assumed it was was solid cast iron, or something similar. until........... one day one of his son's friends dropped it, and it shattered. only then did he realize it was glass. ever since then, he has been on a quest to replace this cherished heirloom. from what i understand it was probably 40-50 years old. he says that the features on the bulldog were not very pronounced, but if you looked carefully you could see the ears, and eyes and nose, etc. i have hunted antique stores, googled and searched ebay, for anything remotely like a heavy, black, antique, glass sitting bulldog. i have yet to come up with a possible manufacturer. his obsession has now become MY obsession (and yes, it is as much to SHUT HIM UP ABOUT IT as it is to replace this item that he loved so dearly ...lol) any ideas that anyone has as to how to identify this mystery bulldog would be very welcome!!

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Comments (11)

User
18 years ago
Aim HIM at eBay and Google and tell him that it's out there somewhere.
jiggreen
Original Author
18 years ago
i tried that plan...he got frustrated and gave up after the first 30 minutes (he's not blessed with a long attention span in front of the computer, unlike me who could sit here for 3 days straight!). our anniversary is in a couple of months and i would love to surprise him with this danged bulldog. this forum is my last hope. i am hoping that a lightbulb will go off in someone's head and they'll be able to give me some ideas as to a manufacturer or something i can use to narrow down my search.
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lindac
18 years ago
It could have been a one of a kind thing....
I have a glass frog that is.....as well as other "stuff".
Seems glassmakers at the end of the day took what was left and made something they dreamed up...
Or it could have been obsidian or onyx and carved not molded.
Try looking for onyx instead of glass.
Linda C
jiggreen
Original Author
18 years ago
I FOUND IT!!!!!!!

it's a Westmoreland antique sitting bulldog in the black satin finish.....after doing my latest google search up popped an article and a picture!!! i then googled the name of the bulldog and manufacturer and an ebay listing came up...unfortunately the auction was over..but it didnt meet the reserve...so i emailed the seller and she is willing to put it back up on one day auction just for me with a set price of 300 dollars...YAY!! my hunt is over!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: article with the bulldog in it
lindac
18 years ago
Well wonderful!! Never heard of such a thing.....didn't know Westmoreland made figurines of amathyst glass.
So now you will see more....now that you have found the first!
Lucky you!
Linda C
Deb__H
18 years ago
OMG, how exciting! Does hubby know or are you keeping this a surprise???

Deb in PA
jiggreen
Original Author
18 years ago
i had to show him the article with the picture so he could do a positive identification (he was quite shocked that i found a picture identifying it after he had been searching 20+ years!)...but he doesn't know that i was able to find one on ebay...so yes, it will be a surprise for him!! i am quite excited about it......i'm sure he will still tell the "bulldog" story (probably for the next 20+ years!! lol ) ..except now it will have a happy ending!!

Here is a link that might be useful: ebay auction link that i had found
lindac
18 years ago
How about this as a decoy....it's samller.....and a lot cheaper....but would be fun to have him open this.....and tell him this is as close as you got.....
Lidna C

Here is a link that might be useful: black glass dog
jiggreen
Original Author
18 years ago
lol..great idea!! and so cute (and cheap!) hmmm wonder if i can find more...the big bulldog can have a litter of puppies! lol
Deb__H
18 years ago
I'd definately go for for the decoy. What a hoot!

Deb in PA
damia2001
17 years ago
sounds like a door stop, I know one of the glass companies made some during the depression years, could be Cambridge or Westmoreland, possibly rare and expensive, you should try e-bay or the Cambridge collectors club or a local depression glass club..

please help!! need to id bulldog figurine/statue

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please help!! need to id bulldog figurine/statue

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