Josef Inwald - Platter - Opalescent palm tree relief, satin matte • stamped 'Barolac' • Czechoslovakia • approx. 1934–1940s - Glass

The name Barolac is in the base: the series Inwald made in Teplice for the British market. Eight palms radiate from the center to the rim, between windings in relief. The glass is opalescent and satin-finished: the rim colors sky-blue in the light, the relief remains softly matte. By a window the sky blue shifts with every look.

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Description:
A round bowl with a lightly undulating, polygonal edge, 3 centimeters high and 20.5 centimeters wide. The palm trunks stand as rays around a smooth, satin matte base disk with the embossed, cursive Brand Barolac. The feathery crowns extend over the rim. The relief is pressed in an iron mold and sharply defined to the leaf veins. This palm model also exists as a 29.5 centimeter bowl; this is the compact version.

About the maker:
Josef Inwald AG produced pressed glass for export at Rudolfova huť near Teplice and belonged to the major pressed glass factories of Bohemia. In 1934, the importer John Jenkins & Son of London had iron molds made for Barolac. His son Douglas Jenkins and Inwald’s chief designer Rudolf Schrötter worked out the designs. After 1945 the factory came under state control; later it became part of Sklo Union.

In the interior:
On a dark table by a window the rim glows sky blue against the evening light, while the palms remain matte.

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Condition:
Good. Rim, relief and base: no chipping, hairline cracks or repairs observed. Base disk: fine wear lines from use in the satin finish. The undulating rim and satin matte relief are production-specific. See the images.

At a glance:
Material: opalescent glass, pressed, satin matte in the relief
Dimensions and weight: height 3 cm × diameter 20.5 cm, 442 g
Brand: embossed cursive 'Barolac' in the base disk
Dating: ca. 1934–1950
Provenance: from a private collection, Western Europe

Description and sources:
Marked Barolac: Josef Inwald, Teplice, for the London importers John Jenkins & Son. The Glass Encyclopedia and the Pressglas-Korrespondenz link the brand to Inwald. The palm model is documented in the same version. The range runs from the introduction in 1934 to the Glassexport model book of around 1950.

Shipping:
Professionally packed in a sturdy box with padding material, for fragile objects a double box. Always insured, shipped with Track and Trace. More than 1,100 reviews from previous buyers; see the feedback.