The following treasure is from the living estate of Ailene & Buddy Ford; noted dealers and lifelong collectors of exceptional antique & vintage heirlooms. The AEAA is exceptionally pleased to present the next of a mammoth group of approximately (120) Rare & beautiful Mt. Washington + Rodefer Glass / hand finished C.F. Monroe, Wave Crest pieces, to be sold over several auctions. This lot represents an extremely rare subtle yet gorgeous, Giant Mt. Washington unadorned Opal glass round flattened lid dresser box blank, finished in a spectacular enhanced pink spring floral theme on a robins egg blue ground. This very Rare form dresser box is in wonderful condition, dating between ca. 1900 & 1902, standing a prominent 7 x 7 x but only 3.25 inches tall! THERIN LIES THE EXTREME RARITY, AS THIS GIANT BOX IS BY FAR THE SHORTEST OF ANY 7 INCH WAVE CREST WE HAVE EVER SEEN! FURTHERMORE,WE CAN FIND NO COMPARABLE SHAPE IN ANY OF OUR REFERENCES OR CATALOGS! Our treasure weighs 2# 12 oz. and features special floral band Ormolu joiner-work. Our classic box carries the block script Wave Crest Trade Mark stamp, and is one of the Rarest Wave Crest forms we have ever seen! This classic Mt. Washington / Wave Crest heirloom will be a centerpiece in any collection. xxxxxxxxxxx. In 1877, Charles Fabyan Monroe was hired as a decorator by the Meriden Flint Glass Co. He showed such promise and imagination, that he was frequently sent abroad to study new designs and techniques of European glass manufacturers. Having developed an exceptional sense of style, C.F. Monroe opened his first shop in Meriden, CT. in 1880, located at 36 West Main Street, operating initially in the format of a European glass importer. Shortly thereafter in 1882, he began his decorating studio, and by 1885 had opened an art academy also in Meriden, that became the C.F. Monroe opal glass decorating works in 1886. The C.F. Monroe Co. was formally incorporated in 1892, and introduced the Wave Crest line that was patented on Oct. 4, of that same year. Using primarily the highly stylized original glass forms from Mt. Washington / Pairpoint Glass, the Monroe decorations became some of the most beloved creations of the late Victorian and early Edwardian eras. When the 1890’s arrived and the demand for finely decorated glass was its height, the Monroe company was located in several large buildings on the corner of West Main Street and Capitol Avenue, and employed such fine artists as Carl V. Helmschmied (the Helmschmied swirl pattern was designed and patented by C.F. Monroe Co. during Carl’s employ), Walter Nilson, J.J. Knoblauch, Joseph Hickish, Carl Puffee, Flora Fiest, Gustave Reinman, Florence Knoblauch, Emil Melchior, and Alma Wenk, Blanche Duval, Gussie Stremlan, Elizabeth Zeibart, and Elizabeth Casey. While many of Monroe’s most commercial pieces were signed, a large number of the finest pieces, especially in the Wave Crest line were not signed. The financial details are not entirely clear, however by the start of WW I, external pressures were taking a major toll on C.F. Monroe. Consequently, the glass decorating works only survived until 1916, when inexplicably, Monroe took a lesser position as the glass foreman for Edward Miller & Co. Glass Works of Meriden. Stranger yet, C.F. Monroe soon relinquished the position at E. Miller & Co., subsequently moving to New Hampshire in 1919, C.F. Monroe passed away quietly on Nov. 19, 1919 at his home in Meriden, and was buried in the Swan Point Cemetery in Providence, R.I.

XA - B98 - Excellent condition with new matching liner