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 a VERY RARE ornate & gorgeous, prolific blown erelief Mt. Washington Opal glass round trinket box, finished with the most ornate roses and interlocking scrolls we have ever seen. Our joiner-work includes fancy beaded thumbprint Ormolu bands, and a great Fleru-de-Lis clasp. The incredible theme is that of the city of Venice, Italy, complete with a main canal, sailboats and gondolas. The transfer is in exceptional condition, and the accompanying hand accented pink roses are the perfect complement to the main theme. This special trinket box carries the block script Wave Crest Trade Mark stamp, is in wonderful condition the original top liner, and dates between 1904 & 1906, standing 4 x 4 x 2.75 inches tall, and weighing 1#. No match with the Venetian scene can be found, enhancing this beautiful boxes value as truly Rare. This classic Mt. Washington / Wave Crest heirloom belongs in a world class 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 - B92 - Excellent condition original top lining worn