| Description | This blown and mould-finished glass sphere was intended as a net float but, instead of being used as such, was decorated by hand with transfers of pink roses. It was perhaps made as an apprentice piece in the Alloa Glass Work, then decorated as a gift for a friend or relative.
Glass net floats were once used by fishermen around the world to keep their fishing nets, as well as longlines or droplines, afloat. They were made first in Bergen in Norway in about 1840 and by the 20th century had become popular all over the world, especially in the Japanese fishing industry. They are no longer used, having been superceded by aluminium, plastic and polystyrene floats, but they are popular collectors' items and replicas are also being manufactured. It is not known if they were ever produced in great quantity in the Alloa Glass Work. |