Offered for your consideration is a magnificent, authentic piece of early 20th-century American heritage glass: a large oval master berry / banana bowl produced by the Dugan Glass Company.

This stunning piece features the ornate Wreathed Cherry motif on the interior, accented by the harder-to-find Cherries and Fan pattern on the exterior walls, which showcases beautiful geometric fountain-like fans separating the fruit clusters.

• Manufacturer: Dugan Glass Company

• Circa: Early 1900s

• Base Glass Color: Deep Amethyst (looks striking when held to the light)

• Iridescence: Exceptional, premium multi-color "oil slick" finish with intense flashes of fiery copper, violet purple, magenta, and emerald green. The iridescence is fully saturated from the rim down into the center basin.

• Form: Scalloped, ruffled rim with an oval collar base.

• Measurements: Approximately 12" Long x 9" Wide x 4.5” Tall

The Story & Heritage (Circa 1909–1915)

This piece is a classic survivor of the Golden Era of American Carnival Glass, bridging the transition between the Dugan Glass Company and the Diamond Glass Company in Indiana, Pennsylvania.

The "Wreathed Cherry" interior pattern was introduced around 1909. When Thomas Dugan left the firm in 1913, the factory rebranded as Diamond Glass, continuing to strike this incredibly popular mold into the mid-1910s.

Often nicknamed a "banana boat" or "master berry bowl" due to its sweeping 12-inch oval silhouette, this piece was the prized centerpiece of a Victorian dining table. Dugan was famous for mimicking the high-end look of European Art Nouveau luster-glass. They achieved this by spraying the hot, pressed amethyst glass with metallic salt vapors before firing it, giving everyday households access to a "poor man's Tiffany" shimmer.

The Dual-Pattern Mold Detail

What elevates this specific piece is its intricate dual-patterning:

• Interior: Features the iconic Wreathed Cherry layout—eight lifelike clusters of three cherries bound together by heavily veined, stippled leaves that frame a central three-cherry medallion.

• Exterior: Utilizes the harder-to-find Cherries and Fan back motif. Four deeply molded cherry clusters are separated by sharp, geometric, fountain-like stylized fans rising from the base, which beautifully catches the exterior light.

Condition

This bowl has been macro-photographed under bright studio lighting to give a completely honest, collector-grade assessment.

• Structural Integrity: Excellent antique condition. There are absolutely no post-production chips, fractures, structural cracks, or "flea-bite" nicks along the highly fragile, multi-crimped scalloped rim or the oval collar base. The rim edges remain remarkably smooth to the touch.

• Iridescent Saturated Finish: The interior basin holds a vivid, bright "oil-slick" iridescence. Unlike many pieces that suffer from center-basin fading or bald spots due to utility wear, this piece boasts edge-to-edge rainbow coverage, throwing dramatic flashes of magenta, fiery copper, and electric teal.

• In-Matrix Production Nuances (Proof of Antiquity): In accordance with early 20th-century pressed glass manufacturing, the center medallion shows authentic factory artifacts. These include enclosed micro-ash specks (carbon from the coal-fired furnaces) and faint surface cooling tracks (straw marks) formed as the hot molten glass rapidly cooled against the iron mold. These features are embedded inside the glass matrix and are highly prized by collectors as hallmarks of a true antique.