Buffalo dish The Royal Antediluvian Order of the Buffaloes

Heavy blue glass shallow dish with stylised Buffalo/Bison 11cm x 11cm x 3 cm, any thoughts?

That's interesting. I think we should start off by discounting Erik Hoglund who made similar lumps of glass with impressed designs on for Boda (see Hoglund thread) for the following reasons - I don't believe that pale blue is a particularly Hoglund(ish) colour - although I do have a lilac bottle vase; the design of the buffalo is too detailed and isn't in his trademark primitive/naive style; it would almost certainly be signed if it were. I'm wondering if the buffalo design might point to an American manufacturer perhaps?

I have to agree Pip I was thinking American or maybe Canadian as well, you wouldn't expect to see a Buffalo on European pieces.

It's a bison - and Americans don't have buffaloes. The buffalo is found only in Africa and Asia, and looks quite different to the bison.

There are, however, two breeds of bison - the American bison and the European bison. But it's hard to divine the species illustrated on this dish as the two animals are very similar, superficially.

Most European bison are to be found down Poland way, which also produces a lot of glass. Just a thought.

Natural history lesson over!

So therefore Buffalo Bill should be Bison Bill....... unless he was Polish of course!

Is there no end to your talents Nic! :-) I never had you down as a David Attenborough type - I'm hopelessly lacking in knowledge regarding animals, I'm a bit squeamish and most things make me go 'urgh'. Animals usually either snarl, hiss or bite when near me - I must be giving off dem negative vibes.

But Pip, I'm sure it was you who taught me how to tell a Sealion from a Seal?

xx

oh the ears thing? LOL

Re: bisons vs buffaloes - I know I wouldn't wanna mess with a Cape Buffalo - nasty bad tempered boogers they are.

I love natural history and its various offshoots - I hardly get around to reading fiction these day as I've usually got some biology book on the go - currently 'The Structure of Evolutionary Theory' by Stephen Jay Gould (I hugely recommend it).

That said, I remember the buffalo/bison distinction from an episode of QI.

I have endless arguments about the use of language, in literature the American bison is called a buffalo dromadaries are called camels (I think they are one humped camels but tell that to a frenchman) then the french call ,what the rest of the world call penguins,: manchot except of course in most literature stictly speaking a french penguin lives in the northern hemisphere and can fly

Nic wrote:I love natural history and its various offshoots - I hardly get around to reading fiction these day as I've usually got some biology book on the go - currently 'The Structure of Evolutionary Theory' by Stephen Jay Gould (I hugely recommend it).

That said, I remember the buffalo/bison distinction from an episode of QI.

such a lot of rot is spoken on QI, many of the 'facts' are merely the latest fad theory or just intellectual masturbation

tenpot wrote:...then the french call ,what the rest of the world call penguins,: manchot except of course in most literature stictly speaking a french penguin lives in the northern hemisphere and can fly

Yup, a French 'Pingouin' is a Razorbill in English - a type of large Auk. They do, however, look and act a little like Penguins thanks to convergent evolution.

dantheman wrote:such a lot of rot is spoken on QI many of the 'facts' are merely the latest fad theory or just intellectual masturbation

True, they do tend to hit up Google a little too readily for some of their research, but they were right about bison at least.

... and Stephen Fry was terribly sweet to my Mum at the recent Noel Coward Appreciation society dinner
( sorry Dan, couldn't resist it!)

you never can Pip..you never can

one hates to disappoint (sorry about all this wibble in your ID thread Davee )

Well thanks for Nic's Natural History Hour but can we get back to the glass now

Nic wrote:It's a bison - and Americans don't have buffaloes. The buffalo is found only in Africa and Asia, and looks quite different to the bison.

There are, however, two breeds of bison - the American bison and the European bison. But it's hard to divine the species illustrated on this dish as the two animals are very similar, superficially.

Most European bison are to be found down Poland way, which also produces a lot of glass. Just a thought.

Natural history lesson over!

While this is all very true, the animal depicted on this piece of glass is generally referred to (erroneously, but what the hey) as a buffalo. Used to roam the range in both the American Plains and the Canadian Prairie (the only difference being what side of the 49th parallel they are on).

Are there not glass works in Ohio or so. That's the midwest and would definitely know the buffalo/bison. And I believe there are beers using the buffalo/bison as a symbol. Perhaps this was an advertising paper weight.


Carolyn

Good call Carolyn, i'll do some searching on that one.

A beer that used to be local to Calgary (where I'm from) -- before it was bought out by a national brand -- used the head of a buffalo/bison for it's insignia.

Carolyn

And on this side of the pond there's Zubrowka Vodka - a Polish tipple flavoured with Bison Grass. Very yummy stuff, and I believe it has a bison logo although, understandably, my memories of the packaging are a little hazy at best.

Apparentley this was a special order made by Whitefriars and according to what I read there are only 3 known examples, shame I sold mine for next to nothing at Malvern after carrying it round the fairs for a year with no interest.

I can't think there are only three known examples as I have seen two of them, but anyway. It was made for a society, 'the order of the...' maybe Bison? or Buffalo? of which I have read up , but now cannot remember the name. I will have a trawl and see if I can find the info again.
m

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Antediluvian_Order_of_Buffaloes
here you go
m