Red Cloud Glass (ORA)

By contrast with Amber, Red cloud glass had the shortest production life and is by far the most rare of all of the Cloud Colours. The red colouration was achieved by painting either the underside or inside of a Purple or Amber Cloud glass piece red. They even managed to patent the idea (Patent No 329,022 )!! Thomas Davidson had high hopes for this particular colour as not only did he patent the technique, but also registered the Trade Mark "ORA". Ora was first introduced in late 1929 and production ceased around 1931. The first mention of Red Cloud Glass in the Pottery Trade Gazette was in 1930, when at the British Industries Fair the reporter remarked:

“....and on these lines the firm appears to have steadily developed up to its latest production - a line of pressed glass in brilliant scarlet, introducing a curtain effect in black. The name of this new pattern is Ora and it was seen to marked effect in such items as vases, bowls, rose bowls trinket sets and candlesticks...”

Red did not prove to popular. This was probably because the paint very easily chipped and soon began to wear. This coupled with the higher price (nearly twice the price of the other Cloud Colours) made Red unattractive to the buying public.

Flower bowls came with a black frog and stand. Each Red Cloud glass piece had a round Ora label on the base. This was augmented by the patent number when the patent was finally approved in May 1930. The label often survives to this day.

Due to its rarity, Red Cloud glass is now being faked, by spraying common purple pieces with red car paint. Collectors should be careful when purchasing and Red cloud glass. It is best to only buy pieces which still have the original 'Ora' label.


Copyright (c) Chris and Val Stewart 2001