Primicerio & Company

Primicerio & Co. Japanese Mikado Figural Amber Glass Bottle – Baltimore, c. 1880–1900

Name: Primicerio & Co. Japanese Mikado Figural Amber Glass Bottle – Baltimore, c. 1880–1900
Brand: Primicerio & Company
Price: 375.00 USD
Availability: InStock

$375.00 USD

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Low stock: 1 left

Type:: Figural Bottle
Subject:: Japanese Mikado
Era:: Victorian & Gilded Age (1870 - 1900)
Circa:: 1880 - 1900
Origin:: Baltimore, Maryland USA
Maker:: Primicerio & Co.
Material:: Blown glass
Dimensions:: 6½" high
Condition:: Very Good (VG)
Color:: Amber
Decoration:: Molded figural form
Maker’s mark:: Embossed manufacturer and product markings
Notes:: Blow-over mold; threaded finish; furniture polish bottle

Primicerio & Co. Japanese Mikado Figural Amber Glass Bottle

A rare and highly collectible 19th-century figural amber glass bottle produced by Primicerio & Company of Baltimore, Maryland, for their “Japanese Gloss” furniture polish.

Standing approximately 6½ inches tall, the bottle is molded in the form of a robed figure identified in bottle references, including guides by Ralph Kovel, as a Japanese Mikado (emperor). The design reflects late Victorian-era fascination with Orientalist imagery and figural advertising containers.

The bottle retains crisp embossing throughout, including:

TRADE MARK (front collar)
INDESTRUCTIBLE (back collar)
J. G. P. (forehead)
SHAKE ME WELL / BEFORE USING (vertical on skirt)
GLOSS (vertical right sleeve)
JAPANESE (vertical left sleeve)
PRIMICERIO & CO (front heel)
SOLE PROPRIETORS & MANUFACTURERS / BALTIMORE, MD (reverse heel)

The rich amber tone glass is in excellent condition with no chips or cracks noted. The external threaded finish shows the typical roughly ground rim consistent with late 19th-century manufacturing methods. Mold lines terminate at the base of the neck, consistent with blow-over mold production.

Collector’s Note

The “Japanese Mikado” bottle represents a distinctive example of late 19th-century figural advertising glass and is a standout example for collectors of figural bottles, Victorian advertising glass, Baltimore history memorability, and 19th-century bottle collectors. This bottle reportedly won the “Highest Award” at the 1884 World’s Fair Exposition.

Examples of this form are documented in bottle reference guides and appear infrequently on the market, particularly in excellent condition with crisp embossing and no damage. Its rich amber coloration and intact threaded finish make it especially appealing to advanced collectors of Victorian advertising glass.

Collector Reference: A comparable Primicerio “Japanese Mikado” figural bottle realized $375 at American Bottle Auctions (Auction #59, Lot 151, January 19, 2014).

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