A rare set of 8 Georges Briard "Name Your Poison" glasses/caddy set. This hard to come by pattern is the pinnacle of Georges Briard patterns and truly a magical one. Each glass has a poison graphic (i.e. Paris Green, Iodine, Wood Alcohol, etc) and "Name Your Poison" can be found at the bottom of each glass graphic along with "RX" on the sides of the glasses, criss-crossed knives and a mortal/pestle. The graphics colors are a stunning deep black with a vibrant gold.
A quick summary about this glassware maker: Georges Briard was the go-to for decorative housewares in the 1950s and 60s and was carried at upscale retails like Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus. Briard’s success and notoriety came with the use of 22-karat gold as screened decoration for bent glassware. His design hallmarks are repetitive patterns, most often featuring geometric shapes or nature based images. Georges Briard is known for creating some of the most stunning Mid Century Modern glassware as well as Atomic and Kitsch designs in the later 1970s and is the essence of MCM glassware excellence.
Maker/era: Georges Briard, Mid Century
Hallmarks: Please note: Most of these glasses bare the Georges Briard signature, but several do not. Please see the Condition Summary below for details.
Measurements: each glass measures 5 1/2" tall x 2 3/4" in diameter; the entire caddy measures approx. 13" long x 8" tall x 5 1/2" wide
Overall condition: Good vintage condition with mild signs of age/wear. There's some gold loss to some of the Rx's and also some of the Briard signatures. Please note: this set includes two of the same poison (two "Paris Green"). The 8 Poisons included are: 2 Paris Green, 1 Iodine, 1 Arsenic, 1 Strychnine, 1 Carbolic Acid, 1 Nitro-Glycerin, and 1 Potassium Cyanide. The caddy is in very good condition overall with mild signs of "age" to a few spots. We are unsure if this caddy originally came with this set. The previous owner had this set of 8 glasses displayed in their home bar with this caddy. The caddy is the "foldable style" (meaning it has loaded hinges that allow you to "fold" it flat, if you choose to). It's well-crafted and features a gold-plating. Here's a glass by glass summary:
Paris Green 1- The gold "Rx" (on each side of the skull) is not present and there's no Briard signature (see photo #8 as an example).
Paris Green 2 - The gold "Rx" (on each side of the skull) is not present and there's no Briard signature.
Iodine - No gold loss, signature is present.
Strychnine - No gold loss, signature is present. There's a manufacturing occurrence in the rim (see photo #7, we zoomed in on the rim) that's a tiny indention. We've examined it under a lens and it's not a chip as it's smooth.
Arsenic - Very minor gold loss to one Rx; signature is present.
Carbolic Acid - Very minor gold loss to one Rx; no signature is present.
Nitro-Glycerine -The gold "Rx" (on each side of the skull) is not present. There's mild gold loss just below the "Nitro-Glycerine" label and there's no Briard signature.
Potassium Cynanide - No gold loss, signature is present.
Overall, these collectible glasses are in good vintage condition with mild signs of age and mild wear.
>General vintage glassware disclaimer: Please note, Mid Century glassware often had manufacturing occurrences such as waves in the glass, a tiny bubble in the glass, an extra dot of gold paint that made it on the black enamel, etc. Purely the nature of Mid Century glassware. Cheers!
**On shipping: We take our packaging very seriously and carefully wrap all pieces to ensure safe delivery (this set will be wrapped with extreme care and double-boxed to ensure safe arrival).
****Important to note pre-purchase: Buyers, please examine all photos carefully as we cannot accept returns due to the fragile nature (the possibility of breakage when being shipped back) of our vintage/antique pieces. Our items are true vintage pieces that might have manufacturers flaws, flaws from age, or imperfections in general from being vintage. We try to explain the condition/description in an accurate and thorough manner but we ask that you please examine all photos carefully and ask all questions before purchasing an item as we are unable to accept returns due to the risk of breakage.