raised half sphere glass over picture

[hertzgirlz]

Can't for the life of me remember what this type of glass is called--intaglio? bubble glass? goofus?  HELP

[bluedaemon23]

Not intaglio. Intaglio is when a design is impressed into glass or carved into stone - it's the opposite of cameo, which is a raised design.

Goofus is a special case involving designs painted directly onto the back side of glass; I looked it up once but have forgotten. It's a keyword that gets confused and misapplied frequently, so Google is your friend and make sure you're on firm ground.

I'd use bubble. Also look very carefully with your loupe to see whether the design is painted or printed; if printed it will be made up of tiny dots. And note whether the lenses are glass or plastic.

You might also want to look up Essex crystal - I turned that term up on Pinterest and am not sure exactly what it is, but it looked like a reverse painted waterfowl under a clear dome. Your set might have been made to imitate that style.

[woodw_sandr]

Sometimes called "magnifier glass".

[hertzgirlz]

I looked up Essex crystal and that sure sounds like it could be the name, but I think people use bubble glass also.  Maybe I'll use both when I list to be safe and reach a wider audience. I hadn't heard of magnifier glass but that too would be appropriate.  Thanks to you both for the help.

[don-franciscos-sister]

To be true "Essex crystal" (which is itself a misnomer, as Essex apparently never had anything to do with these!), the piece should be a reverse-carved and painted -- i.e. intaglio -- clear quartz (aka "rock crystal"). From the pic you showed, looks like this might be impressed glass? If you google images for "Essex crystal," you'll see the difference...

[hertzgirlz]

It is very hard to tell, but I think perhaps it is a picture and not reverse carved--I have several pieces like this and I can see a difference between ones that seem reverse carved and colored and just a flat picture.  Thanks for all the help.  I had better just call it bubble glass.