Imperial Chatelaine Purple Water Pitcher

These Chatelaine pitchers by Imperial are very hard to come by. This one is owned by Don & Becky Hamlet from North Carolina. Don and Becky recall, "Our Chatelaine pitcher & six tumblers were found at an estate sale in Greensboro, NC in the mid 1980’s by fellow carnival collector friends of ours. We purchased it from their estate two years ago (2014)."

In presenting this to you today, I must express that if you need one of these to go with your tumblers, you should not be complacent when you come across one that doesn't have perfect iridescence all around. The reality is this--not only are these hard to find, but once you do locate one, the color is rarely like this one. The chances of finding one this exceptionally beautiful are very slim and if you let a somewhat pretty one pass you by, you will rue the day! and it will be a grim reminder to just buy one next time!

These only come in the color purple. The tumblers are very pricey if you can find them and they are usually spectacular examples and tend to outshine the pitcher in your set, that is, of course, unless it's this one! LOL! Yes, I laugh but it isn't a laughing matter if you're someone like myself that has six gorgeous tumblers, purchased one by one to the tune of $400+ each, with no pitcher to do them justice. To make it worse, no matter what these pitchers look like when you find them, they are all very expensive to buy one "just for now" until "the right one comes along". Constant upgrading is prohibitive. Back in 2008, at a Sunshine State Carnival Glass Club convention, I was outbid on a really pretty set sold by Jim Wroda, auctioneer, and I have not forgiven myself to this day.

What makes this geometric pattern so alluring is the way it looks as if it was carved out of steel  in intricate curves and wedges that catch the light when it's held in different angles. The details of the pattern is beyond belief as shown in the closeup photo of the front main panel of the pitcher. Click on it again to enlarge it for all the fine details.

The bottoms of these pitchers have maries whereas the tumblers are ground down flat. It's an odd pattern, onlyt made in purple and only in pitchers & tumblers, known as water sets. Speaking of tumblers, the last photo, courtesy of Glen & Stephen Thistlewood, is a nice example of a tumbler. It was an oversight on my part when I forgot to photograph the six tumblers during my visit with the Hamlets. Some day, when I visit again, I will be sure to capture the whole set together. It's a great excuse to visit again, yes? YES!

For more information, visit David Doty's website to read more about this exciting pattern, Chatelaine.

The Don & Becky Hamlet Collection

Article & photos by Christina Katsikas