GLASS CIR
JLT.J1
ED1TMS
David Watts
27 Raydean Road
Barnet
t
Herts. EN51AN
Gabriella Gros
9 Harman Drive
London, N
e
W.2. 2EB
No.30 December 1984
SOCIETY FOR GLASS TECHNOLOGY HONOURS CLASS CIRCLE CHAIRMAN
On the 30th November 1983 the Council of the Society of Glass Technology invited
Robert Charleston to accept a Fellowship of the Society as a mark of their esteem.
for the notable contributions that he his made to the appreciation of the artistry
of glass.and to the underStanding of early glass technology. This award was made
in spite of the fact that Robert has never been a member of the SGT; he has,
nevertheless, been closely associated with many of their activities.
In 1968 he
was particularly involved in the organization of the art and historical aspects of
the Eighth International Congress on Glass, and in 1979 he delivered the 6th Turner
Memorial. Lecture with the title “Our Forefathers- in Class” (Glass Technology, 1980,
vol.21, 27-36).
Members might like to know some of Robert’s other activities. . He was a founder
member (1958) of the International Association .for the History of Glass and since
1977 has been a member of the British Association for the History of Glass.
Since
1975 he has been a member of the joint Glass Manufacturers Association / Science
Museum Glass Advisory Committee. He is also President of the Fellows of the
Corning Museum of Glass, Curatorial Advisor to the
Cinzano Glass
Collection and
consultant to the Turner Glass Museum in “Elmfield”, Sheffield, where a number of
fine pieces of English glass from his collection are on show.
Robert’s list of
published writings is, as the French would say, formidable, encompassing original
contributions sustained over many years, and, no less important, robust attacks
on
thoge who would belittle the claim to fame of 18th century English glass.
But
perhaps his most endearing trait is the unfailing patience and encouragement he
gives to all those who try to advance the subject, in
even the
smallest way, that
is nearest
and
dearest to his heart.
For all these reasons the SGT has made a
most appropriate choice in bestowing this honour and the Glass Circle is both proud
and delighted to join with them in offering heartiest congratulations.
DEATH OF GABRIELLAGROS
It is with the deepest sorrow that we
announce the sudden death of
Gabriella Gros
after a
long illness.
A
long-standing member of the Glass Circle, she possessed
an almost unique knowledge of 19th century continental glass and was a regular
expert at “specimens” meetings.
Her love for this particular aspect of glass
flowed naturally in one descended from a Bohemian glass-making family and was
reflected by the incorporation of her maiden name, Galliner, into the pen name
under which she
wrote.
Gabriella’s
best-known work is her book “Glass – A Guide
for Collectors” although she contributed to many multi-author encyclopedias
including, most recently, “The Encyclopaedia of Glass” edited by Phoebe Phillips,
and always with the originality that stemmed from a constantly enquiring mind.
Her most recent research centred around the Bowes Museum collection at Barnard
Castle and uncovered
important, previously
unknown correspondence relating to the
Gang family.
She contributed the section
on
19th century continental glass in
British museums in the volume published by the International Association for the
History of Glass for the meeting held in the U.K. in 1979 .
Gabriella collected
continental glass avidly but wisely and rejoiced in the bargains that often
favoured her special understanding of the subject, and she never tired of
discussing the many gems in her colourful collection.
We shall all miss her
lively and friendly personality and the many contributions she has made as
coeditor of this newsletter.
Our sympathies go to her husband and to her family.
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“Mind the Quality and feel the. Width” THE BIEMANN SALE.
Good publicity, a splendid catalogue (£15 and well worth the money) and, above all,
impeccable provenance combined to make top prices.
Sotheby’s sacred doors opened
exceptionally on a Saturday (June 16th) to give prominence to one of the most
important sales to be held recently.
Mr and Mrs Fritz Biemann of Zurich sold part
of their fine collection gathered during the last 25 years.
The quality was
exceptional as could be expected of a collection which had travelled well and
widely and had been exhibited in Switzerland and Germany.
The Dutch and Bohemian cut and engraved pieces were outstanding, and, surprisingly,
the Biemann’s parted even with their beautiful Dominik Biemann glasses (no
relation).
A fine Biemann female portrait plaque went for £16’000; a green bottle
.
engraved by Hemskerk for £30 200. A Mohn double silhouette beaker fetched £27 500;
a delightful transparent enamelled Kothgasser,£6 600.
Two beakers engraved with
spirited horses by Karl Pfohl brought £880 and £1320 – the latter in red overlay
with a horse in identical stance as one engraved on a piece in the Bowes collection
where an entire table service is to be seen engraved by the same artist.
Two
vases engraved by F. Zach, one a blue, the other at red overlay, went for £3250
each.
A Nuremberg standing cup and cover in colourless and amethyst glass of about 1700
and in perfect condition went for £33 000 (estimate £8000 – £12000). The surprise
was the astronomic sum of £66 000 for a typical Schaper glass, enamelled in
Schwarzlot with an elaborate gipsy scene after Jaques Callot – the most famous of
French .17th century engravers.
The estimate for this piece was £10 000 – £15 000.
Two similar beakers are in existence and Schaperglasses do come onto the market.
Obviously someone vented this glass very badly; it is, after all, a question of
supply and demand.
The highest prices were all paid by dealers from Holland, West
Germany and Japan. All in all, a memorable and illuminating sale.
Earlier in the
year, glass at Sotheby’s did not fetch such amazing pricesi and good pieces were
obtainable for hundreds, not thousands of pounds.
The moral seems to be to sell
one’s. collection in entity and have a specialized catalogue with illustrations of
every piece, provided the quality is there, of course!
Written by G.G. for an earlier issue of GC News.
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GLASS CIRCLE MEETINGS
THE CIRCLE GETS A GAVEL
At the final meeting of the season, last June, members were pleasantly surprised
when Dr Harwood Stevenson, a long-standing member of the Circle, suddenly presented
the
–
Circle with what was termed a gavel.
In fact, it is a most delightful
mid-18th century model of a hammer in lead crystal. The head, with hammer face on
one side and chisel edge on the other, supports an incised twist handle which is
then further twisted.
The gavel is contained in a presentation box which Dr
Harwood Stevenson specially commissioned in 18th century mahogany.
The Chairman
accepted the gavel on behalf of the Circle with pleasure and it is intended that it
will be displayed annually at the AGM.
ACM AND MISCELLANY OF PIECES – 16th October, 1984.
As always, a good attendance filled the Artworkers Guild for. the AGM, smoothly
officiated over by our Chairman and honorary officers who were all thanked for the
efficient way in which the Circle had been run over the past year.
Special
appreciation was expressed of the efforts of the temporary Hon. Treasurer, Tim
Udall, who had been doing a particularly efficient job on the purse strings during
Philip Whatmore’s business commitments abroad. Unexpectedly, Philip was able to
return for this meeting, bringing a number of glass trophies with him, and it was a
pleasure to have him with us once more.
-3-
Funds are building up nicely to pay for the next issue of Glass Circle and
appreciation was .expressed of CC News.
The Business, over our attention turned to the specimens – a bewildering array
rangeing from Roman to pieces barely cool
–
from the leer.
The experts,
Mrs
Bell,
Barbara Motris, Hugh Tait and Robert Charleston, tackled the daunting task of
describing and identifying each object, brought to them by by the Hon. Porter,
Philip Whatmore, with a customary blend of expertise and humour.
Among the early English glasses on show were aswingedesteM wine glass (1690),
a
Dutch-engraved light Newcastle, a cut sweetmeat on
–
diamonded Silesian stem and a
candlestick with triple air-twist stem and moulded foot. Later. English wares were
An unusual tumbler engraved with “Ancient Order of Druidesses”, a moulded bust of
John Wesley by John Ford of Edinburgh and an interesting turn of the century
tumbler with a blue rim and engraved “James and Betty Harrison”, possibly from
South Yorkshire.’ Continental glass was well represented and included a light soda
wine glass with tall, domed foot of a style that originated in
Essen and was copied
by Norway, a Roemer of the 18th century Hesse type, an engraved. panel.
s
in the style
of Pfohl or Zech and an attractive
cheese dish and
cover, typically Bohemian and
enameled with
a
shamrock motif.
From further abroad came an interesting
collection of snuff bottles and the knowledge that Shanghai is a happy hunting
ground for Victorian Bohemian glass, although at outrageous prices.
Outstanding among the modern glass were three massive pieces, a stand supporting a
glass block enclosing a Manta Ray, by the Muranese artist, Pino Signoretto, a large
vase, Keith Murrayish and probably by Stevens and Williams and a one-off Leerdam,
exhibition-quality vase
designed by Meydam and which, like the Lycergus cup,
was an
opaque grey-green by reflected light but emitted a wonderful clear deep-ruby glow
by
transmitted light.
On the lighter side we recieved a short dissertation
–
on Scottish whisky measures
concluding with an eighth of a gill – sold in Trafalgar Square – known to Scotsmen
as a “dirty glass”!;
while an unusual bell-shaped vessel that aroused much
speculation was finally and triumphantly identified from the floor as a souvenir
container for Lynn sand!
This long and entertaining evening was hosted by Kr and Mrs Charleston, Dr Wenzel
Mrs Morris and Mr Bowman.
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BRITISH GLASS IN 19TH CENTURY EXHIBITIONS By
Woodward
Although fairs offering manufactured goods for sale go hack at least into the 15th
century – Defoe, mentions the famous Sturbridge Fair, Cambridge, where glass was on
show – it was in the wake of the industrial revolution that industrial exhibitions
really became popular
both at home and
abroad.
In Britain the Society for the
Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce and, particularly, Henry Cole (see
the article by Barbara Morris in GC News No.26) and Prince Albert played formative
roles with the exhibitions of 1845/46/47 as preludes to the Great Exhibition of
1851.
Outside London the Birmingham 1839 exhibition was notable for showing
beautiful flint glass, particularly of the local firms, Rice Harris, Osiers, John
Biddle & Co. and Gold & Co. as well as imitation, pressed jasper ware from the
Durham Glass Works, Gateshead.
In 1849 a second, grander_ exhibition in
Birmingham was visited by Prince Albert.
The coloured glass by Rice Harris was
noteworthy and included gold, copper•and stained ruby pieces; Richardsona of
Wordsley had 141 exhibits including two replicas of the Portland Vase.
Mr Woodward then went on to discuss the organisation and success, from the British
glass manufacturers viewpoint, of the 1851 Great Exhibition.
The glass section
had 90 exhibitors.
British firms gained numerous medals, James Powell for crystal
and utility ware; Apsley Pellatt, Molineaux Webb, Thos. Webb & Sons and Davia,
Greathead & Green for cut and other glass, E. Varnish & Co. for silvered glass and,
inevitably, Osiers for the famous fountain and an 8 ft. high crystal candelabrum
made for Queen Victoria.
British crystal was supreme but could not match the
Bohemian coloured glass.
Another influence was the American Brooklyn Flint Glass
Co.
Their crystal, much admired for its brilliance, led to Stevens & Williams
keeping a stock of Brooklyn sand for their best work.
The 1853 Royal Dublin Exhibition was supported by Richardson’s, Rice Harris and
Chance Bros., the latter providing specially tinted glass for the building and
showing lighthouse, ship and railway
glass.
The Paris Universal Exhibition of
1855 was poorly supported by. British firms whose lethargy, products and Oie use of
Lynn sand were all heavily criticised by George Bontemps who considered Germany to
have taken’the:lead.
The situation had improved only marginally at the Paris 1867
Exhibition when Henry Chance reported that the quality•of our flint glass was very
good with only. the occasional faint purple tinge.
Critics complained of the
adherence to classical and historical motifs rather than utilizing natural
suhjects.
These rumblings reflected the.growing Arts- and Crafts and Art Nouveau
influences first evident at the London 1862 Exhibition on the site of the Natural
History Museum.
A feature of the exhibition, apart from the magnificent
industrial. machinery, was a tazza by Daniel Pierce, richly engraved and mounted in
gold and turquoise; costing 250 guineas, connoisseurs considered it one of the
precious gems of art manufacture..
Subsequent exhibitions. (Moscow 1872, Vienna 1873, and, ln 1878, Paris again)
saw
a
continuing poor presence by Britain, highlighted now by separate halls for each
subject category.
Over this period only Thomas Webb emerged as being of
consistent international standing – and the great days of Webb’s engraving were
-still to come in the next decade.
Their Bohemian engraver, Frederick Kny,
exhibited.the still incomplete Elgin claret decanter; Webb’s won the Grand Prix,
Thomas Wilkes Webb was awarded the Legion of Honour by the French government and
glory showered on James O’Fallon, the firm’s artistic director.
Their
achievements continued at the 1886 Edinburgh Exhibition, where the local firms of
Jenkinsons and John Ford, as well.as Stevens & Williams (Art Cameo) also won gold
medals, at the Paris 1889 Exhibition, where the exhibit (including ‘Old Ivory’) was
considered “beyond all criticism” and in Australia in 1888 and 1889 where Stuart &
Sons also achieved
distinction and-
the London dealers were prominent.
For. Britain, 1900 saw the steam go out of exhibitions and the Paris Exhibition
of
that year saw only Breffit & Co., of Castleford, exhibiting bottles and Hukin &
Heath of Birmingham with novelties.
Over the period English lead crystal had
maintained dominance while coloured and engraved glass had a lead in later years.
The author closed with a regret that practically no coloured glass was now produced
in the larger Stourbridge works and inferior sandblasting was gradually eroding
wheel-engraving which was being progressively relegated to small .studios.
(This report was distilled from extremely detailed notes kindly suppleid by the
lecturer. D.C.W.)
The meeting was held at the Westminster Hospital by courtesy of Dr Kersley and the
hosts were Mr Fox, Mrs Gros and Mr. Scott.
WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS
Dr N.H. Tennent
Glasgow Museum and Art Gallery
Ms Anna Somers Cocks Victoria and
Albert Museum
Ms Glennys Wild
Orpington, Kent
Sir Nall Haekforth-Jones
Forrest, Australia
Ms Brigit Barry
Dept. of Continuing Education, BBC
Mr John Sandon
Phillips, Fine Art Auctioneers
Professor Malcolm Hodkinson
London, W.4
Ms Patricia Jackson
London, E.C.1
Mrs Margaret Kilbey Safron Weldon Essex
Mrs Catherine Thuro Toronto, Canada
Mrs Michele Marincola .Boston Museum of Fine Arts, U.S.A
Mr Christopher Maxwell-Stewart
St Leonards on Sea, Sussex
Mr Ken Trois
Milwaukee, U.S.A
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RAKOWS HONOURED BY CORNING LIBRARY
..The names Of Dr Leonard S
r
and Juliette K. Rakow may not mean. too much to the
majority of glass collectors this side of the Antlantic.
Their impact on one
important aspect of British 19th century glass collecting has,’nevertheless, been
considerable.
Over the past 15 years or so, for various reasons, a steady stream
of the cameo glass, pioneered by John Northwood, has come under the hammer, mostly
at Sotheby’s.
The bulk of it, and all the
best pieces, culminating in the capture
from the British Museum of -Northwood’s copy of the Portland vase – his first
prize-winning achievement that set the trend for
this difficult and expensive mode
of decoration, has taken a one-way ticket to the U.S.A into the Rakow collection.
The result is that, apart from a number of
.
amall displays around England, including.
that at Broadfield House, it is now necessary to go to America to view a
comprehensive collection of this essentially British contribution to decorative
glass.
This was illustrated by the 1982 Exhibition of Cameo glass mounted at the
Corning Museum in which the. Rakow collection contributed nearly half of the 158
exhibits displayed (the beautifully illustrated catalogue is still available).
It
may be argued, though, that since those caring for this part of our
National
Heritage. were unable to keep it within these islands, at least it has •been
brought
together as a single collection,. much of which is available for study at Corning,
for the Rakows have been progressively donating their collection to the Museum.
Nor has the Rakow interest stopped there for both are glass authorities in their
own right and regularly lecture in the U.S.A.
It would be nice if, one day, they
could be tempted to address our own Circle.
In 1983 Dr Rakow, a retired surgeon, and his wife endowed two prestigeous awards to
honour distinguished contributors to glass scholarship and glassmaking.
The first
of these went to Stanislav Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtova from Czechloslovakia
who have profoundly influenced glassmaking in their own country and are known
worldwide as designers and creators of monumental glass sculptures.
An example of
their work currently decorates’ the lobby of the Corning Museum,
First of the 1984
recipients is Daniele Foy, director of research at the Laboratoire d’Archeologie
Medievale Mediterranienne at the University of Provence, France, for her paper
“Classification of Medieval Glass from Excavations in Provence and Languedoc”.
The other goes to David F.Grose, former Curator of Glass at the Toledo Museum of
Art and now Professor of Classics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, for
his paper “Through a Glass Darkly; A Revised History of Glassmaking in Classical
Antiquity”.
Both recipients have an extensive background of research and
scholarship.
It is to be hoped that their papers will be published in an
appropriate form for wider appreciation.
The Corning Museum responded to these outstanding benefactions last October by
naming the library of the Corning Museum “The Juliette K. and Leonard S. Rakow
Library”.
In his address bwight P. Lanmon, the Museum director, acknowledging
their generosity, went on to say ” And they are providing an.endowment to the
Museum to underwrite future library acquisitions to assure the continued
development
i
of the library’s collection of printed and manuscript materials on the
art, history, archaeology and early technology of glass”.
Whilst applauding the
general philosophy of these remarks it is to be hoped that museum curators
everywhere will take note. Otherwise we may well require the Rakows to endow
travel grants so that those on the other side of the world may occasionally visit
Corning to study their posessions!
CARDER IN CORNING
Stop-press news is that a major exhibition devoted to Frederick Carder will run at
the Corning Museum from April 20 through October 20, 1985.
Details will feature
in the next issue of GC News.
-6–
THE
GLASS ASSOCIATION – FIRST BIRTHDAY
In accord with its policy of moving around the country The Glass Association held
its first AGM at Rotherham, just across the M1 Motorway from Sheffield and a short
drive from the Catcliffe glass cone. A moderate turnout of 40 or 50 had coffee in
the new public library before an interesting visit to the Beatson – Clark bottle
factory where glass containers have been made on the same site for over 230 years.
The family business is still run by the Clarkes who are justifiably proud of their
tradition and turned out personally to welcome their visitors and show off their
factory.
Bottle factories, like cricket, generate awesome statistics and in spite
of seeing the
.
whirling gobs of hot glass being transformed into bottles at
bewildering speed it was still stunning to learn that their annual output borders
on’600 million bottles (all brown, white bottles are made at another factory!) with
40 million of different sorts being held in stock,at any one time.
After lunch and the formal AGM the remainder of the day was devoted to Rotherham
Museum, Clifton Park, at the invitation of its keeper, Cathy Ross. Well worth a
visit, the museum has a Beatson-Clark Room, supported by the firm’s archives and
bottle collection, as well as collections of 18th and 19th century glass and a
collection of South Yorkshire glass.
A London Branch of the glass Association recently held its first meeting at Dan
Klein’s beautifully arranged showroom in Halkin Arcade, by Sotheby’s of Belgravia.
The occasion was notable for the torrential rain and a more than generous quantity
of wine consumed all round. An encouraging turnout left with the assurance that a
programme of lectures and outings would emerge in the fullness of time.
THE WORLD MOSER CLUB OF GIANT GOBLETS
Some 30 years ago Frantisek Chocolaty, at that time manager of the Moser Bohemia
shop in Prague, fancied some unusual glasses for serving drinks to his friends.
Milan Metelak, a designer at the
–
Harrachov glass works was receptive to the idea
but rejected the original suggestion of some form of caricature engraving;.
Instead he designed a set of giant glasses, each shaped in the form of a different
. human figure, and in 1956 the Karlovy Vary Moser Glass enterprise put them into
production.
At Expo. 58, in Brussels, they were awarded a gold medal.
Because of
the skill required only two glassblowers are authorised to blow them and pass on
the tradition, at present Josef Dymo and his son. The glasSes, made in
soda-potash crystal, each take about 5 minutes to make.
In size they range from
46 cm, for the Slim Lady, down to 24 cm for Fat Bertha; in between come the Tall
Fellow – 43 cm, the Long Face – 39 cm, the Little Moon – 32 cm and the Fat
Gentleman – 27 cm.
Many famous personalities are said to have been enroled
into the
Club including presidents, prime ministers and cosmonauts. Each new
member has to chose the goblet which he feels is closest to his own physiognomy.
It is then filled with a’special wine reserved for the occasion.
After this, the
story becomes somewhat confused although speeches, rights and duties, and a signing
of the Club Chronicle apparently feature somewhere in the initiation ceremony.
Medium and small-sized versions of the goblets-are apparently available as
souvenirs to lesser fry but if you want a set you will have to go to the Moser
Bohemia shop in Prague.
EXHIBITION
OF
ENGLISH BALUSTERS
Delomosne & son have acquired an exceptional collection of early wine glasses and
are reserving the finest for an exhibition next year
called “THE BALUSTER FAMILY of
English Drinking Glasses”.
The exhibition will run for the month of May at their
shop, 4 Campden Hill Road, Kensington High Street, London, W8.
A handbook, which
will illustrate and compare allsthe glasses, is currently being prepared and we
hope to bring further information of this in the next issue of GC News.
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GLASS BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS AND THE NEW YEAR
Christmas presents for the- glass•lover should present no problems this year,
for, in addition to BRISTOL CLASS edited by Cleo Witt and the long awaited ENGLISH
GLASS by Robert Charleston, announced by the brochures sent to membersi.several
other recent books on glass deserve attention.
“SCHOTT GUIDE.TO GLASS” by Heinz G. Pfander, revised by Hubert Schroeder (1980).
Germany is proud of its glass hiStory and justifiably claims Otto Schott and Ernst
Abbe as the founders of modern glass technology.
Indeed, it was the
.
appreciation
by W.E.S. Turner, at the beginning of World War I, of Britain’s dependance on
Geiman glass manufacture for almost everything other than domestic ware that led to
the founding of our own firSt University department in this subject.
At the end
of World War II the
u
nous glass factory at Jena came into Russian hands but not
before the Americans had spirited key personell into the Western sector where the
new Schott factory was established, in 1952, to become. European leaders in
specialist glasses.
The Schott ‘Guide’ startedas a course of lectures,
explaining the’ increasingly diverse roles of glass in life today, combined with a
Schott pamphlet “Concepts of technical glass from A to Z”.
The revised text, by
the late head of Schott’s Department of Research and Development, now includes a
section on lamp glasses contributed by the Osram Company. The result is a very
readable and not too technical overview of the modern glass scene as seen through
professional German eyes,
A multiplicity of poStage stamp-sized colour photos and
clear diagrams help the text along.
An opening historical section and another on
decorative techniques are not particularly well done; it is in the technological
aspects that this book is both authoritative and informative.
Chapters 2 and 3 on
glass composition and melting processes will prove
–
particularly usefulto those who
want to know what glass is all about.
The remainder of the book surveys all the
uses of glass we may have come across and many others we probably have’nt; the
principles are clearly explained but the glass compositions, no doubt Schott trade
secrets, are not always given.
Nevertheless, this book provides what is, to-date,
probably the best general account of glass beyond the recognised field
for the
collector.
With 179 pages, size 8.5*5.75″, hard covers, and price £14.50 in the
U.K., it may be purchased direct from the publisher, Van Nostrand Reinhold Co.,
Molly Millars Lane, Wckingham, Berks., RG11 2PY.
The next book on the list was suggested as a stocking-filler last April twelvemonth
(see GC News No 26).
This is ‘The-History of Glass’, 268 pages (11.5*9″) lavishly
illustrated with 300 colour and 150 b & w photos.
It consists of a series of
chapters by well-known experts, edited by Dan Klein and Ward Lloyd, with an
introduction by
.
Robert Charleston; it is
published
by Orbis.
The price, not
surprisingly,
has been increased to £25.00.
First impressions are that it is a
truly magnificent volume
that that should prove popular with all glass lovers.
For the paperweight buff we have “PERTHSHIRE’ in “ART OF THE PAPERWEIGHT”, the
second of a series published by Paperweight Press of Santa Cruz, California.
It
is a luxury production
written by Lawrence H. Selman
in collaboration with Stuart
Drysdale, founder of Perthshire Paperweights.
The history of the firm and methods
of paperweight manufacture are explained in detail, followed
.
by a fully illustrated
list of their limited run paperweights.
This first edition (1983),
limited to
6000 copies, has 101 pages (6.75*9.75″) with many-plates, mostly coloured; in
hardback it costs £23.50
(A few copies are still available of the first, companion volume, in the series,
“SAINT LOUIS” by Gerard Ingold (limited edn. 3000) – even more magnificent with 106
pages (8.75
44
11.25″),£30.20.)
Also, north of
the Border, we have “THE STORY OF EDINBURGH CRYSTAL” by H.W.
Woodward, published by Dame Glass Ltd., Eastfield, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 8HB.
size 7*9.25″ with 92pp, 42 figs., 11 in colour. Price i4.25 (U.K.E6 or abroad
£7.50 to inc. p+p).
This volume, complementing “Art, Feat and Mystery: the story of Thomas Webb & Sons,
Glassmakers” reveals that although Edinburgh Crystal and Thomas Webb had been
Loclinagar
I 9(1(
Star of Edinburgh
194)
Lomond
1982
kmal9f.<1 St. Giles 1977 Clend1;:-c1968 associated companies companies since 1921 they were far more than 300 miles apart. t Remarkably, their lifelong experiences in making the same lead crystal were never shared and the staff at one knew little about their counterparts at the other. Only the takeover by. Demo Glass and.the shift of-Edinburgh Crystal from Norton Park to Penicuik in-1974 led to calls upon Webb's expertise to help unravel the - multitude of problems that such an upheaval entailed. But this is near the end of the story and many a gaffer had laid his bloWing iron to rest before that point was reached. The early chapters trace. the history of glassmaking in Scotland from the time when Sir George Hay was first granted his monopoly for bottle production in connection with the whisky trade. In the mid-19th century this began to fail and even repeal of the Excise duty on glass in 1845 failed to save th Edinburgh and Leith Glass Co. which closed in the 1870's. But during this period a new venture in Leith Walk became first the West Lothian Flint Glass Works, for a time under the ownership of-James Couper & Sons of "Clutha" glass fame, and then, by 1867/68, the Edinburgh & Leith Flint Glass Co. The redevelopment of Leith Walk and the:need for expansion brought a move to Norton Park, about a mile away, in the 1870's. The busineSs records of this period•are lost but pattern books survive revealing the diversity of glassware produced, including, besides cut and engraved, crackled, threaded and fine quality - Venetian-style glass, and, later, gas and electric light shades in huge quantities. Old styles were greatly favoured and the well-known Thistle service, first recorded in the 1920's, continues to the present day. Also produced, in the 1920's were reproduction „Jacobite glasses. Those.illustrated in the book-would be unlikely to deceive the collector, however, for although the engraving appears convincing enough the elegant baluster glasses,, with uptutned folded feet, are quite.out of character. In 1955 the firm's name was changed.to "The Edinburgh Crystal Glass Co." Consolidating their position as the only manufacturer of lead crystal in the city. Mr Woodward has not only uncovered a wealth of detail about the history of the firm but, also, much information on the materials and processes involved. The book concludes with pictures of the fires more popular products and extracts from the pattern books. Both the author and Dema Glass are to be congratulated; such an attractive and informative volume, with many new pictures, is surely underpriced and interested members are recommended to take early action. D.C.W. Current and ?.et cnt Edinburgh Crystal Patterns