EDITORIAL
EH RC::
c·,o,..
rive
l • yl • ) •
ENS l
~0 4. Jal:’ ary
197
we prepare to go to press the latest Soth by Bel r~via
with a heavier than usual thud on the doormat betol·en. g <.! at· ~gu 1 nJs
artistic pleasure for lovers of Art Nouvc->au and Ar; .dJ..ng a tr..,o-day least of eco. e.1r y one q t of the thousand or so lots are glass. Seventynine nf th~ ar ~r
i
di • f
· d • e.:::,e ar Lll, qut> rm n ng us, 1 any rem1n er were needed of the i•ftJorta t 1 ~.
: !
d f .
l f . h , . ‘l r. p a1,.;1..: 111, f irn has carve or itse_ int e art market. Its particula~· k”ll c .,- _ • · d · h · f -.. . • . … s L ~ 11
– Lo be 1 n pro£.vl1201.nOgfsom~Tt inbg. lolr e~e.1.yone with the estimates soaring from . 1 ly £3 to or our 1. ons a vase, th heavy clear glass body , t • • . f cas .u1 lu , h r 11 w~th ~road b~r~ed scrolls, the :dgcs outli~ed in black enam., c 1~2
5, ~d
strikingly :1.m1lar
to the deep cutting achieved by Mar .i.not using add. Indc>l!d
this sale might be looked upon ‘-s a ~emor ial to Marc Laliqu wl O h .. ~ ied at ‘
the age of 78. The son ~f Rene Lallque, Marc joined his fathe1~’~ -irm as r1.
as 1922. Soon after Rene Lalique’ s death in 1945 th buHclin ,~ a ,l t-u •n, ‘ .) l – ( u.C L ‘ which were badly damaged and had been closed during the war ,,.,ere 1 and bad· t
Marc Lalique wh,o restored and modernized the factory and t,(.; amc the ~ri.::3.ti ‘vl.
force of the re-established company. He achieved a striking union between pu:-.l
and modern glass design, and, accomplished in all glassmaking skill~, m d
Lalique the supreme glass factory it is today. lt is due to ,·1a.c L liquc hat
the factory branched out into producing crystal glass of brillia1t coluur, and
with his paramount knowledge of the material created the must stun1in f·ects.
Marc Lalique’s daughter, Marie-Claude, will now be the eff~ctive had o[ tl1•
company.
REPORTS OF GLASS CIRCLE MEETINGS
ANNtTAL GENERAL MEETING -WITH A DIFFERENCE
By tradition, members are invited to bring along interesting spe im.ns or
new acquisitions to the A.G.M. and, after conclusion of the busin ss
pa1’.’t, these
are appraised and discussed. Due to our Presjdent’s absenc (in
the United
States), the specimen part of the meeting was
postponed when the A.G.N. was held
at Guy’s Hospital Medical School on October 20th. Instead DR WATTS read a
most fascinating paper on a subject of exceptional intere..,t· ‘HOT ANTIQUES -THE
USE OF URANIUM TO COLOUR GLASS’ Mem·crs were asked to co11tribt1te Ly furnishing
examples which they thought might contain uranium with the result tl,al we had
a specimen meeting after all, and one of particular attraction.
Although the modern chemistry
of uranium dates from 1789 when Klaprolh
first described the new element in the mineral, pitchblende, it had been
used sporadically for colouring glass over many centuries. The earliest
authenticated examples are
tesserae from Posilipo dated c. 79 AD. Uranium
has always been expensive. The best Saxony or~ contains about 60% uranium
oxide but most ores have only a few percent. For this reason and because
of
its tantalizing dichroic colour it has always been highly prized anJ, for the
most par~used only
for the better quality glass.
The presence of uranium in glass may readily be detected by its yellow g~een
fluorescence under U,V. light and the amount present roughly
estimated by u~ing
a s·imple, portable Geiger counter to measure the emitted radioactivity• _More
precise measurement requires the sophistication, expense and immobility ot a
scintillation counter (sees. Murray~ J. Haggith,
J. Glass Studies XV, 1;7
3)
The rapid appreciation of uranium glass in the
early 19c (Queen Adelaide
was presented with uranium-coloured g randoles in 1837) is reflected by th
c
development of yellow, .Annagelb, and green (copper containing), Annagrun glass
by Joseph Riedel in the early
1830s which was quickly adopted by other Bohemian
glass makers. It is difficult to equate extant pieces with makers names such
as the Baccarat Dichroide,
Chrysoprase, Canary Yellow, Victoria Yellow aotl
(‘1’ I l11 4 d lY IJ1 [)
n l J Sr: .
( tub 11 –
u ni .p, Jm
.n x miu d I y C1•lg”1·
lts. Not all romL i g p
test suprise crune when we xamined cl s
opa 1 shaded ware made by Steven William , • lw or:r ns,
qu Burmese glass. Authentic Webb’s Burmese (made u dcr liccn • _r 1r
shington Glass Co.) was found to contain the expected l.liQ of u ~n m j
lose adherence to the original patent. Unmarked 11Burmese 11 pieces xa ‘lnPd !ta<
only h lf this amount. We do not yet know wether Webb's ever diluted he uran· m
content or whether such pieces, now readily detected, were made else here. 11
of these fluoresced brilliant yellow-green under the UV lamp.
Some surprises were the high
uranium content of the beautiful Sowerby pr ·~ed
cream Patent Queen's Ware
such as the Queen Ann candlestick, and also the low r,
but
not the upper, glass frill commonly found round Cranberry salt and jam di-hes.
One
wonders why when such sophistication is not detectable by the untutor d eye?
As well as being highly informative, the meeting proved both enjoyable and
entertaining and was further enhanced by Rosemary Watts' culinary delights.
SOME ANGLO-DUTCH GLASSES IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM (November 15th, B.M. Education Office)
This meeting proved a delightful social occasion. The talk by HUGH TAIT
of the British Museum was
preceded by a splendid (and certainly not 'light')
buffet
(as was modestly announced) generously provided by Mr and Mrs Tait. The
interior of
the Education Office at No. 1 Bedford Square provided added enchantment.
Bedford Square was laid out in 1775, one of the architects being Thomas Leverton,
a builder's son from Essex who designed interiors of houses and drew up the plans
of No.l for his own use. It differs slightly from other Bedford Square houses
in the design of
the porch and in having an oval staircase. Exquisite Adam
walls and ceilings decorated with Wedgwood reliefs incorporate paintings attrib
uted to Angelica Kauffmann. Since she was in England at
that time and engaged
in decorating Adam style interiors this is quite likely. To prevent damage to
the ceilings by overloading, attendance had to be limited to 45 members.
Mr Tait discussed the group of glasses in the
British Museum which can be
termed Anglo-Dutch, that is those of wholly Dutch manufacture but of English
interest or those in which the manufacture and/or interest is shared between
the two
countries. Not only was the talk illustrated by magnificent slides,
but there was a follow up in which Mr Tait kindly invited Circle members to
inspect the actual glasses at the Museum where he had them specially displayed.
A most appealing example is the glass depicting Mary, Princess Royal of
England and Princess
of Orange (1631-60). Daughter of Charles I and Henrietta
Maria, she married William of Orange in 1641 and her son, the future William III
of
England was born shortly after his father's death. Supposedly a charming
and intelligent girl, the princess does not seem to have lead a very happy
existence
9 and this is aptly illustrated in the waif- like representation of her
in.diamond engraving. The glass also bears the arms of
England and the House
of
Orange, and a decorative inscription 'Welfare to the Princess'. Additional
engraving
of fruiting vines on bowl and foot is reminiscent of the work of
Willen Moleyser but just a little early to be·sure of this engraver's
work.
The glass is·~ perfect example of Netherland Venetian design: a wide funnel bowl
above a hollow quatre-foil knop and a folded foot, 16.1cm high. The glass
was probably engraved in the late 165O's or early 166O's although, as Mr Tait
explained, there is
plenty of room for speculation over this.
The most splendid and intriguing piece in the collection is undoubted7Y .
the 'Four Seasons' giant roemer, 22.5 cm high, with spherical bowl on
cylindrical
stem decorated with gilded strawberry prunts and a gilded milled ring below
the bowl, and rather strangely supported on a hollow spreading foot. One side
of the stem is engraved with
the initials W HE in triangular pattern and the
other side carries the date
'August 18th 1663' - possibly a marriage piece and
d
dated just a little afteT the glass
was made. Bowl stem and foot are engrave
with diamond point -the bowl showing four half-length figures in medallions d ls
suitably accoutred according to season, of typical flemish
design: th
~ ~~:nf:~t
are filled in with engraving of fruiting vines, a bird and a rabbit, an
-l-
is decorated llkewl; . how'ng a st:whunt • ni aew members;
Mrs I.J. Matahall of London N.W.3.
Mr H.T. Carnall of Bishop Auckland, Co. Durham.
1D the 1t1t i ue of GC News we recorded the sad death of Gordon Russell. Our
-IIDer Craema Cranch has sent us the following appreciation:
Cordoa la• 11 will always remain in my mind for three different aspects .i.n
hi• nature. Aa a collector he had a great singleness of purpose, rarely being
distracted
by intereeting sidelines off his chosen paths. As a glass enthus
iut-be took a
1reat delight in seeing other people’s collections, however humble
compared with kia
own. As a human being he took a very natural pleasure in his
own piece, and in ahowin& them to viaitors, meticulously donning clean cotton
&lovea 1tefore
handling them, aa indeed did his equally enthusiastic daughter.
NJ wif 1 ar fortunate in h ving person l experience of all these sides
to Go~don ua1 11, pcticularly hi demonstration• of his quite fantastic coll
ection, which h told me would 10 in du cour1e to the Museum in Sydney. He
eoacfttt’at en Jacoblt la•• -.d had, I guess, probably the most outstanding
pri~at tiee..ulation of time I a•• . He want outside thi• field only for
the
choicest apecimene. If 1 remember aright, the1e included three Ravenscroft
pieces or fragments and others he attributed to Hawley Bishopp. When I saw him
(
s
r
t
t
C
1
p
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)
)
last ·n
old by
h
f
thcmse l vcs. h • Wa} ‘ as one of
my small c air wa
H was a big man in every , Id’ o the
1 management, bringing W rma- s
ne •
s· in his industri~ . selections for his coll
a tional forefront; big in his decisions ar:1d h. leasures ‘ i th oth
in h s appetite for life and for sharing 15 P
GLASS DESIGNS BY MOLINEAUX, WEBB & CO. rs.
The City Art
Gallery Manchester, Rec~ntly purchased a splendidly illuSt
–
rated book of glass desi~ns by a local firm, Molineaux, Webb & Co: The book
is important not only for the information it provides about th
hi 5t ory 0
glass-making in Manchester, but also as a correctiv~ to the view that only ,
traditional centres, such as Stourbridge,produced
high quality cut and engra\-
ed glass in the 19th century.
36 26 d 1·11.ust
at d The Design Book has 194 pages, each measuring x cm an
for the most part on both si~es, making a total of slightly over 2,000
designs.
The designs are beautifully executed in pen and wash, with a f w
coloured
in, predominantly in red and blue. Various parts of the book ar
given elaborate decorative titles and flourishes as shown in the ac ompany
in& ample page, all testifying to the important position which the book
held in the firm’s production.
The book is arranged according to type of object. The largest section
by far is the Decanters, with over 500 designs, followed by Basins and Creams,
Caraffes and Tumblers, Water Jugs and Goblets, And Celeries. There ar aL”o
smaller sections on such unregarded trifles today as Marmalades, Honeys,
Butters, Monte Assiettes, Altars, Inks, Ices, Comports, Knife Rests, Radishes
and Mustards.
Dating
the Design Book is problematical, but it was compiled p rhaps
about 1870 from five individual pattern books, entitled The Old Va e Sketch
Book, Nol Sketch Book, No 2 Sketch Book, The Large Sketch Book and No 3 or
‘l’he New Sketch Book. Each section shows designs from som or all of th se
different books, and the transition from one to another is usually acknow
ledged•
The Old Vase Sketch Book is undoubtedly the earliest of the five and
must date from shortly after the firm’s foundation in about 1827, judging by
the shapes, the broad, heavy style of cut ing, nd pattern names such as
William IV and Reform. At the other extreme, lhe New Book, which has
decanters and jugs engraved with the popular fern motif (e.g. No 8166 in
the accompanying picture) and
others showing Japanese influence, cannot
date much before 1870.
Between these two poles have to be fitted in the other three books.
No. l Book can safely be tied to the 1840s and early 1850s, because it
illustrates a decanter which Molineaux, Webb patented in 1846, and also.
pieces tha~ were exhibited at the Great Exhibition. Techniques such as
engraved, cased, iced and enamelled glass make their first appearance in
this book.
The Large Book is a puzzle, but because of its similarity, both in style
and pattern numbers to No.l Book, it is possible to assume that the two were
being compiled at the same time. No. 2 Book fills the gap between No. 1
and No. 3, as the pattern numbers conf:f.rm.
The Design book can be viewed as a handy and convenient record of the
range of products made by the factory at one particular time. For more
detailed information, a client could refer to the individual sketch books,
Jolll n d,
n the counL1y” ..
8118
ample page from the Design Book of Moli
H.( r h
n
818G
oux, Webb S. Co.
– ,-
YOUR HELP IS EC,lH, TLD …• t • ‘t c:d i ng i <-: w
Ch rl ajdarnndt o Dt1<..li< 0y lu um i~ rying O Jisr:uv' 1 hu rn 1111 Y [>,i·nling 61
d · win a crco~oun, etc. exist of j ,.~ of gl, wu es, bo h cxt.eri.or and
interior,’with a viP.w to coliecting them tugE:tb~r for 81 exhibi ivn itt D11
pottery mug which depicts the Oaks Colliery explosion of 1866 in whicl-i 361 :nii-H: cs
died. The i terns should refer to specific disasters and i nfonna t ion i ~ no L
ought on items vaguely connected with industrial exhibitions or whir.h simply
sh?w industrial scenes, such as the Sunderland Bridge. Please conta~L Goido 1
direct at 1, Bracken Way, Guildford, Surrey. GU3 3AN. (Tel. Guildford b32Sl).
SALi NIWS
At the Octoqer sale at Christies, the National Museum o[ Stockholm p-iirl
£8 000 fo a Leyden bottle of green tint, decorated with calligraphic engra i1,;;
by Willem van He kerk, c. 1680. At the same sale, a portrait medallion of
about 18 by inic It.man fetched a price of £5 500.
At Sotheby’ a fi and ra~e Silesian Goblet and Cover by Johann Si ismun