4.
•
No. 50
.
April
1,9911
REC4
–
epoN AND
SPEC/AL
VIEWING AT SOTHEBY’S
On March 21st, at the invitation of the Directors
of Sotheby’s Ceramics, and Glass deoartment
r
e
large•and noisy gathering of Circle. members •
.
1 .
and other invited guests happily perambulated,
glass in hand, round the impressive display of”
items gathered together for the forthcoming
(March 251h) alhday sale: • ••
was a soda!
occaiiorita Cherish tor enough old-faces – the
artisans andfriuSeurn.everts, as well.as the
‘trade’ , collectors and thoSe who had just-come
along for the occasion ehatt turned up to keep
hardy shaking and chins ‘wagging steadily all
the’eacining, Well -lubricated by a steady flow of •
well-choSen wine:,
–
; and nourished by large bowls’
of crisps and peanuts.
The excellent catalogue (i24age, 8.3X10.6
inche’S),,,Well-illtistiatedwith numerous Geteured
as well as black’and white
plates, was much in
demand and those,Whe delayed
.
buying their
–
copies, in order to leave an extra hand to cope
with the flow of victiaals, soon found that:they.
had sold out. It was excellent value at £1.0 and,..,
as one has come to expect, ‘the important lots
had been well-researched.
Holding pride of place in the sale•was lot.31, then
“Spottiswood.” Amen Glass
a
ciroa 1745r50:. It –a
has an impeccable provenance,- havingcome
down from the Spottiswoodelamily who were
staunch
–
Jacobitesupporters
,,
Their ancestors
had fought alongside the Duke of Montrose back
in 16,50 and participated in the rebellions of 1715
and 1’745
a;
However,,it
–
Saibins that even
this
noble,
would reeogniSe the storage prob-
.
lernS thatbeset ManyOtuStoday as the giass
came in a storage casket together with an 1’867
–
luggage labetinelicating that it Wealn the Jed
box which was ‘on the oala’cheSt under, the star
The deliberations on this pieCe of our President
and Geoffrey Seddon can be found in
The Glass
Circle,
5, The hammer price (without the 10%
premium) of £60 000, greatly exceeded the
estimate of £18000422000. It fell to the firm of
Drambuie, who no doubt see it as a glass worthy
of their own tine product and, it is to
.
be hoped,
adding to the tourist attractions of Scotland. •
. „
This, of cotirse, waS.a special piece, ‘as was lot:
17, a superbWiffiarnite draWri trumpet,’ With tear-. •
and foldedfoot, nearly ten iriches high.’ It was • •
engraved With the
–
Words
.
‘”THE GLORIOUS AND••
IMMORTALL
.
IMORY OF KINOWIWAM Ill
.
AND HIS OUEEN, MAA!* aboye tiusW:ot ttre.
two rbyals within”oartoUthes and floral scroll’.
work. This.wentfer for the hammer priee, (hp),.
of £33000 (estd. £20000-230000), holding up
.well against the £35000 it made
–
at•Christie’S.nota:
long ago. Two of seven lots of Beilby glasses
also dropped in,price compared’ with Iftpse, at a
sale not long ago and, as stated in The
Antiques Trade Review,•illustrate the danger of . ,
selling too quickly. In spite of this the early
English glass .was.inpopular demand,: fetching
good prices, even among the more ordinary 18th
century pieces, with only’twoof 143 lots being
withdrawnireflecting the strong and, I suspectaa..i
growing, -body of Engiiah•6ollecters, Colour
twists are its
,
populat as evet and the three in •
the sale ran’Well into foOrflgiires, about double.
the estirnates, the
s’ame’could
be said of Lynn
wines at
t$130
and•a itraight-sternmed cordial,
round funnel bowl thick ‘at the base’and adrn
oed –
foot, enraved
The
Mernory,of Lord Russel
above a band of stylizedlloWers, which made
£1000.
Of the 196 century glass, Malletts bought for
£8500 (1114-an.iritereAng Richardson cameo
vase possibly by Alphonse Lechevrel, c.1880,
purchased byte vendor from the daughter
:
of
GeorgeWoedall, toyhorn it had previously been
attributed.. However, it bears a strong
resemblance 1 several Lechevrel pieces a
including a vase now believed to,have been
a
a,
completed by Woodall who erased Lechevrel’s
signature and signed it himself..
>
WELCOME RETURN OF SIMON COTTLE
Exports to the North have not all been one
way and it was ai.delight to
learn
that Simon
has now returned to London to join Mark
Newstead at Sotheby’s as expert in charge of
ceramics and glass. He is hoping to develop
the glass trade arSOtheby’s which has lost out
sbmewhatto Christie’s in the past few. years.
We are particularly pleased that Simon has
agreed to rejoin the Glass Circle Committee.
David Wail:,
27 R ay dean Road,
Barnet, Herts. ENS IAN.
John Towse
25-27 Curtain Road,.
London, EC2A’31)H
2
Paperweights continued to be as popular as
ever but the Continental glass, particularly the
Biedermeier and mid-European 19th century
glass, fared less well. A collection of South
German gold ‘Flubinglash- a persona! favourite –
fetched good prices but a rare transparent-
enamelled double silhouette beaker by Samuel
Mahn of Dresden just reached the bottom of the
estimates at £10000. Today’s prices in this
market depend Muth more on
overseas
buyers –
the,Japanese and Americans, as wel
–
as the •
Continentals who, as we all know, have not
turned up in.their usual numbers this year.
About a quarter of the lots were Withdrawn.
Most irnmerliately impressive at the viewing was
the modern Venetian glass but I felt at the time
that its mostly large size and rather demanding
colour range, so far as fitting into a domestic
environment was concerned, might limit its
popularity. The Headline of The Antiques Trade
Gazette…W(1feet
Murano awaits anothertime
and
place…said it all. Less than half of it was
sold. Even
so,•1
am
told that Sotheby’s, given
the economic problems of the time and the
effect on visitors to London of the lraqui war,
were more than satisfied with the outcome of the
sale. With Simon looking after the glass there
is no reason why we should not see a return to
the heady days of the sixties and seventies with
Sotheby glass sales.
D.C.W.
n Tow, e
is sure to await us at the new premises and also
at their usual stand at the
International Ceramics
and Glass Fair
at the Park Lane Hotel from 14th
to 17th June.
THIS AND THAT
By
DELOMOSNE’S
AN
APPRECIATION
Eighteen years ago Gordon Savage defined and –
described
The Complete Dealer”
as an honest
man of equable temperament, alarming, with an
encyclopaedic knowledge of the arts from
antiquity until this morning
he (or she) should
have perfect taste aaehould have scruples and
an impartial sense of fairness …. give freely of
his knoWledge and time. He must have •
patience beyond provocation …. he mutt be
valuer, buyer and seller, never taking unfair
advantage. • He treats the browser and the
collector with equal deference
will nix •socially with people he dislikes and he
will move with equal facility in palace or in hovel.
Have not characterized correctly Martin
Mortimer,. and I feel sure his junior partner at
Delomosne’s. Tim Osborne, as possessing all
these qualities? Therefore, with a degree of
sadness l•have to report that their firm,
Delomosne and Son, Ltd., are closing their
premises at 4, Carepden Hill Road, London W8,
and will be Moving to Court Close, North
Wraxali, Chippenharn Wiltshire, SN14 7AD,
reopening on May 7th 1991.
Martin and Delomosne’s have been great
friends and supporters of the Glass Circle, even
before it was opened to dealers, and we are
grateful for the richness of information and
benefits their participation has brought the
Circle. All of us who have known them for a
large number of years wish them and their
wives, Sarah Mortimer and Vicky Osborne,
every happiness and success in their new
venture and assure them of our continued •
support., We collectors will greatly miss being
able to “pop in” for a quick look round but we
can be sure that the warm Delomosne welcome
Detomosne’s departure has brought to an end a
generation of London dealers who developed
between the wars with the growth of collecting
English glass; identified for us through the
classical works of Hartshorne, Francis and
Wilfred Buckley and Bles, and consolidated later
by
Thorpe, not to mention Powell and Barrington
Haynes and our President, Robert Charleston,
among the more popular works.
Delomosne’s
Guilding the Lily,
released only a
few years ago, is a quality publication reflecting
and setting out the standards of the fine glass
that has always been their hallmark. This was
followed by a more specialist look at
The
Baluster Period .
They mark their move with
another superbly produced publication that takes
a nostalgic look at fifty of the best pieces that
have passed through their hands. It includes
both glass and porcelain, of such importance
and quality that most other dealers would have
been grateful to have found one piece in a life-
time. And yet this is only the tip – admittedly the
best tip – of an iceberg of excellence. These
publications, incidentally, give the finer details of
tie
firmie history, in its earlier and later phases,
that I do not have the space to include here.
North Wraxall is easily reached by a two-hour
drive down the M4, up via the M3 and A303 or
by collaboration with British Rail, through delight-
ful countryside: and only short distances from the
pleasures of Bath.and Bristol. May their move
tempt collectors not only to search out their
glasses but also to savour the delights of the
West Country that has now become their home.
3
MERGER OF GLASS MANUFACTURES
FEDERATION
The familiar fancy glass door handles of the
GMF headquarters in Portland place, where
once the Glass Circle used to meet, are there
no more. In 1989 the Federation merged with
the British Glass Industry Research AsOciation
to form The’ British’ Glass Manufacturers
Confederation (British Glass) with
headquarters in Northumber-land Road,
Sheffield. Given the cost of premises in
London and the greater-glass ambience of
Sheffield this must be a wise move for the
GMF. Unless my memory serves me false
British Glass must now be very close to
ElrnfieId, the famous home of Sheffield
University’s former Department of Glass
Technology.
The Gas’s Circle has a link with this new body
through its much-valued member, David
Williams-Thomas, who was Deputy President
in 1989 and Chairman of one of its funcional
sections, the “Domestic Glass Group”. There
are two other groups for ‘Research Steering”
and “Scientific and Technical Glass”.
BritiSh Glass forms an important link with
European developments through various
committees as well as with domestic matters
such as food and drink, waste reclamation and
ensuring a presence in Westminster.
GLASS FOR LUNCH, DINNER AND TEA!
A little-known group of diseases, except to an
unfortunate few, is associated with
a
lack of
traces of certain metals in the diet. COlealt,
copper and selenium, better known to us as
glass colorizers are also essential it very tiny
amounts for our wellbeing. An extensive
research programme, some
of
it carried out at
Guy’s Hospital, has revealed a lack of these
substances in certain areas of the world,
particularly China and Africa, directly affecting
the people there. Of great general
importance, it has been found in the last few
weeks that selenium, which is unbelievably
toxic in even modest amounts, is nevertheless
vital for the function of out thyroid gland which
regulates all sorts of personal activities like
growth and development: In this country there
is an indirect effect through the lack of trace
elements in some animal feeding grounds,
resulting in a loss of meat production.
The farmer’s problem of how best to provide
the dietary supplement has been overcome
,
by an unusual combination between the
Wellcome Foundation, Chance Pilkirigton and
Leeds University. The result is a slowly
soluble glass with phosphorus replacing the
usual silica, plus calcium and magnesium
oxides, containing the trace elements. The
pill is “shot” irr the animal and slowly
dissolves over the next year, providing
a
controlled,
measured dose. It is called
“Cosecure” and the chemists among you will
recognise that it is made up of the symbols for
the trace elements of Co, Se, and Cu. The
remainder, Re, does actually stand for an
element but it is not part of the treatment!
If you have a defic-iency problem try ringing
0270 583151.
LEAD BEFORE, OR AFTER, DINNER!!
.
Some
members may have been alarmed to
read in the Guardian that an American
Professor (who else) has discovered that
wine or spirits stored in lead crystal
containers slowly dissolves some of the glass
so that each measure will contain a small
amount of lead. Let it be said at once that if
you are sober enough to think of dumping
your precious Waterford, Webb, or whatever,
in the dustbin you are much too sober to be
likely to suffer from lead poisoning. At the
‘drink rate’ required to generate lead toxicity
your iiver would pack up long, long before any
lead took effect.
This discovery may simply be a case of news
travelling slowly to the land of the free;
W.E.S. Turner was evaluating glass solubility
when most of us were still in nappies. But it
is bad practice, anyway, to store liquids
unconsumed for long periods in crystal
decanters – particularly the valuable ones –
and the “Greens’ would tell you that lead is
a
cumulative poison.
The old glass workers
remedy was a small dose of Epson’s salts in
water once a week, which tis said helped
clear lead from the system as insoluble lead
sulphate. Better treatments are available
today.
Dt:Wt
.
REVIEW
‘Wesetlen
On’
4
HOw dOes all tnislit in With Cookworthy’s aesoc-
lation
–
with trealt•or zaffee, the cobalt-containing
pigment:10r Bristol blue.
,
Cyril Weedon traces
the background to’the introduction of small in
England and the interest in its chemistry devel-
oped by Cookworthy, who apparently hoped to
import the material from North Carolina. There is,
unfortunately, little to support the idea that
Cookworthy acquired a monopoly on smelt other
E MYSTERY OF BRiSTOL BLUE
than, that he undOubtedly
–
hadtheknoWledge and
was well-placed to take advantage Of such an •
opportunity if it had arisen, or for the ideas put
7
‘
forward by Hugnes(2)•of Bristol as an ekclueive
source of smelt.
Cyril then explores the diverse. manufactures of
cobalt blue glass at Stourbridge, Warrington and
Newcastle as well as Bristol and compares the
haturaily. occurring Royal pUrPle of the earlier
pieces to the deliberate addition, in the mid-
nineteenth century, of ir
,
ori and manganese oxides.
The Oxford Laboratory for Archaeology analysecie
23 pieces on behalf of BristaCity Art GallerY(3)-
but were unable to show anyconnectionbetween
the origin of the piece and the variations seen in
the cobalt colouring. The author concludes “In
noneeel the pieces canehe,source of the small b
e
identified. Even iethe,prerrise be accepted that
smelt from Saxony
,
gaVe glass of a distinctive
shade of blue, there is ne firm evidence that Bristol
was the sole pod of entry,’ nor that VVilliani Cook-
worthy was the merchant who warehoused it.”
‘There is tnereforenoway in which a particular
type of blue glass can be associated with
• •
Bristol….nor can William Cookworthy be named
with certainty as:the progenitor of this persistent„
and agreeable piece of glaseindustry folk lore”.
,
,
However, although the cobalt analyses’ proved .
unrewarding and Bristol blue is once and for eye?
laid in the dust, it is just possible that Cyril’ has • ‘
opened one window of opportunity for further
advance.
The
Oxford Laboratory found that one
piece was apotasteglass rather tharytead crystal,
(indeed, I own such a decanter) suggesting a
Continental-origin: One cannot tell leadand
•
potash crystal from appearance) but a density
measurement gives it away..at. once. • Twentythree
samples are. not many on which to base a
conclusion and pereapsegreater survey of the
density of_blue pieces might creategreeps pf
glasses:that relate either amortg, themselves or to
the few pieces of known proVenance.. :-1Yensity
measurements are neither difficult or complex to
Carry out and thit is one area where the combined
etfoils of Circle members could complement Cyril
Weedon’s excellent paper.
1.
Glass Technology,
vol.31 No.6. (1990) 256-265.
2.
Hughes, G.B. (1956)
English, Scottish and Irish
table glass,
pp.351
–
359. See also.
Country Life
(1954),p.1828 and (1961) p. 327.
3.. Banks, M. Elphinstorte, N. & Hall, E.T. (1968)
Bristol blue glees.
Arelia’eemerry,
6, 26-30.
D.C.W.
COOKWORTHYAND TH
There can be few glass collectors who would not ‘
admit to Succumbing to the desire to add a piece of
°Bristol blue” glass to their collection. The dealer
who knows his salt will hold the piece to advantage
in the light to enhance the richdark blue Colour
running to purple in the thick recesses of the glass
and draw attractive comparisons with P,oyal purple
and this evidence of authenticity of MI-Our. The
knowing customer will enjoy the skill in present-
ation while privately addressing his judgement to
the more immediately assessable characteristics of
the piece. in no other colber of English Masi do
we haVe this geographitat association – unless We
include the attributien to Waterford which, in itself;
should sound a warnir
–
ig note.
Who was William Cookworthy, anyway. ear:hew,
as has been suggested, did he manage to corner
the market In this most desirable of colouring
commodities? Circle ex-comnettee chairman,
Cyril Weedon, well known for his contributions to •
the history of Bristol glassmaking, has taken up the
Challenge(1)to unravel the history of.this man
and
summarize the aValiable evidence about our
prospects of owning a piece of the
the
real thingw.
The ‘Story begins in the littleComish ‘village of
Kingsbridge near Plymouth; well-known to drivers
as or of the old A38 “bottlenecks”, where Cook-
.
,
worthy was_born of a Quaker family and developed
as a bright child with areenquiring mind. • After a
boars
–
ere; school education in Exeter the death of
his father led to his appointment as assistant to
Sylvanus Bevan, an apothecary in Londent whose
practice.was„
n
ater to become the vvell-knOwn firm of
Allen And Hanburyt It Was Bevan Who set up
Cookworthe as a wholesale Chemist and Druggist
In Plymouth under the name of Bevan and Cook-
worthy. ‘There, in Quaker tradition, he developed a
wide interest in the sciences which led to his
eventual modest success, after the initial failure of
an enterprise in Bristol, in creating a porcelain to
rival the coveted Chinese porcelain. Even this ,
was not to last and Cookworthynoved tO Bristol in
1770 tor. a few years before retiritie, in 1774, to his
beloved Plymouth, leaving the business in the
hands of his partner, Richard Champion.
REFLECTIONS OF 60 YEARS WITH
THE GLASS INDUSTRY; Stan Eveson
at Thomas Webb’s Glassworks.
Glass Technology – the Journal – is to be
congratulated on capturing, cajoling or acquiring
by whatever means, the personal reminiscences
01 Stan Eveson who spent his working life, and
until recently, his retirement, working for Thomas
Webb’s, as it hat always been known. What he
describes is a unique account of his life in a
glass factory starting a century, to the year, after
the famous firm had been founded in 1829, and
how, almost apologetically, he rose from his first
faltering steps as a grammar school leaver to
become Works Manager. His story,,which
stops in 1984, is told with an endearing sense of
humour and historical-nostalgia .blended with a
diversity of technical information that will delight
historians for years to come.
The biography was published in six parts from
February to December last year. It is a certainty
that glass lovers everywhere will wish to have a
copy of their own and it is to be hoped that Glass
Technology will publiSh a combined reprint for •
those who are not fortunate enough to have
access to the Journal. We will keep you
informed.
LAPORTE plc SPONSOR ROSE
WINDOW AT ST. ALBANS ABBEY.
Laporte is an important supplier of chemicals to
the glass industry, particularly barium carbonate
used in pressed glass manufacture. To
celebrate their centenary they commissioned
Alan Younger to design and create a new rose
window for the north transept of the Abbey. The
window is 30 feet in diameter, only slightly
smaller than York’s rose
–
window, and requires
600 square feet of glass to glaze it.
Alan Younger, who has
worked as assistant to
Lawrence Lee, a past
Professor of Stained Glass
at the Royal College of Art,
is one of Britain’s leading
artists in the field. Among
his commissions are the
Great West Window in
Tamworth parish church
(home town of the Founder
of Guy’s Hospital) and the
Bede window in Durham
Cathedral, the connection
here being that Durham “took over” the
monasteries of Monkswearmouth and Jarrow.
Alan began work in the autumn of 1987 and
eighteen thousand pieces of glass later, all cut
painted and fired by himself, the work was
complete. At the service of dedication, graced
Isy Her Royal Highness, The Princess of Wales,
the Dean of St Albans said that he believed it to
be the first English medieval Cathedral to have its
rose window glazed with stained glass since
before the Reformation.
The window consists of a concentric series of 1,
9, 9 and 18 roundels with small lights filling the
gaps between the two outer rings. The thick
stone latticework precludes any form of pictorial
imagery and the design is entirely abstract cont-
aining brilliant reds and blues which transform the
cold north light. The colouring of each panel is
unbelievably detailed and binoculars are a must
to enjoy it to full advantage. At the Abbey shop,
in the South Transept opposite, one can buy an
A3 size poster of the window which is just about
big enough to appreciate some of the complexity
of Younger’s creation.
St Albans Abbey impresses by its length and
massive construction. The east side of the North
Transept contains some medieval quarries and
coats of arms of the Black Prince, John of Gaunt
and Lionel, Duke of Clarence and a few other
early items, but the other glass is 19th and 20th
century, while the Great West Window, spanning
nine lights, is a 1924 War memorial by Sir Ninian
Comper. The entrance doors at the west end
have interestingly engrav-ed clear glass panels.
The Abbey was restored in Victorian times by
Lord Grimthorpe, best known as the inventor of
the clock escapement that allows the hands of
Big Ben to turn untroub-led by the strength of the
wind. The Abbey is easily reached by car,
entering St Albans from the south, but parking
anywhere in this other-wise delightful City can be
very difficult.
St Albans Abbey from the wrong (south) side!
6
A
BIG
THANKYOU TO
MRS NIKKI: CONSTABLE-Mt:MAI:LI
Many members have taket
–
hodv?ntage of
Mrs Constable-Maxwell’s generous gift of .’50
copies
,
of the SOlfteby!s’catafogue
for
the sale of
the taMr3US collectbn of AndentGlais built up
by her lateliusbrifid,; Andrew. A number of
-librari
,
:es that were.nominated by members have
–
also recieved copies. •
There are still a few copies available of this
catalogue, which has many coloured illustrations
and hard covers and is now a classic work of.,
reference. If any Member. would like one., or
wishes:tq
f
norninate a library, please send £.2.56 •
for
each
copy’ (Payable to the Glass Circle) to
coVer ribitage and jiffy bag, to Tirit Udall, Forge,.
Corrier;Iroston, Bury Dt Edmunds, Suffelk
1P31 fEW.
Overseas
,
members:
who do not have access
to a LIK;.bank account need send no money. • ‘
Just let Tim Udall know. £2.50 per
added to-your next toebscriplion when due, even’
if you have a 3-year or a 5-year subscription. •
•
QiNIQE • UPON’ A TIME
,
al the •
,Jeanette • Hayhurst Gallery,
–
3474.• Kensington Church Street, WS 4HA.
Until:27th
Hopefully this newsletter’ will’arrive in time to
give London members the oppOrtUnity of visiting
this small but exquisite exhibition of work by
Stephen Andrew Bradley. Stephen, who has
servedas
–
a glass workshop technician as well
as glass blower for .Dartington Glass and at,the
–
Red House Cone, hashed an exacting appren,
ticeship on top of his polytechnic training.
In
adclition
e
hejs fortunate erieugh.to possess true ••
–
aetiStic ta,110.” The combiriation
–
haS.procluced:
an artist Writi
–
not only designs
–
hiii5Wrf pieces
but blowS’.hls own blankg,’iticinding complex
colour bikrlays, as well as executing the final
‘-
design. A series of tall portrait goblets effect- —
ively demonstrate his sense of colour, combined
with competence in engraved decoration, also
seen in other extremely attractive pieces.
Most immediately striking, however, is his own
interpretation of the Portland vase. Here his
glass technology came to the fore.- • In order to
create the necessary blank he found it necess-
ary to explore an arsenic-based glass (as used
on I 8thl 9th century clock dials) for the opaque
.
while overlay which looked too thin with other
°pacifiers. -.-The engraving was done at least in
part with a dental drill.- This was the first piece
he attempted using this technique and although
the result is well
balanced
and a success. overall,
some of the detail shows a raggedness that
exposes his inexperience in coping with the diff-
iculties imposed by suave demanding challenge.
Two other. designs.on show, carried outiater,
basedie.n,,the. same blank; showed how his tech-
nique had matured andff would e of interest to
see him tackle the Portland Vaseagain in the
light
–
of this experience. Stephen Bradley is ,
undoubtedlyan artist to be watched in the future.
The exhibition will also be on show at Broadfield
HoLise 6th
– 16th June, 199f.
• • •
.1•••••01.1
PAST AND PRESENT__
Celebrating the
15th Anniversary;
of •
•
the_Unclon
GlassbigthfigiNtglistma •
From….26th April 5th May -•
This is an exhibition of former
..
L:Q.W. artists
including: Norman Stuart Clarke
e
Siddy Langley, •
PatrickStern. Julia Donnelly, Gayle Matthias,.
Carin Von Drehle, Karen:Lawrence. Anna
. .
Dickinson, Gail Gill, Richard Price arid, of course,
the master himself,
–
Peter Layton.
• ‘ •
On Saturday and Sunday 27’28 April there will
be continuous glassrnaking ctmonstrations and a
GRAND SALE.
TIME 11 am
–
5 pm.
THE ULSTER MUSEUM – EXHIBITION OF
CONTEMPORARyaAss
Faced
–
overynany years with severe cash restrict-
ions, the Ulster Museum has looked forward by
patronising today’s top artists to build up unique
collectionS,In,Various areas of modern art.
Behind this activity is MiChaet Robinson
;
deputy
keeper
.
of Fine Art, his shreWd judgement belying
his informal manner and love of nature and the
wild. To form these collections he travels far
and wide, seeking only the very best he can find.
So tar, he has had outstanding Success with a
fine collection of modern paintings and, more
recently, porcelain and pottery. Now he has
moved on to modern glass and I understand that
even hardened musem keepers are impressed! •
Not surprisingly, Czech glass artists predominate
although British, Swedish
:
French and Dutch
worker:, are included.
Until 20th June it
will be displayed ,at:
ECTARC, Castle Street, Clwyd, .0.20 8RB.
Shop hours, Sun’1-5.
078 861 51 4.
It is
not
scheduled to come to an
.
English venue.
7
Tristoi
(
Rue as
Manufactured by
Nazeing Glass Works Ltd. –
No zemg
New
Road, Eroxbourne, Hertfordshire EN10 6SU
Telephone: Hoddesdon (0992) 464485 Telex: 22559 (NZGLAS)
This famous collection, created for the City of Bristol Museum
and ,Art Gallery is now available to discerning collectors.
Handcrafted in English Lead. Glass
7,71
–
Top right shelf
— 6″ Bowl used as a Fruit Bowl or Serving Bowl.
— Finger Bowl, filled with water and rose petals or a slice of lemon. for removing the smell of fish or cheese frorn’the
fingers.
Large.Pesy Bowl for small flower arrangements.
— Rase Bowl with net for short stern roses.
Second shelf (left)
Small Liqueur Decanter circa 1820
Often sold in pairs of threes in a stand.
— Wine Decanter with oval stopper
The shapeis typical of design circa 1780-1800 and was also used for Hoilands (Gin).
Second shelf (right)
— Worthington Goblet used for drinking Worthington or White Shield Ate.
— Rummer Glass
The shape is taken from an original probably made at the first Waterford Glass factory circa 1830.
— Reproduction Goblet copied from a design circa 1690 in the Victorian and Albert Museum. London.
Bottom row
— 6 oz Rye House Wine glass.
— 3 oz Rye House Sherry.
— 9
oz
Rye House:Goblet inspired by designs circa 1680. named.after Rye House. famous for the plot to assassinate
Charles II in 1683 which is close to the factory:
— Brandy Decanter, Georgian shaped Decanter circa 1820 with heavy round stopper. Based On On original made for
WOrthington the Brewers in their Museum at Burton-on-Trent:
— Tall Posy Vase, can be used for a few long stem flowers such as Poses or Carnations.
— Small Posy Vase ideal for mantelpieces and Snowdrops or Primroses.
— Waisted Vase, an attractive vase for table flower decorations.
8
THIRD GLASS COLLECTORS FAIR
19th MAY 1991.
The fair will take place at the National .Motor
Cycle Museum near the N.E.C. Birmingham
(junction of A451A452) on Sunday 19th’ May from
11 a.m. until 5.00 p.m. (Dealers from 9.30 am)
This venue has been chosen because of its
geographical location with easy access by road,
rail and air with more than ample car parking
facilities.
The fair will be held in purpose-built large
ground floor rooms andmore than 45 dealers
specialising in collectable British, American and
Continental glass will participate. Quality glass
from the 18th century to the present day will be
on show. • As an added attraction a number of
modern studio glass manufactureres and
decorators have been invited to participate.
Refreshments will be available and the MX
Museum
.
will be open.
By specialarrangement the Glass Circle will put
on a small display similar to last year and we
hope to see you there.
The fair is being organised by
.
Pat Hier who ran
the brilliant fair for the Dudley Crystal Festival
last year ( enquiries Tel. 0260 271975 or 0384
252539).
BOOKS
GREAT GLASS IN AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE
By H. Weber Wilson
Pub. by E.P. Dutton, New York, 1986. pp.122, figs. 172, many coloured. size 8.5×11 ins. pback.
This lively book provides a new insight intothe.scope, and decoration with cOloured,glase, of
American architecture often missed by the foreign observer. It shows the manifestation of the
uninhibited, eclectic American spirit of the last half of the nineteenth century. The interest is primarily
secular and only briefly touches on church windows. All aspects of the subject are covered
including designers, techniques, painters and glaziers and the relationship between glass design and
the formative movements of the, period.
Available remaindered from Dillon’s Bookshop at the bargain price of £6.99.
SCOTTISH ART GLASS, Women and Design By Michael T. Vaughan
Photocopy of a 14-page typescript. size 8.5×13 ins., no covers, price £12 home,214 &seas inc. pw.
This publication records the persona! reminiscences of Dr James Percival Agnew L.L.D. of his aunt
Marianne Isobel Moncrieff who was the driving force behind the artistic production of Monart glass:
Dr Agnew’s personal experiences derive from the period 1931-34 during which he was a Director.
Unfortunately, he was mainly concerned with the financial aspects and had little understanding of the
technical side. His reminiscences, however, provide an interesting insight into lesser known activities
of the family firm and the middle class
soda!
background of the period.
.Cottections and Omissions
I am pleased to correct two errorrs pointed out by Ray Notley in my
summary (GC News 49, p.3) of his lecture on Bohemian Glass and
its Later Infitience. In pare two “nee-fascicisrn” Should read “neo-
classicism” while in the 3rd para from theend “recession” should
read as
–
Secession”. As Ray says, “these are trying times and
perhaps the current recession was in my mind”! More likely, it
reflects the lack of a lascicar education!
On p.6 of the same issue a space was left fora drawing of a Powell-
designed dear glass decanter with a eilyer, double7hanclied cellar set
with two blister pearls and hallmarked for 1904.: Th4 decanter, from
the collection now in the Bedford Museum, is Shown pri the right.