Glass Circle News_No.72, Aug 1997

Right. A previously undescribed vase, c. 1680, in colourless

crisseled lead glass of the Ravenscroft period.

This fine example of the glassmaker’s skill has, in common

with a number of unsealed pieces, from this period, a
number of features, including the pincerwork and vermiform

collar, that leads to the conclusion that this is a product of

the Ravenscroft glasshouse. Bearing in mind that the glass

makers moved around, how strong is the provenance for

such pieces? The question is discussed on page 2.
Photo kindly supplied by our American member, Mr Richard

A. Mones.

Above.
A group of late 19th century decorative glass overlay

and cut cigarette holders, including cameo work. These
holders are just a few of the extraordinarily fine and diverse

items in the Parkington collection to be sold by Christies in

the autumn.
See the article by Henry Fox on page 9.

Photo, courtesy of Christies.

Far right.
Detail of the finely engraved and cut vase

(illustrated right) from the Parkington collection, also to be

sold by Christies this autumn. The
engraving depicts a seated Egyptian God

attended by a standing Pharaoh or other
high-ranking member of the Royal

Household.

The vase is still being

researched and is thought to have been

be inspired by the discovery, in 1922, of

the tomb of Tutankhamen.
See the article by Henry Fox on page 9.

Photo, courtesy of Christies.

The Glass Circle Diamond Jubilee Symposium at the

British Museum. For more details see back page.

GLASS CIRCLE NEWS

No. 72

August

1997
EDITORS David C. Watts

27 Raydean Rd,

Barnet, EN5 1AN. Herts.

F. Peter Lole
5 Clayton Ave.

Didsbury, Manchester, M20 6BL.

NOTICES Henry Fox
20 Ockford Road,

Godalming, GU7 1QY. Surrey.

1997

Page 2.

GLASS CIRCLE NEWS No. 72

Editorial
Diamond Jubilee Exhibition a Great Success

Months of preparation finally came to fruition as
members rolled up at Christie’s, their precious bundles

meticulously unwrapped, checked and labelled. Display

cabinets were trundled up from the cellars, cleaned and
polished, the exhibits installed and artistically arranged into

an Aladdin’s cave of sparkling English glass together with
memorabilia of the Circle, books – including an original

Hartshorne in its centenary year, and a display of glass

exhibition posters and pictures on the walls.

Catalogues were heaped up ready for distribution and, as
the final touches were being applied, the caterers appeared

to prepare refreshments for the evening’s reception.

Christie’s were more than generous both in providing the
facilities and in hosting the evening’s hospitality with food

and good wine. Before long the room was buzzing with

visitors casting a critical and approving eye over the

exhibits as personal favourites were selected and compared.

Our Vice-President, Hugh Tait made a graceful speech of

appreciation and thanks to all those involved and pointed

out some of the highlights of the display.

Of the glass itself, it may be said without reserve that

this was the best display of English glass anywhere
currently on show in the country. Goblets and a tazza

dating back to the Duke of Buckingham were followed by

a superb variety of baluster glasses including rare egg and

cylinder knops, and a diversity of bowl forms including

deceptive glasses. Incised, air and opaque twist glasses

depicted both form and decoration and it was possible to

study a range of Jacobites. A David Wolff stipple

engraved “Newcastle” was a particular highlight of the

show, as was the Whittington goblet, engraved by our
member, Peter Dreiser and presented by the Circle to our

late President, Robert Charleston. Cut glass was well

represented with scale-cut stems as well as more

traditional forms plus a breathtaking display of jellies and

those most delicate of all glasses, posset pots.

Ta77as, sweetmeats, bottles, candlesticks and tapersticks

were all on show and a collection of most beautiful scent
bottles with gilding, enamelling and sulphide inclusions as

well as miscellaneous items, such as the glass cannon

(also featured in the Strange and Rare exhibition), and a
huge fish bowl. Not least were the special loan exhibits

of glass from Bacon’s own collection from Bristol
Museum and a sealed Ravenscroft shard and a set of
nesting beakers (they really did nest!) as illustrated in

Greene’s famous drawings of 1668.

The catalogue has a story of its own, being originally
conceived as “simply” a reprint of Bacon’s rare booklet

about how to start collecting old English glass. It soon
became apparent that an update was necessary and we are

grateful to Martin Mortimer for his additional expert

commentary. The inclusion of a catalogue of the exhib-
ition was a last minute decision. Accurate descriptions of

the individual glasses proved elusive and there was neither

time nor space to photograph them for posterity. Insurance
requirements dictated that each item was given its own

number so that it became impossible to rearrange glasses
into a more compatible sequence without upsetting their

numerical order. Detailed proof checking became out of

the question as the deadline loomed and we apologise for

the manifest errors, both factual and typographical, but

thanks to our most co-operative printer the booklet finally

appeared miraculously on time for the opening. We hope

in future issues of Glass Circle News to illustrate some

of the beautiful glasses that were on display.

The week passed all to quickly and we thank Martine
Newby, Jo Marshall, Mrs P. Dickins, Mrs R. Pulver, Dr

and Mrs Schear and Messrs. Bright, Fox, Meyer, Scott,
Watts, Wilson, Whittle and Woolston (not to mention two

of Christies’ “green ladies”) for manning the stand. The

close proximity to Christie’s display of Princess Diana’s

dresses and an exhibition of Chinese porcelain etc. added

to the fun and helped ensure a steady stream of visitors
although some were baffled that this was an exhibition

and not glass for auction!

Christie’s, we are pleased to report were delighted both
with the exhibition and the prestige it added to the firm

as well as to the Circle. We were honoured with a visit

from their newly appointed Vice-Chairman, the Earl of

Halifax, who expressed enthusiasm and approval, as well

as several departmental heads. Dwight Lanmon, Glass
Circle Vice-President from America, also paid a visit.

Particular thanks must go to Rachel Russell and Paul

Tippett of Christie’s whose help made the exhibition
possible, not forgetting an unsung ever-willing helper in

the underground cellars we knew only as Matthew. All

the items were eventually returned safely to their owners

without the need for a single claim on our insurers,

Nordstern, whose generous terms greatly benefited the
Circle. Finally our undying gratitude must go to Henry

Fox who, among the numerous helpers, shouldered the

major burden of this enterprise from its early conception

to a triumphant conclusion.

Attributions to Ravenscroft?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like trying to

attribute glasses to the Ravenscroft factory without the
wonderful sealed pieces that we have to help us? It

would be difficult, to say the least. Even so, this

problem still arises with a group of lead-containing glass-

ware that is stylistically of the Ravenscroft period; the

glass tends to lack the brilliance of the Ravenscroft
pieces, is often blown rather heavily and is extensively

crizzeled. Typical is the decanter jug which passed

through the hands of none other than Howard Phillips and
is illustrated by Bernard Hughes. The presence of nipt

diamond waies conforms with the tariff of Ravenscroft’s

glass’ but, I understand, the only independent support for

this attribution was the finding of such a piece in what
was Flintshire somewhere (unstated) near to the Ravens-

croft family seat at Harwarden. Even if true, as factual

evidence it is a non-starter and the critical gaze of others
has resulted in the floating of views that such items

might be of Continental origin. The problem here is that

hard evidence for lead glass
of this quality

being made on

the Continent at this time is close to zero. Our member,

Colin Brain has researched a glasshouse in Nijmegen

where lead glass was possibly made between 1665 and
1672 and I was able to confirm that a glass fragment of

this period contained lead although not approaching the

Ravenscroft quality. If it were so then the whole story of

the Englishness of baluster and drawn-stem glasses would
fall into confusion. Charleston, with his usual thorough-

ness has examined the problem
2
fmding, along with

Hartshorne, that the Bonhommes of Liege have a claim in

that in 1680 they engaged workmen to produce “verres
l’Angleterre”. But did this refer to style or the glass used?

Charleston thought the latter. However, the Continental
glassmakers are not known to have included the vital

English ingredient of lead glass, saltpetre at this stage in

their glassmaking while Chambon discovered that one of

-continued on page 5.

GLASS CIRCLE NEWS No. 72

Page 3.

1997

Glassmaking after the Romans
by Dr Ian C. Freestone
Summary by the author of a lecture given

to a joint meeting of The Glass Circle with

the Society of Glass Technology held at the

Artworkers Guild on February 11th 1997.

Under the Romans, glass production took place on a massive scale. The role of glass was transformed from a

luxury material to a material for everyday use in the form

of numerous household vessels in transparent glass, lightly

tinted blue or green by the iron oxide from the sand used

to make the glass material.

Roman glass was a remarkably consistent soda-lime-silica

composition, not dissimilar to modern container glasses.
The alkali source was a relatively pure soda, sometimes

termed natron, from the Wadi Natrun, west of the Nile
delta. According to classical authors, the favoured glass-
making sand was from the Syro-Palestinian coast, near

Haifa. Sands from this region are rich in lime, and

analysis has shown that they would produce a good glass

with natron, without the necessity of adding lime and

corresponding precisely to the composition of Roman glass.

Evidence for the mass-production of glass has come from

the Byzantine period in this area. An 8 ton slab of glass

at the necropolis at Beth Shearim, Israel, has been known
for many years; this glass failed because its lime content

was too high. However, recent discoveries near Hadera
have revealed a bank of fourteen furnaces of similar

dimensions to the Beth Shearim slab, which appear to
have been making glass in the sixth to seventh centuries

A.D. These tank furnaces appear to have been of the

reverbatory type; they were fired at one end and the heat

deflected down by a superstructure which is now inferred,

as evidence above ground level has been destroyed.

During the discussion, after the paper, Dr Jan Kock of the
University of Aarhus drew attention to furnaces in India

which were operating on the same principle, and produc-

ing 2 tons of glass in a firing lasting some 10 days.

Current opinion is that glass produced in such furnaces on

a massive scale on the coast of present day Lebanon and
Israel was broken up and distributed as irregular chunks,

to be made into vessels elsewhere. By the Byzantine

period, and probably sometime in the Roman period, there

was a separation of glassmaking and glass working into

different workshops or factories.

Throughout the first millennium B.C., glass from all over
the Mediterranean and Europe had a very similar compo-

sition to the Roman/Byzantine type, and was clearly made

from similar raw materials. It is very likely that much of

this glass material ultimately originated in Syria-Palestine,
but was made into vessels in the regions where it is

found today. Analysis of glass from various sites such as

the abbeys at Jarrow, Northumberland and San Vincenzo
in Italy indicates that many of the rare elements in the

glasses, such as yttrium and zirconium, occur at the same
levels as those produced in the tank furnaces in Israel,

and suggest that the glass was indeed imported from the

Mediterranean. However, other elements, such as cobalt,
antimony, tin and lead, which were often added to colour

and opacify decorative glasses, are also slightly elevated in

the transparent glasses of the period. This suggests that

these glasses were, at least to some extent, recycled from
old glass, and that some old coloured glass was included

in the batch and contaminated the composition. The extent

to which the northern European glasses of the first

millennium AD represent a progressively declining stock of
recycled old Roman glass, as opposed to fresh glass
imported from the South is still an open question. Glass

colours certainly were dependent upon the re-use of old

*Dr Ian C. Freestone is a research officer in the Department of

Scientific Research at The British Museum and has kindly provided

this summary of his talk.
glass, however, and there is considerable evidence for the

addition of old mosaic tesserae to colour ecclesiastical

window glass, for example.

By the ninth century AD, a change in glass composition

began to take place. From glasses based upon natron,

there was a move towards glasses made from plant or

wood ash. In the Islamic world, glasses were still of the

soda-lime-silica type but changes in minor components
indicate that the ash of beach or desert plants began to be

used, materials that were later imported into Venice, stim-

ulating the development of the glass industry there. This

change in composition is well documented by the analysis

of Islamic glass weights. In northern Europe, potash glass

made with wood ash, particularly beechwood, began to be

made, as specified by the Benedictine, Theophilus, who

wrote in the early part of the twelfth century. Interest-
ingly, Theophilus also specifies the use of old Roman

mosaic tesserae for enamel glass on metalwork, and

analysis of enamelwork of the 12th and 13th centuries
confirms that old Roman glass was being used. Potash

glass is widely found in windows and vessels from the

eleventh century, and also in more specialised objects,

such as the 13th century retable of Westminster Abbey.

The Great Pavement at Westminster, made by Italian

specialists in about 1268, contains opaque glass tesserae,

but these are of the soda ash type glass being used in

the Mediterranean at this time, and clearly imported.

Among the enamelled Islamic glasses of the 13th to 14th

centuries are pieces of outstanding quality. The enamels

melted on the surface of the glass vessels were coloured
by a range of materials including tin oxide or bone ash

whites, lead-tin oxide yellows, lapis lazuli or cobalt blues

and hematite reds. The base glass for the enamels may be

a soft, low-melting lead silicate or a soda-lime-silica glass
identical in compostion to that of the vessel glass itself.

This raises the question as to how the enamels were fused
on without deforming the vessel itself Experiments by Bill

Gudenrath of the Corning Museum have shown that this

was achieved by enamelling a partially-made vessel cold

and reheating the vessel on the end of a pontil for a very
brief period, manipulating the pontil so that the vessel

does not collapse. At about the same time as the Islamic

enamelled vessels, the first enamelled glasses were being

produced in Europe, probably Venice, and are known as

the ‘Aldrevandin group’ after the beaker in the British

Museum, enamelled with the same name. The Aldrevandin
vessel glasses are similar to the Islamic vessels as are the

coloured enamels, which differ in rather subtle ways
implying that they were made in Europe, rather than

imported. From the middle of the fourteenth century

through to the middle of the fifteenth century, the

production of enamelled glass in Europe appears to have

ceased, awaiting the rise of Venetian enamelled glass.

A stimulating discussion raised the question of the role of
iron and manganese oxides in determining the colour of

glass, with reference to the observations of Theophilus,

and the extent to which early glassmakers were aware of

the role of lime in glassmaking, or if it was added

accidently in other materials such as calcareous sand and
plant ash.

Glass Circle News – Publication Deadlines
No.73 Mid-October for publication in November.
No.74 Mid-December for publication in January.

No.75 Mid-March for publication in April.

1997

Page 4.

GLASS CIRCLE NEWS No. 72

English Paperweights – 1848 And All That

by Roger Dodsworth
Report of a lecture held at the Artwork-

ers’ Guild on 22nd May 1997, by kind
invitation of Miss J. Toynbee Clark,

Miss F. Haywood, Mr Brian Clarke and

Ms. Katherine Coleman.

The questions addressed in this lecture were whether

certain English paperweights, often containing canes with
the date 1848, were indeed 19th century and correctly

attributed to the Whitefriars factory as commonly stated.

The answers to both were negative. Although it is known

that weights were made in the middle of the 19th century

by the companies of George Bacchus and Rice Harris in

Birmingham, there is no evidence that Whitefriars did so.’

A type with a central portrait cane of Queen Victoria is

attributed to Bacchus by comparison with those of William
T. Gillander who worked for the firm before emigrating

to America where he set up his own company. These
early weights, unlike those under consideration, are

characterised by complex canes with soft colours.

The dated inkwells and weights have concentric canes of

simple rather than compound design
2

. These were

established as being the product of John Walsh Walsh at

the Soho and Vesta Glass Works (1851-1951) in

Birmingham. A letter from an employee, Mr Parkes, dated

20th May 1977, tells how one of his first jobs at the

factory, in 1928, was to set up “mille-fleur” paperweights.

Their manufacture continued until the factory closed.

Quarter inch lengths of cane, made on the premises, were

used. There was a breakage problem due to an incomp-

atability of expansion of the different colours and

annealing in fine ash took a week, even then with losses.

The paperweights were left with a rough pontil and had

their bases scratched in order to make them look old.

These observations were verified in 1990 when a small

case of provenanced Walsh Walsh canes came to light

containing brightly coloured and dated canes with the

numbers 1, 8, and 4 in white embedded in clear glass

and one with the number 4 in blue embedded in white
glass. There were also canes with a rabbit and a horse in

white glass as found in these weights. Two weights

illustrated by Hollister
3
as Whitefriars belong to this group.

A wholesale firm offering Walsh Walsh weights in the

20th century was Hill Ouston of Birmingham. Their 1934

catalogue listed E8175 – Daisy Weight 3 inch, and E8176

– ink bottle 6 inch. The U.S. department store, Marshall
Field, also offered Walsh Walsh “Mille fleur” paperweights

in three sizes with the following heights and diameters

respectively of 1
1
/16, 21/4; 1
3
/8, 3; 1%, 4; inches. In 1992,

Broadfield House Glass Museum acquired from a local

source a case of paperweight moulds and canes many of

which were similar to Walsh Walsh canes, particularly the

rabbit, horse and numbers in blue on white.

A second maker of paperweights in the 20th century,
about which Mr Dodsworth learned by chance in the

course of preparing for the
Between the Wars
exhibition

some years ago, was Alfred Arculus & Co. of Birm-
ingham. A descendant of the firm’s founder recognised a

vase on display as an Arculus product and the firm’s

paperweight interest emerged in casual conversation. They

were probably made from 1918, being eventually taken
over and closed down by Walsh Walsh in 1931. One

example in the family possession (used as a doorstop!) is

a magnificent magnum weight 51/2 ins. in diameter and 3

ins. high with four panels of concentric millefiori around

the sides and one random millefiori panel on top. Again

the canes are of the non-compound type. Weights of this

type were also classified as Whitefriars by Hollister. They

also produced an ink bottle 61/2 ins tall, a dated (1848)
weight with compound canes in the outer and third
concentric ring, low profile weights of 4, 31/4 and 11/2 ins

diameter, the latter with a swirled cane in the centre, and

also a mini tumbler or shot glass 11/2 ins tall with a
millefiori base.

There is no evidence that the third factory, H.G. Richard-

son, produced weights in the 19th century but they occur

in pattern books of 1913, 1914 and 1916. They were

possibly made for the firm by Smart Bros. of Brierley

Hill. An ink bottle is listed in 1913 with a cost price of

12/- and a retail price of 19/- while the weights cost 6/6

and retailed at 16/-. In the catalogue they accompanied
recreations of 18th century styles of tableware and early

19th century cut glass.

Finally, mention was made of Whitefriars who made
paperweights from the 1930s. A 1938 catalogue contains

pictures of an ink bottle and a paperweight. They also

occur in their 1953 and 1957 catalogues. A cut base may

occur but is not characteristic.

Mr Dodsworth concluded that no evidence had emerged to

support the production of paperweights in England in the
19th century other than those mentioned above, and all

those with 1848 dated canes could be assigned to the
1930s. Their attribution to the well-known and respectable

Whitefriars factory was a stroke of brilliance on the part

of unscrupulous traders to underpin their authenticity and

to deceive collectors into thinking they were genuine.

Notes
1.
Hollister P. Jr. in
The Encyclopaedia of Glass Paperweights,

1970 Edn.
records that he was told by the late Geoffrey Baxter,

designer for Whitefriars, that they produced paperweights in the
19th century although “Whitefriars had very few examples of

their work put aside” and, quoting Baxter, “these are nearly all

examples made over the last ten years”. The book includes

useful summaries of the histories of the lesser known English

firms involved in this work.

2.
Simple canes are made in one operation by a series of

gathers at the furnace and then drawn and cooled. Compound

canes are of secondary construction containing simple canes that

have already been drawn out and cooled as part of a new
design.

3.
Hollister P. Jr. loc. cit. This attribution follows the prevailing

view of the time.

D.C.W. (Checked by R.D.)

Stained Glass: light as a building block

Contemporary Stained Glass Exhibition by three
artists at The Cochrane Theatre.

Southampton Row, London WC1B
4AP. Near Holborn U/G Stn.

Mon.-Fri. 10am – 6pm. Closed Sat, Sun, and Bank Holidays.

Sept. 8th – 26th Angela Bruce.
Oct 3rd – 23rd Tim Lewis.

Alison Kinnaird M.B.E. Engraved Glass
4th – 29th October, at 16 Dundas Street, Edinburgh.

Womens’ International Stained Glass Network
Exhibition and Conferenence

The Crawford Municipal Art Gallery, Cork, Eire, 3rd Sept. 1997
with a Public Slide Show and Seminar on Sat. 6th Sept.

Further information from: Mary MacKay, Coachman’s House, Laurel Walk,
Bandon, Co. Cork. Tel. 0035 3234 402.

GLASS CIRCLE NEWS No. 72

Page 5.

1997

English Industrial Espionage Laws ?

GC News, No 68 carried a review of the book which
accompanied and catalogued the Danish Exhibition of

Royal Glass in 1995. I can wholeheartedly endorse what

Ada Polak wrote; it is a marvellous book, with essays

considering the Glass, sources and manufacturers,
economics, iconography and design, and perhaps most
importantly the usage which inspired acquisition of the

Glass.( If ever we get the documentation of Jacobite Glass

to approach this level, even the most fervent sceptic will

shout ‘Hurrah’ )
The essay which considers the Nostetangen Factory raises

an intriguing question. Started in 1741, Nostetangen
languished until the energetic Caspar Herman von Storm

was appointed Director of the Company in 1753. One

of his first acts was to send a trusted employee, Morten

Waern, to study Glassmaking in England, and to poach

experienced Glassmen; it was this which led to the well

known move of James Keith from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to

Nostetangen. However, the essay goes on to aver:

“England had enacted a number of laws to prevent the

spread of expertise to other countries…”, and relates that
after almost two years of Industrial Espionage in England,

Waern was arrested for infringing these laws, and only

after spirited intervention by the Danish Ambassador with

the British Authorities was he released on bail (which he
promptly skipped, and went over to France to continue

his espionage!).

Whilst the Venetian Laws to prevent Industrial Espionage

are often cited, I have never before come across specific

British equivalents. (However, since this was first penned,

a similar assertion is noted in the review of Arlene
Palmer Schwind’s work on Stiegel; GC News No.71).

Can anyone say if there were such laws, and how

frequently they were invoked? Or was it perhaps the

case that Waern was apprehended under the notorious

`General Warrants’, following the well known principle

“E’s a foreigner; `eave `alf a brick at ‘im.”? Any

answers, please?

FPL.

NACF supports Glass Acquisitions.

The Report of the National Art-Collections Fund for 1996,
published in June, lists support for the acquisition of five

very varied pieces of Glass by museums ranging from

Maidstone to Belfast, strung out in a very wriggly line
proceding through Cheltenham, Kingswinford and

Birmingham. In aggregate the total cost was £82,000,
towards which the NACF contributed £17,000.

The most important piece, acquired by Belfast, was the

Bute Bowl, a massive twenty inches high piece of Irish

Cut Glass; the earliest a seventh century Claw Beaker
excavated at Faversham in Kent and originally in the
Pitt-Rivers collection. Broadfield House received a stunning

Claret Jug engraved by Frederick Kny, only recently
discovered; together with the Elgin Vase and several other
pieces by Kny, it formed the star group in their winter

`Battles and Beasties’ exhibition. A Burne-Jones window

went to Birmingham, whilst Cheltenham acquired an
unusual Whitefriars Ceremonial Goblet with gilt decoration,

designed by Heywood Sumner in the 1890s, to
commemorate his parents’ Golden Wedding anniversary.

All the pieces are illustrated and fully described in the

NACF Report, which is received without further charge by

all members of the NACF.

FPL

Identifying Ravenscroft’s Glass –
continued from page 2.

Bonhomme’s Italian workmen contracted to produce “sixty
glasses English fashion” according to the style required.

So what does one make of the interesting but heavily

crizzeled vase illustrated on our cover which has recently
come into the hands of our member, Richard Mones, in >
A Buxton Feast.

In
our last issue, Clippings noted an Exhibition at the

forthcoming Buxton Antiques Fair, held in mid-May. It

proved to be very popular, with a group of some fifty

Classic English Drinking Glasses, drawn from a private

collection and extending from the time of Ravenscroft

down until that period in Nineteenth Century when the

onset of glacial excesses attracted the opprobium of our
first President, W.A.Thorpe.

The nicely set out group had a choice representation of

all the significant forms and types of drinking vessel,
many with the added attraction of interesting engraving.

The Circle, too, was given a considerable amount of

publicity in association with the display.
Installed in a well lit free standing display case, in an

otherwise all black grotto, the Glasses simply demanded

attention from passers by; it was indeed a cross between

a light-house and a honey-pot, attracting many visitors and
much discussion. With a small, unobtrusive number beside

each Glass, visitors could refer to a comprehensive set of
notes for every specimen, and one new classification

which received some comment was the fine specimen of a

“doomed” foot.

FPL.

Identifying Ravenscroft’s Glass – concluded

America? Stylistically, it falls squarely into the group
under consideration with the vermiform collar and the

pincerwork at alternating right angles, plus a broad folded

foot. If the others are Ravenscroft then surely this is too.

One new piece of information emerges. The design,

shape and decoration are characteristic of Venetian vases
of the same period in porcelain from which arises the

germ of a new thought.

Neri
3
explained the beauty and manufacture of lead glass

long before Ravenscroft came onto the scene. The

problems he posed are the time-consuming expense and

technological difficulty of its manufacture. But once
confronted with an English example of superior quality to

their
cristallo
and from the weight (and perhaps ring) of

which a lead glass could be instantly inferred, might not

the workers in Murano respond to this threat to their

livlihood by themselves turning to the manufacture of lead

glass for the English market. Aware of the need to

purify their ingredients but lacking the precise knowledge

about the need for saltpetre to maintain a well-oxidised
melt (additional to Neri’s formulation), the product could

well turn out as a greyish unstable imitation of Ravens-

croft’s invention. One swallow does not make a summer,
but the argument is just as compelling as the Continental

alternative.

The trouble with speculation is that it can be good fun
but unless it leads to a certain outcome it remains no

more than that. One might equally well argue that these
pieces were made at Ravenscroft’s Henley glasshouse
where coal-firing (outside the City of London) was the

law and this could explain the difference from the sealed

pieces. Whatever the truth of the matter it remains one

more unsolved mystery to intrigue and challenge lovers of

old glass and the kindly owner of this particular piece.

Any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated.

1.
R.J. Charleston (1984)
English Glass,

p. 116, lists “Quart

bottles all over nipt diamond waies.” also Plate 23c., the

crizzeled bottle with n.d.w. and raven’s head seal.

2.
R.J. Charleston (1957)
Dutch decoration of English glass.

Trans. Soc. Glass Technol. XLI, 229T.

3.
A. Neri (1612)
L’Arte Vetraria,
Florence.

1997

Page 6.

GLASS CIRCLE NEWS No. 72

BOOKS

The American Cut Glass Industry; T.G. Hawkes and his Competitors

Jane Shadel Spillman

Antique Collectors’ Club in association with The Corning
Museum of Glass
308 pages, size 218 x 280 mm, prolifically illustrated in b/w

and colour. Hard covers. 1996. Price £35.00

ISBN 1 85149 250 X

The more one studies and compares the glass industries of
the U.S., the U.K, and Ireland the more one comes to

appreciate how deeply they contribute to the knot that ties

these countries together. Nowhere is this more apparent

than in the cutting business. Jane Shadel Spillman, our
long-standing member, takes up the story with two natives

of Cork who emigrated to America. The first, John Hoare

trained in Belfast under his father, also a glass cutter, and

then in England. By 1857 he had established his own
factory in Philadelphia, later expanding to Brooklyn and

Corning to facilitate access to a good supply of glass
blanks. He employed many English workers and his work

is characterised by bold distinctive styles often incorpor-

ating technically exacting curved pillar cutting on thick
blanks made possible by the outstanding clarity of the

local glass. Hoare later (1912) diversified into “Rock

Crystal” with highly polished floral patterns cut on a
background of curved pillars, possibly using English

blanks supplied by Stevens and Williams who, around

1879, had marketed the same design. John Ruskin’s
influential remarks about the barbarous nature of cut glass

had helped temporarily put cut glass out of fashion in

England and Rock Crystal had been developed to help
assuage the consequent unemployment in the industry. The

fashion for American “Rich Cut” glass faded around 1910

and Hoare may have been adopting English Rock Crystal

for the same reason.

The second Irishman, Tom G. Hawkes is the main focus

of attention of this book. He was employed by Hoare

before departing to set up his own cutting workshop in

Corning. Hoare initially decorated and then made glass.
Hawkes, on the other hand, concentrated on excellence in

cutting with outstanding success. By 1902, his was the

largest cutting shop in Corning, if not anywhere in the

world, and he supplemented the local supply of blanks
from France, Belgium, Bohemia and England, including

John Walsh Walsh, F. & C. Osier and Boulton & Mills

as well as the Stourbridge factories. The European firms
not only supplied blanks suited to particular cut designs

but also undercut the local factories. There seemed to be

no shape he could not decorate; the most extraordinary
illustrated, to my mind, is a Jack-in-the-Pulpit vase (Fig.

2-41, c.1900-1910) with only the top exposed outer
surface of the mouth left plain. In addition, cased colours

were used to exploit the full spectrum of design.

Next, the author explores trade relationships and links with
other firms. Strikes by the cutters and their movements
between firms, contrary to agreed contracts, were a

universal problem that led the American factory owners to

close ranks against the workers’ Unions (as in England)

and Jane follows the intrigues of particular workers in

some detail. Passing reference is made to a cutter called
Elwell concerning whom a series of correspondence exists.

A little-known luxury glass manufacturing and factoring
business with this somewhat unusual name was begun in
Essex, England, in 1923. It would be interesting to

discover if we have here an early family connections.

There are numerous pages from past pattern books and
other examples of Hawkes cut glass are illustrated in a
chapter on Trademarks, Advertisements and Brochures. A
separate chapter is devoted to the 1889 Universal

Exposition, in Paris, then challenging to become the
largest in the world. Along with Thomas Webb (high-

lighting Cameo glass) Hawkes won a gold medal for the

overall quality of its stand. The exhibition proved a good

investment for the Company which flaunted its gold medal

in advertisements for the next seventy years!

For those familiar with the author’s publication on
White

House Glassware
the special Chapter incorporating this

subject will be of particular interest. Attention here
particularly focuses on the exclusive Russian pattern about

which new information has emerged. The origin of the
name, by the Briggs Company, is now certain and the
invention of the design is attributed to Philip MacDonald,

and patented by Hawkes in 1882. The design itself,
created on a diamond grid, emerges as rows of 12-pointed
stars alternating with rows of 8-sided flat hobnails. This

rang a bell in my memory and I turned up Herbert

Woodward’s monograph on Edinburgh Crystal
2

to find that

its predecessor, the Leith and Edinburgh Flint Glass Co.,

widely acknowledged for the outstanding quality of its cut

glass, produced an oval dish with just this pattern in circa
1886, the precise date being uncertain. Is it coincidence,

one may ask, that the name, MacDonald, has a Scottish

ring about it? We may never know. The Russian pattern
is extraordinarily difficult to cut well due to the need to

achieve exact intersection of the rays at the centre of each

star. The design is rarely executed today, not even for
The White House! Similar patterns in press-moulded glass

were popular at that time on both sides of the Atlantic.

Another profitable area at the top end of the industry was

silver mounted cut glass. In the decade to 1898 Tiffany
placed large orders with Hoare for cut glass to be silver

mounted. Another prolific silversmith, Gorham bought cut

glass from Hoare and Hawkes and some from Stevens and
Williams. Other important creators of “rich cut” glass

linked with Hoare and Hawkes include Oliver Eggington,

an English cutter. This book is full of surprises but I did
not expect to find a 30cm Steuben goblet recording the
continued overpage

Welcome to New Members:
Ms. M. Borgward, Germany.

Mr. G.S. Charles.
Mr. G. deBroekert, USA.

Mrs. D.S. Daugherty, USA.

Ms. S.K. Frantz.

Mr. A.J. Gilbert.

Mrs. A. Ginage.

Mr. and Mrs A. Gower.

Mr. R.H. Hardy.

Miss J. Hay.

Mr. W.A. Hodgson.

Dr. J. Holmes-Milner.
Mr. A.C. Hubbard Jnr. USA.

Miss A. Lutyens-Humphrey.

Mr. and Mrs. K.W. Lyon.

Dr. P.J. Mills.
Mr. M. Rabin.

Miss R. Rendell.

Mr. I.A. Robinson.

Mr. J.A. Stout, USA

Mr. G.A. Vivian.

Mr. P.G. Walker O.B.E.

Mrs. W. Webster Aron.

Dr. and Mrs S.W. Wyse.

GLASS CIRCLE NEWS No. 72

Page 7.

1997

story of The Luck of Eden Hall
3
. It is superbly engraved

by William Morse (c. 1912-1919) for Hawkes with four

scenes surrounded by an elaborate rococo cartouche, one

dramatically entitled “Musgrave snatches Goblet”. I am
sorry we are not shown the rest. Tom Hawkes considered

it to be second in importance only to the Portland Vase

which at least indicates the esteem in which it was held.

The name
Edenhall
was used for cheaper lines of Hawkes

glass, some with silver mounts.

If one has to criticise this book it is that it is sometimes

difficult to see the wood for the trees, so dense is the
undergrowth of information; this review does scant justice

to its full extent. This, in turn, has made indexing a
challenge and not all the important page references are to

be found there, for example the reference to Briggs and

MacDonald on pages 239 and 240 discussed above. The

book is beautifully produced (in England) on a semi-matt

art paper which generally responds well to the prolific

illustrations of cut glass, in both black and white and

colour – itself a challenge in photography. There are a
few illustrations (e.g. Figs. 11-8 and 11-9) requiring the

identification of numbers in minute captions in the

photographs that I found uninterpretable, even with a

magnifying glass.

Bearing in mind the wealth of archival documentation in

the Rakow Library, this book is unlikely to be the last

on the subject but it is assuredly destined to become a

standard work of reference that will enchant glass lovers

everywhere for many years to come.

Notes
1.
Haden

H.J.
1993, Elwell’s Luxury Glass, G.C. News, 55, p.8.

2.
Woodward H.W. 1984, The Story of Edinburgh Crystal, pub.

by Dema Glass. pp. 33-34.

3.
Tait H. 1992, The “Luck of Edenhall” and other glasses

associated with English families of ancient lineage. G.C. News

No. 54,
pp. 9

–
11.
See also G.C. News, 66, 1996, pp. 12-13.

D.C.W.
Conservation of Glass

Roy Newton and Sandra Davison

1996, Butterworth Heinmann, 318 pages, 245 x 188mm.
Soft covers.
Numerous BAN

illustrations, tables and figures,

and 2 pages containing 5 colour plates.

ISBN 0-7506-2448-5. Price £25.

First published in 1989 as an expensive museum manual,

this information-packed volume has now been released as
a paperback. The print is small but comfortably readable

in two columns per page. Its objective is the under-

standing and conservation of old glass, and this may mean
no more than, say, one hundred years old. The diversity

of information this book contains will appeal to all those

with an interest in glass and its technology in particular.

After an introductory chapter on the nature, colour and
physical properties of glass we are given a potted history

of its development from earliest times. We then move into

the technology of glass production from a historical point

of view. This is divided into two parts. The first deals

with glass composition and hot and cold decorative

techniques. Then follows a section on melting and the
history of glass furnaces.

This takes us to page 135 where the serious content of

the work begins with a chapter on the deterioration of
glass and the factors which cause and affect it. Emphasis

is placed here on painted (enamelled) window glass.

Having identified the problem we move into conservation

– cleaning, adhesives, consolidants and lacquers. The next
chapter on the examination of glass using both simple and

sophisticated techniques paves the way for a lengthy
exposition on the conservation, repair and restoration of

glass artifacts and architectural glass. The work concludes
with a glossary, lengthy bibliography and index.

D.C.W.

“Glass in the Rijksmuseum”

by Pieter C. Ritsema van Eck and Henrica

M. Zijlstra-Zweens. Vol. 1.

Hard back, 28cm. by 22cm. 390 pages, 545 black and white
illustrations and 32 colour plates.

ISBN 90-6630-408-1 geb. NUGI 926/911

Published by Waanders Publishers, Zwolle. Price not known

Volume
1 of this 2 volume work** covers the period from

1500-1800 and all the non-engraved glass, the Hedwig beaker

and the “glass with engravings of only secondary importance”

in the Rijksmuseum.

It lists 545 glasses ranging from an early 16th Century

Venetian enamelled Tam, through `facon-de-Venise’ to a

wide selection of Roemers, 18th Century drinking glasses,
bottles and decanters, novelty glass, the Hedwig beaker, Indian
Persian and Chinese glass, enamelled gilt and ruby glass from
late 16th Century to 18th Century. The last chapter is of
`Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Glass’ and includes cut,

enamelled and engraved glasses, Historismus examples from
Europe and Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles from Germany,

Bohemia and France. Every glass has been photographed in
black and white and in addition there are 32 colour plates.

There is also an excellent Bibliography and a Glossary in both

English and Dutch – but the catalogue entries are in English.

There is a short text at the beginning of each of the five
sections which sets the glasses in their historical context. It is
interesting to note that Venetian glasshouses closed down from

**See GC News No. 66 for a review of Volume 2.
mid-August to the end of October, but in spite of this “output

was vast and exports increased correspondingly. Much glass

was exported from Venice to North of the Alps and German
glass dealers in 1282 were exempted from taxes provided that

the load they carried on their backs in baskets did not exceed
10 lire – a sum that according to Zecchin in ‘Veto e vetrai di

Murano, 1987, vol. 1) would buy 1300 plain drinking glasses

In the chapter on European Vessel Glass 1500-1800 (pp.112-
116) it is stated that from the end of the 17th Century to the

beginning of the 18th Century many wine glasses were
imported from England. But in 1680 the glasshouse of the

Bonhommes in Liege engaged an Italian (Massaro) to produce

“60 yams a l’Angleterre daily” and also that “Glaser nach
Englischer Art” were produced in Hesse and Saxony from the
beginning of the 18th Century. But it is also stated that “lead

content does not afford a criterion whether a glass is made in
England or on the Continent” – and a number of the drinking

glasses illustrated are attributed as “England or Southern

Netherlands”. The material of these glasses is listed as “clear
colourless glass” (Nos. 226-276) but no mention is made as to
whether it is potash, soda or lead glass. But it does mention

that Sebasitan Zoude who took over the Namur glassworks,

“managed to secure the jealously guarded formula for lead
glass”. So it leaves us still with the question as to where these

glasses were made !

To sum up, it is a beautifully produced book with excellent
photographs, albeit very heavy! It should make purchasers of

the book feel that a trip to the Rijksmuseum is a “Must”
Jo Marshall

Ivory on yellow, Webb

cameo vase.
Parkington collection.

Photo by Christies.

1997

Page 8.

GLASS CIRCLE NEWS No. 72

It is quite likely that few members of the Glass Circle

will have known Michael Parkington. It is less that he

was secretive in his collecting than that his interest in

glass took every available minute of time and ounce of
energy. He was a man of law with a full life in South

Africa for many years. There he earned a reputation as an
enemy of apartheid and successfully defended many of the

activists of the African National Congress including Nelson
Mandela. During those years he established an atmosphere

of complete trust with the Africans despite apparently

dramatically opposed backgrounds. Michael Parkington was

a serious collector of silver and amassed a considerable

group. This included wine labels. When he found the

subjects of his wine labels appearing on a series of
English glass decanters of the 1760s and 1770s, he began

to include them too. In no time a decanter collection

emerged and he was hooked on glass. The silver was

sold, and, on his return to London in the 1970s, he

concentrated on glass. Although we had previously

corresponded on the subject of labelled decanters, I had
never met Michael. Our first meeting was typical. It was

a quiet Saturday morning at Campden Hill Road and
Christopher Sheppard was pottering about the stock. The

door opened and a large and truculent gentleman with an

orange tie asked if he could look round. I attempted
conversation and received monosyllabic replies, but he

homed in on decanters and after a brief review, asked if

we had nothing better: “colour? gilding?”. I mentally
moved him up into the higher spenders and asked

tentatively whether an example of Giles gilding on glass

might be of interest. “I have Giles on blue, Giles on

green, Giles on Amethyst, Giles on colourless, Giles on
opaque-white. What did you have in mind?”. The sentence

rolled forth, delivered in a tone of withering politeness. I

made some inadequate reply, and Michael left. There was

a chuckle from a dark corner. I had forgotten Christopher.

“You know who that was?”. I confessed ignorance.

“Michael Parkington has the best collection of coloured
glass I’ve seen; he lives somewhere near here”. For nearly

20 years after that, an appallingly large part of my life
was taken up in attending to Michael’s needs. The

collection grew and some was lodged at the V. & A. to

make more room. His rate of acquisition was breathtaking
and I was frequently sent for to inspect something new,

to discuss possible provenance and also minor repair since

everything had to be in pristine state. Chips on cut pieces

were eliminated if possible but a fire surface was never
touched and a chip in such a position ruled the piece out

of court.

Michael had the ability to coax (if coax is the right

word) what he wanted from one. A trenchant question

would initially appear unanswerable but he would get an

answer somehow and discussions tended to add to the

general feeling about a piece for both of us. He would

not take no for an answer, and was extremely suspicious
of “I don’t know”. An impatient man, everything had to

be done at the greatest possible speed.

As his knowledge grew, the collection extended. A group

of Varnish was assembled together with examples of the
coloured pieces of the 1830s and 40s. Next, the finest in
Victorian engravings, followed by Cameo. Soon all the

exotica of the third quarter of the nineteenth century were

explored; Agate, Burmese, pull-up, Silvaria, Satin,
Amberina, Alexandrite. He bought in the Manley sale but

soon left that collection standing. All had to be English.
Everything else was dismissed as “nasty foreign habit.”
At this time began his association

with Broadfield House and soon

his pieces were withdrawn from

the V. & A. and an extensive
and broad spectrum of his glass
was selected for display at Broad-

field House Glass Museum. The

group on show is well-balanced

and shows its early beginnings

and the focus on quality and
brilliant condition as well as the

great range of Victorian glass in

all its exuberance and technique.

Michael might well have stopped there, but he didn’t. It
is not too much to say that the acquisition of glass had

become obsessive. As he moved on into the products of

the 20th Century his pieces became larger and larger.

Now he was assembling examples of the work of known
studio artists and they often appeared to be both big and

ugly. He would become purple with rage if one dared to

dislike a new vase. Ysart paperweights followed and it is

possible he would have continued into contemporary work
had a merciful providence not cried “enough”!

Michael Parkington, despite his ebullient character, was a

discrete collector. He did not suffer fools, and the
uninitiated he considered foolish. Many requests to view

his glass were smoothly side-tracked as “inconvenient on

that (or any) day”. Thus, until the display of his glass at
Broadfield House began, few knew of it. He was a
member of the Glass Circle but only as part of his

intelligence network. He never attended a meeting and

professed never to read about his subject, dismissing
learned articles in the “Horror Comics” as he termed the

art magazines. Nevertheless, the briefest discussion of a
point at issue made plain he had read all and assimilated

every implication. He seldom attended any auction sale.
When he did, it would be with the apparent intention of

ridiculing the efforts of anyone charged with bidding on

his behalf. “Having trouble with your little finger, love”

he would chuckle after the sale; “I saw it waving about

quite dramatically!” This importunate irritating, time-

consuming, but in the end, lovable man has been greatly
missed in many ways.

It is now more than three years since Michael Parkington

died. For the whole of that time, Peggy Parkington,
Michael’s widow, had pursued schemes to secure funding

so that the collection could remain as a unit, perhaps
housed at Broadfield House or, in the longer term, at

Himley Hall. In the event, it was soon conceded that the

collection was too large, and in many of Michael’s recent
interests, too repetitive for it to remain together. In any

case, there seemed little merit in keeping together the

arbitrary acquisitions of a veritable magpie. While
negotiations continued, it seemed right to hold back this

review. Now, however, things have come to a conclusion

with the sudden death of Peggy Parkington. In a recent
will, she bequeathed the entire present loan to Dudley

Metropolitan Borough for continued display at Broadfield

House. This now remains in perpetuity and, at a stroke,

doubles the collections there. It is a fine memorial, not

only for Michael Parkington, but also for Peggy who saw

quite clearly where the glass should go once she had no

need of it.

Martin Mortimer

Delomosne & Son Ltd.

MICHAEL WROUGHTON PARKINGTON

1923 – 1994

An Appreciation by Martin Mortimer

GLASS CIRCLE NEWS No. 72

Page 9.

1997

The Michael Parkington Collection
– A GC NEWS EXCLUSIVE – by Henry Fox
All photos reproduced by courtesy of Christies.

An invitation to exclusively review the Michael Parkington Collection prior to its
eventual auction at Christie’s South Kensington – part in this coming October and

the remainder sometime early next year – was an exciting moment. However,

arriving in heavily driving rain at an outpost of Christie’s in London’s Vauxhall IN

area in no way prepared me for what I was about to see. Once through the tight

security, I was lead into what the poet Coleridge called “caverns measureless to
man”. Suddenly I came upon shelves laden with what seemed a never ending

variety of English glass decked out like Jacob’s coat of many colours – over 1400
pieces, ranging from the 18th century up to around the mid-20th century. I took a

deep breath and marvelled that so much remained to be sold after the substantial

W—0400

bequest by Mrs. Parkington to Broadfield House Glass Museum. With his Richardson’s tall white bottle transfer
particular emphasis on examples from the last two hundred years, her late husband, decorated
with figures

to form the word

Michael Parkington, was without doubt the most avid collector of English’ glass Brandy. c.1840.

this century.
The true diversity of the collection did not sink in until I started to examine

the assortments to be found on the various shelves. Care had been taken when

removing this glass hoard from its home in the Midlands to separate items, as

far as possible, by period and, where identifiable, maker. I had not realised

that Michael Parkington had an interest in 18th century English glass, the

balance here of which consists principally of cordial glasses of various stem

types and a good range of facet stem wines and then onto later cut glass.
From the many illustrations taken from Michael’s collection for inclusion in

Charles Hajdamach’s excellent book
British Glass 1800 – 1914

it is very easy

for me to understand now how this had arisen,

although at the present moment I still find it difficult

to comprehend the breath of his collection. Once one
has passed the 1830’s the variety of Victorian glass

expands as the century develops, and this expansion

continues into the next century up to the 1960’s,

concluding with a large collection of Ysart
paperweights and colourful Vasart pieces.

Lynn decanter; cordial glass with opaque Notwithstanding that the major pieces from his vast
hoard (over 500), hitherto on long term loan to the

twist stem and domed foot; facet stem cyder

glass and an opaque twist wine, the bowl Broadfield House Glass Museum, have now through

engraved
Miss
Percy 1778.

the generous bequest of Mrs Parkington, entered the

public domain to give this museum permanently what

must be the best collection of English 19th century and early 20th century glass to be seen

anywhere, there still remain many fine and rare examples from this period with the Parkington
provenance for today’s collector to seek out and possibly acquire. Equally, it is an educational

experience to see the variety of glass on offer, their design and methods of manufacture and

decoration. Here we see the expertise of handicraft along side the development of the machine

age. These aspects are clearly visible in the pieces now coming shortly to the auction room. I

cannot recall ever finding in an auction – let alone a single owner sale – a series of colourful lots Stuart decanter, colour

which have excited me more. They range, for example, through Apsley Pellatt, Richardson, Webb, enamel decorated with
Varnish, Stevens & Williams, Stuarts, Whitefriars, Sowerby, Greener, John Derbyshire, Kidd, an

encircling fruiting

branch, butterflies etc.

Hurtles Tait, Monart, Vasart and Ysart as well as various plain and coloured decanters and

decanter bottles (including a few miniatures), engraved glasses and jugs, Nailsea type flasks, c.1930s.
various size pipes, rolling pins. fancy scent bottles, stompers and cigarette holders. I must not forget, too, the English 18th

century cordial and facet stem drink-drinking glasses, a good Lynn ring decanter and stopper, several Stourbridge opaque
white decorated pieces (a few dated), and an interesting group of pieces, such as jugs and bowls, with blue rims. In

conclusion, all the pieces I saw and handled demonstrated clearly that they had been unerringly chosen by Michael

Parkington over the years with great care

and an eye for excellent condition. To

whet the appetite further I selected a few
pieces to be photographed for you to see

in GC News. Enjoy and dream on!

Another picture is on page 15.

It is understood that a private view is planned
at Christie’s South Kensington of Part I of the
Parkington Collection sale on Saturday

morning
I Ith October, and that a short

address on the man and his collection may be

given, too. Members will receive further
details and an invitation in due course.

A group of facet stem
glasses with various

bowl and stem formations and decoration.
c. 1775 – 1795.

1997

Page 10.

GLASS CIRCLE NEWS No. 72

471/tP71, RE945e76125.
by F. Peter Lole

A leisurely journey in the early spring, from Perth-

shire to Galloway, allowed time for a comfortable
visit to The Burrell Collection in Glasgow.

One of the pleasures of The Burrell is that many of
the exhibits change around quite frequently. A
newcomer to me was an amazing travelling decanter

set, described as being English of the late eighteenth
century. It comprised seventeen separate case

decanters, of fairly uniform height – some twelve to

thirteen inches, but of considerably differing capacity

and cross section; the largest was a monster of

octagonal section, with a capacity many times that

of the smallest; some were hexagonal, others square,

four were triangular and these alone had spouted

silver mounts at the neck. All had Glass stoppers

with a ball finial cut with printies (not truly
faceted) and all were rather sketchily engraved with

a partially polished meandering sunflower motif.
They fitted neatly into a large, and rather rough

deal travelling case banded with brass and iron. The
case was very workmanlike and well used; no

display item this.

But what could so large a set be for? An Officers’
Mess perhaps, but unlike much regimental Glass

they bore neither badge nor insignia; or, possibly,
some nobleman or nabob, whose anticipation of

thirst probably exceeded his consumption? A
pleasing enigma, whose usage allows one to wander

off into the realms of speculation.

The very distinguished Dutch engraved Glass

acquired from 1990 to 1995 remains on view (See
GC.68) but the large cabinet crammed with

eighteenth century British Glass acquired by Burrell

himself, which first appeared on shew in 1991, has
gone back to store. I missed this, for its crowded

appearance was comfortingly ‘old fashioned’, and
gave one the opportunity for a really intense

nose-pressing gaze at all its treasures. Indeed, it was

reminiscent of that evocative frontispiece photograph
in our Diamond Jubilee Exhibition Catalogue of our

founder, John Maunsell Bacon, gazing pensively at

the massed Glass in one of his cabinets. Glasgow
Museums, who are responsible for The Burrell, as

well as Pollok Hall and Kelvingrove which both
display fine and applied arts, has a truly magnificent
collection of Classical British Glass, which they are

all too coy about displaying.

So often it happens that when one is studying one

aspect of Glass, light is suddenly thrown onto

another, quite different, matter of interest. Recently,

a study of Danish Glass unexpectedly provided a
parallel for an obscure aspect of iconography on
Jacobite Glass, whilst a Jacobite foray to photograph

the Legh family Jacobite Glass at Lyme Park,
illuminated a quite unrelated feature of their Rinsers

and ‘Heel Tap’ Glasses.

The ‘ROYAL GLASS’ catalogue of the Danish
Royal Collections discusses at some length an

elaborately wheel engraved beaker commemorating

King Frederik III at the siege of Copenhagen in
1659, where the Swedish threat to the Danish

Kingdom was decisively rebuffed. The beaker is
thought to date from the 1660s, and certainly

appears in the Royal inventories from 1696 onwards.
On the front is a mounted representation of
Frederik, with an elaborate background of the siege

of Copenhagen; the reverse carries: “… a circular
cutting emitting rays like a sun. The cutting forms a

reducing lens through which we see the King’s face

on the opposite side of the Glass. This surprising

and sophisticated effect is one of the earliest

examples in Denmark of the concept of the King as

the sun of society, as the `Roi-Soleil’.”

A similar device is also catalogued a century later
on two Glasses, for the wedding and the coronation

respectively, of Christian VII in 1766. He wed
Princess Caroline of England, sister of George III.

There is a related Goblet in the Garton Collection

in the Museum of London, engraved with sailing

vessels and inscribed “Prosperity to the Prince and

Princess of Denmark”; this presumably celebrates the

proxy marriage in London, immediately before

Princess Caroline departed for her husband in

Denmark, where they were destined soon to become

King and Queen. The marriage was unfortunately

brief, and ended disastrously.

But, back to the sun-burst lens; surely this is related

to the star with its circular polished centre, so often

found on the reverse of those Portrait Glasses of

Prince Charles Edward Stuart on which he wears the

garter sash on the wrong shoulder and where, as

Geoff Seddon points out in ‘The Jacobites and their

Drinking Glasses’, the `Audentior Ibo’ motto never

appears. Is this star the lens through which he

should be viewed on these Glasses, and which
restores his sash to the correct shoulder? I have to

confess that I have recently only had the

opportunity of handling one such Portrait Glass,

thanks to Bill MacAdam at the Buxton Fair; it was

difficult to get a good image through the star on

that specimen. Perhaps those of you with a shelf

full of such Portrait Glasses can comment.

The Lyme Park rinsers, with their series of cryptic
mottoes and their en suite ‘heel tap’ Glasses,

deserve more space than I can give them in this
issue, so I shall discuss them more fully in due

course.

GLASS WITHOUT FRONTIERS

1st Symposium of The Contemporary Glass Society
September 12th – 14th, 1997

Glass Dept., Wolverhampton University

Programme
Friday,
Informal evening Get-together –
glass videos and

members slides of their work.

Saturday,

a.m.
Speakers include Prof. Mike Press on
Glass Design
–

,
Jane

McDonald on
Architectural Glass;
Prof. Keith Cummings on

Kiln-formed Glass; Diana Hobson on Concepts in Glass
and

Alison Kinnaird O.B.E. on
Recent Engraved Glass.

p.m.
Hot and cold demos., particularly centrifugal casting.

Sunday, a.m.

Peter Wren Howard on
Technical aspects of Glass Working,

Barry Clark on
The new National Glass Centre, Sunderland

Marian Buus on
Danish Glass

and Charles Hajdamach on
The

Future of Studio Glass, Ideas and Possibilities.

Fees:
Conference, coffee, lunch, and tea, £65 (£90)*; ditto plus

one night accomodation (student room) £80 (£105)*, ditto two

nights £100 (£125)*

N.B.
no dinners in these prices.

**Fees in brackets for non-members, includes a 1-year subscription.

Registration deadline, 24th August.

For further information and to book write to:-
Dr D.C. Watts (as on GC News cover) or phone 0181 449 7666.

Stained glass screen on the theme of

weaving in shades of yellow, orange

and brown.
Nicola Coates:- North Wales School of

Art and Design (NEW).

Lost wax vase with
helical interior in green

glass.
Julie Lagan:- Lancaster

College of Art

1997

Page 1

1.

GLASS CIRCLE NEWS No. 72

GLASS CLIPPINGS
by Henry Fox

contemporary

Around the Fairs

THE NEC Fair
The opening day, back in April, was marred by the

“Bomb Alerts” on the M5 and M6. However, it is an ill

wind that blows nobody any good; consequently your
intrepid train traveller was somewhat delighted to find

how easy it was to get around this large diverse antiques/

collectables fair. The usual initial “rush and crush” was

absent, so viewing was easier and dealers had time for

questions. More stands than usual seemed to be showing

good 18th/19th century collectable glass. I counted twelve

in section 1, whilst 19th/20th century glass was widely

scattered in Section 2 (a fun area akin to the Portobello
Road, providing a variety of good collectable items from

Edwardian linens to Art Deco china and glass, including

useful period glass lamps and light fittings). William
MacAdam was showing a number of interesting drinking

glasses, including a large wine (or goblet) with an
unusual cup shaped bowl on an opaque twist stem set on

a terraced foot! An attractively cut sweetmeat was spotted

as well as a very fine and elegant facet cut wine glass.

There was a cider glass on this stand, too. Brian Watson
had several items with Lynn ring decoration. Jeanette

Hayhurst had an acorn knopped heavy baluster wine on

show among her range of 18th century glasses as well as

a number of later pieces. Christine Bridge had several
good examples of 18th century drinking glasses, including
a large engraved facet stem glass; she was also showing a

range of colourful and decorated 19th century glass. Ged

Selby and D & C Hyatt were both showing a mid-range

selection of 18th century glasses. The former had a facet

stem wine with duplex bowl form. Patricia Harbottle was

showing old bottles, some glasses and other wine related
items. Bell Antiques had a number of toddy lifters, 18th

century drinking glasses and pre-Victorian decanters. A
furniture stand had a small collection of late 18th/early

19th century (?) boot glasses which the dealer termed

stirrup glasses; these were for sale either individually or
as a collection. Ondines/circa 1900, specialists in Art

Nouveau glass, were attracting attention with their colouful

display of Galle, Daum and Almeric Walter pieces. Nigel
Benson’s stand had several fine examples of Art Deco
period glass selected from his wide range of stock from

this period. Most of the dealers mentioned usually have

stands at the Birmingham Glass Fair held twice yearly at
the Motor Cycle Museum. This interesting day out to the

NEC was punctuated by meeting up with other members
of the Glass Circle from time to time. This is a large

fair, but I have to report that it did not seem to have

quite the same number of stands as in the past, For some
members I have to report, too, that Sowerby press-

moulded glass seemed to be nowhere to be found, neither

do I recall noticing any carnival glass – perhaps it’s being

saved up for Birmingham.

Continued overpage

David Watts explores . . .

The Fabulous World of
New Designers

It is part of the magic of our great metropolis that events that would receive major
coverage in most places pass almost un-noticed unless you look for them. Such is

New Designers,
an overwhelming show of art and design from nearly all the

Colleges in the UK and Ireland. Held at The Business Design Centre, Islington, it
covers all aspects of design in two back-to-back shows, the second devoted to metal,
wood, jewellery, ceramics and glass – a reclining bicycle, 21st century computer and

furniture design, a theatre interior, a streamline lawnmower and endless inventive
uses of decorative glass may give you the flavour of this extraordinary show. It

represents the final year practical projects of our most talented youth, and some not

so young – and what talent and what skill! Two three-hour visits were barely enough

to cover the glass in reasonable detail. For the first two days, at least, the graduates

are in attendance to explain their exhibits, display their portfolios and detail the work
that has gone into the piece – and they long to tell you about it. All are for sale,

unique objects at realistic but modest prices. If you cannot begin to understand
contemporary art here you never will. The atmosphere is as removed from the sterile

ambience of the average ‘gallery’ as you could wish to find.

The glass exhibits themselves reflect the cutting edge of modern technology. Glass
blowing may not have changed in 2000 years but its exploitation certainly has. Shape

and colour are all-important – fun tall decanters some flame shaped, others with
exotic Ascot-style hat stoppers. Enchanting etched overlay vases with designs in
colours and motifs. If you think `graal’ is clever, consider silk-screen

lettering mysteriously buried in the thick walls of a
multi-coloured glass bowl, or lost wax pieces that Carder would have kept back for experiment in

retirement. Cast and kiln work – forming glass in or on moulds – as it is now called, is a major

area of glass making. I particularly admired a massive font cum bird-bath with a slumped glass
lining to a sculptured hemispherical bowl in black concrete, a product of the Dublin school. The

term “stained glass window” is now too limiting to describe these barriers to the outside world

that may incorporate 3-dimentional slumped, engraved, sand-blasted, etched, multi-component

elements that create wonderful changing imagery with the movement of light. Wrexham’s `NEWF

College displayed extraordinary talent in this field. Sunderland went further with a 3-dimensional

steel and ‘stained glass’, free-standing sculpture.

Of course, not everything pleased. Some were mundane; others perhaps not meeting their
designers expectation. Again, an eleventh-hour triumph of technical achievement in cast glass,
detailed to me by one student, was, I felt, at the expense of an artistic outcome. But this is

today’s real world. I came away thinking that if only the BBC and other media would give this
more attention rather than endless rounds of drugs, assaults and child abuse, horrific as these may
be, our nation would have a more elevating target on which to set its sights and ambitions.

1997

Page 12.

GLASS CIRCLE NEWS No. 72

Around the Fairs – continued

The Birmingham Glass Fair
Once again this Sunday-only fair on the 18th May at the

Motorcycle Museum was packed with enthusiastic collect-

ors, and once again few were likely to be disappointed.
The glass on offer ranged from circa 1700 to the present

day. There seemed to be more 18th century English glass

about but, as usual, the 19th century, particularly the
latter half, was well represented. The rarer pieces of

press-moulded glass from the Northern factories were in

short supply. Stands selling colourful English and French
late 19th century glass were attracting lively attention.

William MacAdam was showing his usual range of quality

18th century drinking glasses, and an interesting airtwist

taper stick. Jeanette Hayhust was displaying a wide range
of glass, including a good selection of Whitefriars pieces.

All in all there were over 80 stands plus several

specialist book dealers. The organisers kindly allowed

posters about the forthcoming Diamond Jubilee Exhibition

to be displayed. Sadly, annoucements about this event
were largely drowned out by the general clamour of the

crowds. Many members were spotted at this fair – it was
rather like an extended family re-union!! Several reported

that they had acquired bargains due to their own specialist
knowledge or n;che expertise. Next dates for your diary –

Sunday 2nd November 1997 and Sunday 17th May 1998.

Ten Stipples at Park Lane!!!
Apart from those collections to be seen in a few of the

great museums of the world, stipple engraved glasses of
the 18th century are rarely encounted, either in private

collections or on dealers’ shelves. To find ten, nine with

one dealer, was really the highlight of my visit to the
International Ceramics Fair this year. I was too taken

aback to inquire if these dealers had any more tucked

away from view! The Press Preview ticket, which the

organisers kindly sent me again, allowed for an unhurried
browse around the glass dealers’ stands, some of which

were still in preparation. Two of the dealers, Aspreys and

Malletts, show glass, too, at Grosvenor House, but without
doubt Park Lane offers to anyone interested in the best of

collectable glass a veritable feast and should be essential
viewing – it is an education in quality and craftsmanship.

Adrian Sassoon was showing a choice selection of modern

glass. I particularly liked Colin Reid’s polished Pyramid

in shades of vibrant pink, wonderfully broken in two

along a most natural looking grey-black seam, rather like
when a stone is split open. Also, David Taylor’s swirling

scent bottles, frosted and delicately outlined in transluscent

colour. Interestingly, one had five stoppers set in the back

of its snake-like form. Again, I admired a large round
wavey-edged “slumped” bowl by Keiko Mukaide, which

looked as if it were made of glassy crumpled tissue
paper. The next stand was a complete contrast, being that

of Christopher Sheppard. Here was to be seen glass
spanning easily two thousand years. There were several
moulded and trail-decorated specimens from the Roman

period; also a good millefiori shallow dish with short

upright sides, and a greenish-coloured two-handled pear-
shaped and lidded vase or pot. Moving on quickly to the

17th century, there was a rare colour beaded drawstring

purse, dated 1637, as well as an unusual small negro

head shaped bottle, set on silver mount and (what I

took to be) a semi-precious stone base c. 1680 – 1700,
attributed as possibly Perrot. Shown, too, was an attractive

selection of 18th century English drinking glasses, along

with some coloured glassware. A fine cut and portrait
engraved scent bottle, profile of Lord Brougham (of the

carriage fame), and signed Pellatt & Co. Patentees,

contrasted with later Bohemian coloured and heavily cut
glassware. Next, on to Delomosne’s stand where a pair of

cut candlesticks with drops and inset sulphides in their

stems (wickered basket with flowers) marked Pellatt &
Green was taking pride of place, along with a decanter
with three cut neck rings and basal fluting, engraved with
Royal Arms for Prince William Henry, 1st Duke of

Gloucester & Edinbrurgh, nephew of George
HI.

A

somewhat fussy but finely engraved important-looking
magnum claret jug dated 1876 with stopper engraved to

match was spotted on a rear shelf. As usual this stand

had an excellent choice of good 18th century drinking

glasses on offer, including a number of heavy balusters.

Now for a compete change – round the corner to Leo
Kaplan of New York where colour abounds. On this stand

was to be seen, yet again, a superb collection of cameo
pieces by the great craftsmen who pioneered the redis-

covery of this technique in England over a hundred years

ago. Here, too, were wonderful examples of French Art

Nouveau glass. Mr Kaplan was most gracious in getting
pieces out for examination, but sadly I have to report that

at sometime during the afternoon of the opening day an
extremely rare and finely-cut blue-ish cameo hollow glass

apple with cut out heart shaped windows and a drooping

stalk handle was stolen from its display case. This
important and unusual item is well known and document-

ed and had been on exhibition for several years at the

Corning Museum.

Across the aisle was Mallett where the emphasis seemed
more on 19th century glass than usual, but with the
reviving interest in glass of this period, including up to

the 1950’s, this cannot be surprising. A large goblet c.
1860, engraved with a prowling lion eyeing, across a
display of heavily cut fruit, a seated stag (as in a crest)
was admired. Good and rare Whitefriars glass of the

Harry Powell period was on display. There were good
18th century English drinking glasses, notably a number of

mixed twists. (This dealer was showing at Grosvenor

House, too, and there could be seen a magnificent
torchere by Baccarat, which had eight branches with lustre

drops and was over two meteres high. Also at GH was a

good Bohemian goblet, engraved with English scenes such

as Tower of London, Osborne House, and York Minster.)

Now we come to the stand which took my breath away!
Frides Lameris of Amsterdam had returned with a
vengence. Here was quality, beauty and colour. There was

a range of early Venetian winglasses with convoluted
stems alongside other good continental glass of the 16th

and 17th centuries; on another shelf there were nine

stipple decorated wine glasses by various Masters as well
as good “Newcastle” Dutch wheel-engraved wine glasses;
nearby were English glasses, mainly airtwist stems. Good

early wine bottles were spotted, too. If I have any

criticism, it is that the prices were all in code, a practice
which went into disuse in this country a long time ago.

The Asprey stand looked almost barren by comparison,
but a nicely gilded decanter was admired, also two Beilby

enamelled wine glasses. The stand seemed to be aimed at
the interior decorator (several pairs of cut glass candle

sticks with cut drops, Victorian cut dishes etc.) more than
the collector. Now on to Jonathan Horne who was show-
ing, as usual, a number of early wine bottles, although

these always take a back seat to his fine collection of
early pottery. Lastly, I went to the stand of Dragesco –
Cramoisan of Paris. On display were two interesting early

candlesticks which appeared to show signs of crizzeling,

and a further fine stipple-decorated glass. However, the
prize piece on this stand was a unique large glass panel

in an attractive period frame, deeply wheel-engraved in the

so-called
Tiefschnitt
technique with the equestrian portrait

oif the Compte D’Artois, the future king Charles X. It

was signed
“FelljJ’
and dated 1817.

This fair is always a joy to visit, particularly on press
preview day, and I .-am indebted to the organisers for their

kind invitation. I left reminding myself that I must buy a

lottery ticket!!

GLASS CIRCLE NEWS No. 72

Page 13.

1997

Around the Sales with Henry Fox
May – July saw a number of good glass sales of
particular interest to collectors:-

*Dreweatt Neate, Newbury (16th May) advertised a range

of pressed glass and 19th century collectables, but scrutiny

of the catologue showed several important pieces of 18th
century glass. Some, which had previously been on loan

(1983 – 1994) to the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle, were

to be sold. Highlights were a good sweetmeat, the ribbed

bowl with applied arcaded rim with prunt terminals,
pedestal stem, and ribbed domed and folded foot, £2300;

another sweetmeat formerly in Peter Lazarus Collection

and illustrated in Arthur Churchill’s Glass Notes, Dec.
1955, page 6, fig. 4, £800; a rare double “B” handle
Jelly, £750; a baluster-shaped porringer and cover, the
body decorated with trailed bands (chain links?) and set

on petal foot, £1950; a simple, but unusal, plain jelly on

a squat opaque twist knop and domed foot, £280; a good
pair of Waterford slender mallet-shaped decanters (George

and William Penrose), £3200. Of the other glass, which

Forthcoming Sales

*Christie’s South Kensington
–

Parkington Collection – 16th &

17th October, 1997. A general glass sale will also take place
during this period at CSK. Precise timing of the two sales has

not yet been released.

*Christie’s King Street, St. James’s London
–

Ceramics &

Glass
–
3rd November. Last entries for this sale is mid

–

August.

*Sotheby’s Bond St. London
–

Ceramics and Glass

–
25th

November. The sale is expected to include some 18th century
English glassware as well as continental glass.

*Sotheby’s
Bond St. London

–

English Glass and English &

French Paperweights – a major sale is planned, and a highlight
is expected to be the Buckmaster Goblet, decorated with a

polychrome armorial by William Beilby, estimated at

£30/40000. The pair to this important glass is in the Cecil
Higgins Museum, Bedford, and is illustrated by James Rush in

his books on the Beilby family.

accounted for over 300 lots, there was cetainly something
for anyone interested in Sowerby, John Derbyshire, Burtles

Tait, Heppel, Davidson, or bells, crooks/walking sticks,

flasks, pipes and other novelties. Quite a few of the lots

comprised several items, and, on average, most lots went
for less than £100, but a few did make more, and a few

did not sell. Probably in the next century – and that is
now less than three years away – Victorian glass will

come more into its own. (Prices do not include buyers
premium.) The catalogue for this sale is well illustrated

and no doubt this back number could prove a useful

source of reference. Refer Mr Mark Law 01635 312234.

*Sotheby’s, Bond St. London
(22nd May) – Irish Sale –

this went very well, especially marked decanters e.g. a
Cork decanter and stopper made £1300, and another Cork

one with vesica decoration went for same hammer price.

*Sotheby’s, Bond St. London
(28th May) – Fine Glass –

had a large number of coloured twist stem English wine
glasses, among which was a rare canary mixed twist glass.

This went for a premium inclusive price of £14950 – an
auction record for this type. In the same sale was the

Airth Castle Amen glass with piece missing from the
bowl, but this rare glass has an important provenance, and

sold for a premium inclusive price of £21275. Other 18th

century glass sold well.

*Phillips, Bond St. London
(4th-5th June) – Good

European Ceramics, Glass & Enamels – this sale included
198 lots of glass of which 126 were from the collection

of our long standing member, Mr. Graeme Cranch and the

late Mrs Molly Cranch. Members may recall Mr. Cranch’s
informative lecture on early baluster glasses given some

years ago at the Museum of London. Highlights from this

section were £6500 for an early baluster goblet, £500 for
a plain stem wine glass with panel moulded bowl and

similar moulded domed foot, £1100 for a fine toasting

glass with central swelling-knop stem, £800 for a comp-

osite stem glass with wide round funnel bowl and drawn
air twist stem set on beaded knop over domed foot, £850

for another composite stem glass with round funnel bowl

over short dumb-bell section and shoulder and basal
knopped opaque twist section and plain conical foot,

£1400 for a four knopped airtwist stem glass, £1700 for

an opaque twist stem ratafia glass, £2300 for a rare
deceptive or toastmaster’s glass with opaque twist stem

and domed foot, £1600 for a very rare baluster-period ale
glass, £3400 for a Beilby white enamelled (bird and fruit
etc – compare to Bickerton fig. 770 ) glass on opaque

twist stem, £2200 for a colour-twist (dark blue) wine
glass, £950 for a good, typical mead-type glass and £400
for a double “B” handled plain jelly. Highlights from

other lots in this sale were £8200 for a Jacobite portrait
tumbler illustrated in Thorpe’s History (1929 – pl. CIX),
£4200 for an early English bottle decanter with handle,

and £4000 for a fine panel-moulded sweetmeat bowl and
cover, the latter with acorn finial. The buyer’s premium

has to be added to these prices. Generally the bidding

was brisk and many members present went away

astounded at the high prices achieved. As I have ment-
ioned before, provenance, condition and ‘illustrated in…’,

as well as ‘exhibited at…’, all help to make a good sale
even better.

*Sotheby’s, Bond Street London,
Ceramics & Glass –

here a good range of continental glass was on offer.
Ventetian and fawn de Venise pieces sold well, but of
note were a fine Bohemian Zwischengoldglas goblet and

cover c.1730 which fetched £5250 and a Brandenburg

goblet and cover attributed to Elia Rosbach c.1740 which

fetched £4200 despite some crissling. Some top prices

were paid, too, for 19th century glass where pieces from

the Lobmeyr factory were in demand e.g. an Islamic Vase
by Lobmeyr fetched £6000 against an estimate of £4/5000.

Also a 180-piece Spanish Royal Service by the same firm

c.1900 made £14500 against the estimate of £6/8000.

(Prices do not include buyers premium.)

*Christe’s, King St.,
St James’s London – Fine Ceramics

and Glass – here a substanital part service of Bohemian
red glass with overall gilded decoration, reputed to have

once belonged to the King of Naples, made £31000. A

rare and fine stipple engraved glass was sold after sale for

£12000. Two Venetian 16th century tazzas sold for

£10000 each. There was a limited range of English glass,

e.g. a green glass, the bowl with heavy basal gadroonimg,
made £420, and a pair of balustroid glasses with annu-
lated knopped stems made £950, whilst a two colour

colour twist stem made £1600. A good Baccarat panelled
carpet ground paperweight went for £9800. (The buyers

premium has to be added to these prices.)

Clippings goes North
Members who have not done so should make a pilgrimage

to Sheffield. The Turner Museum, part of the University
of Sheffield, houses a most facinating collection of glass
items, including the blue wedding dress and hat, bag and

shoes made of glass fibres in 1943 by Glass Fibres Ltd
of Glasgow for the wedding of Professor W.E.S, Turner

to his second wife. Professor Turner, a distinguished glass
chemist, was responsible for advising the government to

set up a Department of Glass Technology during the first

World War. He subsequently established the Society of

Glass Technology, and travelled widely advising on glass

technology, both collecting and being awarded examples of
contemporary glass, and, later, some examples of ancient
glass. An example is a one-off piece by Fredrick Carder,>

DIM and BRI

You’re looking very seedy today today.

I always

thought soda glass didn’t agree with you!

You’re right. But the real reason is I have just
learned that the ‘Waterford” milk bottle actually came

from a Dairy in Manchester, not from Ireland at all.

No wonder the IRA wanted to blow the place up.

Well! never mind, its still holds the record since its
the only entry we’ve had!

1997

Page 14.

GLASS CIRCLE NEWS No. 72

Clippings continued
whom he visited. He gave his collection to the University.
There have been additions since and the museum curator
is always on the look out – funds permitting – to add

contemporary items which show new skills and techniques.

Professor Turner believed strongly in glass being

accessible to view and to study. There is a cafe in the

museum and the museum area may be found thronging

with students drinking their tea or coffee and possibly

eating a sandwich. Of interest to members may be the

small group of 1930’s, possibly Dutch, glasses presented
by Mr. & Mrs Robert Charleston. The museum also

houses the 18th century drinking glass collection given by

Albert Harland MP. This small interesting collection of
antique English glasses is somewhat swept to one side in
relation to the 20th century glass on display from around

the world, but I did count 11 “Jacobite” glasses and no
less than 14 colour twist stem glasses, including a good

canary twist. Among the latter group are not only bell

bowls, but you should look for a flared bucket bowl and

a faintly wrythen moulded one. I did not see any glasses

of the heavy baluster period but there are quite a few

with plain stems. Also, do not miss the glass designed by
Barnaby Powell, made at Whitefriars, and engraved as a

presentation piece to the Society of Glass Technololgy: it

is in the style of a late 17th century piece with a basal

gadrooned bowl and Venetian style knopped stem. In

your mind’s eye compare this with true 17th century

examples of which you are aware and assess why you, as
a glass collector, would have known without telling that

this glass is of more recent manufacture. On a wall

adjacent to the refreshment area will be found an
interesting glass mosaic map illustrating the history of

glass. Although the Turner Museum of Glass, is open to

the public, Mon. – Fri., 10am – 4 pm, it is best to
avoid

term time and lunch times. The museum is located in the
Hadfield Building, Dept. of Engineering Materials,
University of Sheffield, Portobello Street. There is unlikely

to be any parking. Telephone 0114 266 31688 before you
set out as the Hadfield Building is not that easy to find,

but it is most certainly worth the effort of getting there.

Make Glass A Feature

Members who can recall the Edwardian elegance of the

original Scotts Restaurant, looking down Haymarket from
its corner on Coventry Street near Piccadilly Circus, may

be interested to know that this famous fish restaurant has

recently revamped its present Mount Street, Mayfair
premises (with its eyecatching circular window) to include,

as a feature, a spiral glass column through which water

rushes. Glass is being more and more used by architects

and interior designers to good effect. In March the

London
Evening Standard
had in a property supplement a

most interesting article on the use of glass in the home –

from shower panels to wall room dividers. In the July

issue of
Elle Decoration
one of the magazine’s features

was an attractive glass open-tread staircase. More and
more glass students are exploring the domestic market and

bringing to it fresh ideas. Once people become familiar
with the varied uses for glass and the different techniques
available, their attitude to glass will change. This must be

good for the future of glassmaking.

Worthing Museum
An attractive display of glass from the museum’s reserve

collection supplemented by a few pieces from a local
private collection was to be seen in May/June, covering

examples of glass from the 18th century up to the present

time. This small but interesting exhibition was specially
mounted to celebrate the Glass Circle’s Diamond Jubilee

(see GC News, No. 71). Our thanks to the museum and
to Laura Woolley for organising this event. Worthing

Museum has a good ‘permanent display of 18th century

and later glass, as well as important locally excavated

finds from the Roman period.
Windows reach a high ceiling

The set of stained glass windows by Harry Clark referred

to in the last issue of GC News were finally sold by
Christie’s in May for over £300,000!

Looking Around

Members attention is again drawn to the interesting items

of glass, use of glass, or glass decorating techniques,

which can be found from time to time in non-glass
related sales. This time, for example, buried away in

Sotheby’s Bond St. French & Continental Furniture Sale

Catologue (13th June) was a rare set of four Italian

painted and engraved glass mirrors c.1760. Another lot in

this sale was described as:- “Coco Chanel’s Chinoiserie
Cabinet (Boulle brass inlaid ebony and red tortoischell

cabinet) part c. 1700, the panels remounted in the 19th

century”. What really caught my attention was that a

close examination of the panelS revealed that their design

exactly corresponded to traces of
verre eglomise

decoration

which unfortunately, due to the fragility of this material, it
had been necessary to replace. This was said to have been

done probably by an English dealer and restorer named

Baldock in the first half of the 19th century.

(Eglomise:
briefly, a style of decorating glass by applying

gold and/or silver leaf and engraving it with a fine needle

point, but without firing the piece further. It is usually

applied on the reverse of the surface to be viewed.)

Gothic Stained Glass
Members with an interest in Church stained glass may

like to know that
“The Narravitives of Gothic Stained

Glass”
by Wolfgang Kemp is published by Cambridge

University Press, £45. This book examimes stained glass
painting of Early and High Gothic France and England.

The paintings are placed in their architectural contexts.

Stop Press or Cordially yours!

Delomosne (01225 891505) have just announced that they

will be holding a selling exhibition of the John Towse

collection of Cordial Glasses, 4th-12th October, 1997,

under the title
Strength and Chearfulness.
Some fifty or

so cordials, spanning the styles of the 18th century, will
be displayed. It is understood that a fully-illustrated
booklet has been prepared to accompany this exhibition.
We hope to have more details in the next issue. John

Towse is a well known and long standing member of the

Circle. For several years he assisted David Watts with
editorial matter for GC News. His daughter, Anne, a

lawyer, is a member of our Committee.

GLASS CIRCLE NEWS No. 72

Page 15.

1997

Dudley Glass Festival 1997
(21 – 28 September)

Master Glassmakers 21st – 26 Sept. 10am – 5pm.
One of the following will be making glass each day.

Paul Barcroft (Hot House), Bob Crooks (First Glass), Andy

Potter, Roger Tye (Phoenix Glass), Ed Burke (E & M),

James Watts.

FREE ADMISSION.

The Focus on the Broadfield House Scholarship Studio will

be the weekend of 27/28th Sept. after the master

glassmaker series has ended.

Focus on the Studios. 21st
–

28th September.

The local studios will have an open door policy throughout
the Festival, with special events including:-

Okra
Glass
Visitors on Fri. 26th can make their own

paperweight under expert guidance – £15 per paperweight.

Blow Zone
will concentrate on their opening day on their

particular skills of hot applications, showing how their 3D,
figurative and natural forms are built up.

Hot Marks
(Mark Laycock at Himley Hall) will be offering an

opprtunity to learn how to blow a small vessel on the first
Sunday of the Festival.

Michael Parkington Memorial Lecture

Fri. 26th Sept. 7.30pm. at Himley Hall.

Scratching the Surface – Michael Robinson (Previously Keeper

of Fine Art at the Ulster Museum, Belfast) will talk on cold

working techniques.

How do they do that?
Sat. 27th Sept. Himley Hall 2.30pm. Entrance fee £5.

An introduction to studio glass techniques, set in their
historical context. Session led by Charles Hajdamach and Dil

Hier.

An Evening with David Reekie
Sat. 27th Sept. Himley hall. 7.30pm. Entrance fee £25

including buffet supper.

Learn the idea behind the artist’s work and the techniques

used to turn these into reality.

Glass Antiques Roadshow and Studio Glass Auction.
Sun. 28th Sept. Broadfield House Glass Museum.11am –
5pm. The Roadshow with John Brooks, Dil Hier and Charles

Hajdamach. The Auction of Studio Glass starts at 3pm.

Other Events

Broadfield House Glass Museum
Compton Drive, Kingswinford, West Midlands, DY6 9NS.

Tel. 01384 812 745. Fax. 01384 812 746.

Open Tue., Fri. and Sun. 2 pm – 5 pm. Sat. 10 – 1pm and 2 – 5 pm.

Bank Holiday Mondays 10 am – 5 pm.

Glassmaking Studio, Wed. – Sun. 2 pm – 5 pm.

Studio Glass. from 20th September

A new permanent display of the Museum’s studio glass

collection.

At Himley Hall, Himley Park, West Midlands
Open Tue. – Sat. 12 noon – 5 pm. Sun. 2 pm – 5 pm.

Glass of ’97 16th August
–

28th September, 1997.

Exhibiting the best glass designed and made by final
year students from over 13 universities and colleges

throughout the country during 1997.

The Glass Circle Diamond Jubilee Symposium
Important British Glass (1675-1845)
and its Collectors.
at the British Museum

Saturday 1st November, 1997. 10.10 am – 4.45 pm

The Speakers and the Museums and Art galleries under review
are:-
Aileen Dawson (The British Museum); Amanda Beresford (The

Cecil Higgins Art Gallery); Alyson Pollard (Liverpool); Godfrey

Evans (The Royal Museum of Scotland); Julia Poole (The

Fitzwilliam); Martine Newby (The Ashmolean); Robin Hildyard

(The Victoria & Albert) and Karin Walton, (Bristol).
Glass Circle members: fee, £20 including coffee and tea.
Booking Form and details to follow.
and last but not least . . .

‘There once was a fine Princely Charlie’

Dr. David Stuart draws our attention to a recent note in
The Times diary, concerning the incorporation of Latin
tags into Limerick verses by members of The Classical

Association. An example was given:

There were two young girls in the Scillies
Who cut up The Times for their frillies

To have used The Express
Would show poor sense of dress.

Tempora mutantur nos et mutamur in illis.

David goes on to propose that such treatment incorporating the
Jacobite Latin Mottoes found on Glass might be diverting;
whilst saying that he has himself composed a Limerick

incorporating Audentior Ibo; he regrets that it is not only too

vulgar for publication, but even for the Editors to see!

Your Editor for Jacobite Affairs is offering a Badge of

Prince Charles Edward Stuart struck during the ’45 (in

replica

together with a half bottle of Champagne, for

what the Editors consider to be the best, printable, version

of such a Limerick to be submitted.

F.P.L.

Comment!

A Jacobite zealot, quite vain
Will award a half bot. of champagne

If you’ll a Limerick compose
That includes Latin prose

Which Redeat and later explain.

The Jacobite Latin tags are listed and their meanings
interpreted in Chapter 5 of Geoff. Seddon’s book and by

Professor Lelievre in Vol. 5 of the Glass Circle Journal.

All entries to be sent directly to Peter Lole with whom,

his rebus constituti.
all responsibility lies.

D.C.W.

A group of Victorian glass fancy stompers and scent bottles
in various colours. From the Parkington Collection.

Photo courtesy of Christies. See page 9.

First and Fashionable
– 18th Century English Glass

4th – 25th October, 1997.

at Guildford House, Guildford, Surrey

An exhibition of glass from a private collection to

celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of The Glass Circle.