Glass Society Glass Matters_No.3, Oct 2018

JOINT PUBLICATION OF THE GLASS ASSOCIATION AND THE GLASS CIRCLE

October 2018

Issue No. 3

ISSN2516-1555

GLr SS

ISSN 2516-1555

Issue 3 October 2018

Jointly published by The Glass Circle and The Glass Association.

The Glass Association Registered as a Charity No.326602

Website: www.glassassociation.org.uk;

Charles Hajdamach:
Life President;
charleshajdamach@

btinternet.com; David Willars:
Chairman:

chair@

glassassociation.org.uk; Judith Gower:
Hon. Secretary;

Maurice Wimpory,
Membership Secretary & Treasurer:

[email protected]:150 Braemar
Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands,
B73

6LZ;

Nigel Benson; Paul Bishop:
Vice-Chairman;

Brian

Clarke:
Publications Editor:
editor@glassassociation.

org.uk; Christina Glover; Alan Gower; Bob Wilcock

THE GLASS CIRCLE COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Website: www.glasscircle.org.uk;
Simon Cottle:

Honorary President;
Susan Newell:

Chairman:

[email protected]; Laurence Maxfield:

Honorary Treasurer:
[email protected]; Vernon

Cowdy:
Website Manager:

[email protected];

Geoffrey Laventhall; Anne Lutyens-Stobbs:
Meetings

Organiser;
James Peake; John P Smith; publications@

glasscircle.org; Athelny Townshend:
Graphic Design:

[email protected]; Anne Towse; Graham Vivian

GLASS MATTERS EDITORIAL SUB-COMMITEE MEMBERS:
Nigel Benson; Brian Clarke; Susan Newell;

AthelnyTownshend; Simon Wain-Hobson; Bob

Wilcock

Contents

Chairmen’s message

Kny family cameo carvers

Bill Millar

Country house lighting: Part II

John P Smith

A new look at Manchester glass
Sally Haden

Glass snuff mulls

Jill Turnbull

The creative glass explorer

Judith Gill

Docherty: Collect or hoard?

Collector

The world of murrine

Brian Clarke

The demise of fine glassmaking

Andy McConnell

The Dudley Collection &WHCmog
Chloe Winter

-Taylor

Are pontil signatures secure?
Katharine Coleman

Obituary and events
Editorial

T
his issue is of 32 pages, letting us to deliver it to you

before the joint AGM’s and events day at the V&A in
London on Saturday 13th October.

We cover two presentations from London meetings,

one on ‘Lighting in Country Homes’, taking us from
candlelight to electricity, the other on the importance of
the glass industry in Manchester, manufacturing both

blown and pressed vessels. Extraordinary Glass Snuff
Mulls from Scotland are introduced by Jill Turnbull and

then we link the ancient art of murrine to its modern
creation by Michael Hunter. We introduce Judith Gill,

a contemporary glass artist and then a member looking

after her collection when it’s becomes unmanageable. I’ve
returned to correspondence on reproduction 18th century

glasses and presented a thoughtful article from Andy
McConnell on the demise of Fine Glass making. From

Stourbridge and Chloe Winter-Taylor we’ve opened a new

series on the Dudley Council collections and White House

Cone museum-of-glass, together with an introduction

on Cameo work from the Kny family. Let’s hear from

you on favourite glasses in your collections and as in the

last few years, offers to open your homes to fellow glass

enthusiasts
Brian Clarke

Editor: Brian J Clarke

[email protected]

Design & layout: Athelny Townshend

[email protected]

Printed by: Warners Midlands plc
s.

www.warners.co.uk

Next copy date: 30th November
E-mail news & events to [email protected]

“Neither the Glass Circle’s nor the Glass Association’s committee
members bear any responsibility for the views expressed in this

publication, which are those of the contributor in each case.

Copyright is acknowledged for the photographs illustrating articles,
though neither the Editor nor the committees are responsible for

inadvertent infringements. All photographs are copyright the author
unless otherwise credited.”

FRONT COVER: Scottish snuff mull
(Fig.22 on page

19) made

of lead crystal glass with kiln-formed decoration and a very
curly tail, tight to the body of the mull.
Private collection

BACK COVER:
Two fine and rare Lynn glasses. The first, a

Lynn ratafia glass and the second a Lynn ale glass. Both

glasses show well-defined Lynn rings.

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

JOINT

chairmen
a

MESSAGE

Susan
Newell,

Chairman

of The Glass
Circle

David Willars,
Chairman

of The Glass
Association

elcome to the third edi-

tion of Glass Matters. We

hope you agree that the

identity of the new Glass Society

is now emerging strongly through

our magazine’s pages. Our house

style has been ‘refreshed’ but ef-

forts have been made to preserve

well-loved elements of both the

Glass Cone and Glass Circle News.

Given the breadth of interests of
our members ranging across con-

temporary and traditional sub-
jects, achieving the appropriate

balance between the academic
and amateur (in the best sense) is

not always easy. Nevertheless, in
Brian Clarke and Athelny Town-

shend we are lucky to have a ded-

icated Editor and Designer who

can be relied upon to represent

all those interests while at the

same time challenging us to look

at new areas.

Since the last issue in April,

both the Glass Circle and Glass

Association have taken critical

steps towards joining together.

The GC held an Extraordinary

General Meeting on 28th June re-

sulting in an overwhelming vote
in favour of the merger. The GA,

bound by a different set of rules,
chose to inform its members

that the merger would take place

unless there were significant ob-

jections. In the event there were

none. In addition, and as we meet

with members and discuss the sit-

uation, what emerges is a ground-

swell of opinion that suggests we
are pursuing the right path.

What next? Subscriptions for

GC members are due soon and

you will have received instruc-
tions from our respective Trea-

surers about this. The GA’s sub-

scription year runs from August

and we are bound by the rules
to give twelve months’ notice of

change. Plans to align our rates

and pool our membership lists

and administrations are in hand.
Moreover, during the year ahead

a new constitution will need to be

drawn up, new officers and com-
mittee members elected and our
finances merged.

We are delighted to have se-

cured the Victoria and Albert

Museum for our next meeting on

Saturday 13th October and look

forward to seeing you there. As

well as a feast of glass-related

events, the GA and GC will hold

AGMs which will mark the fi-
nal chapter in our independent
activities and launch our new

joint society. Details of the day

will be circulated shortly, but we
are thrilled that Reino Liefkes,

Senior Curator of Ceramics and

Glass will take us on a tour of

the galleries focussing on twen-

tieth-century and contemporary

acquisitions. There will also be a
further tour of the magnificent

historic glass collection and a talk
on early glass collecting at the

museum.

The museum began its life in

1852 as the Museum of Manufac-
tures long before Queen Victoria

laid the foundation stone in 1899
for what became the national

collection of art and design. The

V&A’s glass collection grew ini-

tially according to guiding princi-

ples based upon improving taste

established by its first Director,

Henry Cole. This may seem a far
cry from the glass many of us

have at home, but collecting can

be an absorbing goal in itself for
many of us. Some also seek to

understand the context and go
deeper into the background of

their glass by undertaking some

original research. The many refer-

ence books and archives available

have now been augmented by the
internet which can be extremely

useful in opening up new avenues

of information. We are constant-

ly amazed at the niche areas some
of you develop to a high level of

expertise and would encourage

you to share your knowledge by
contributing an article to the

magazine or by offering to give a
talk to illustrate your passion.

Susan Newell and
David Willars

Joint Chairmen of the Glass Society,

formerly the Glass Circle and the Glass

Association

British Glass Biennale
2019

Save the dates: 23- 26 August

As autumn is moving rapidly
towards us, Janine Christley and

the Ruskin Mill Trust is in the

process of planning the British

Glass Biennale 203.9, Stourbridge;

appointing jury members and

identifying the prizes and awards.
The
Glass Society will be following

in the footsteps of the GA and

helping to fund the catalogue and

donate prizes.

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

CAMEO ENGRAVING

Cameo Glass
by

Frederick, Ludwig
AND

William Kay

Bill Millar

D
errand for engraved

glassware in the sec-
ond half of the 19th

century outstripped the ca-

pacity of British glassmak-
ers and decorators. Today

we would respond by im-
porting finished items from
China. Victorian business-

men did things differently:

they brought in glassmakers

and engravers, largely from
Bohemia. Frederick Engle-

bert Kny (pronounce nee)
was one such immigrant;
he was one of a number of
Bohemian engravers who

settled in England in the

1850’s, working in Stour-
bridge. He went to work for
Thomas Webb & Sons about
286o where he soon became

the head engraver. Based on

the few pieces which can be
positively identified as his

work, he is acknowledged as
one of the greatest engrav-
ers of the period. Two of his

sons were directly involved
in the glass industry: Lud-

wig, born in 1869, became

head of design at Stuart,
while William, born in 187o,

became a partner and de-
sign director with Webb

Corbett.
Given the paucity of en-

graved glass attributed

to Frederick, it was a sur-

prise to discover that there

are currently six pieces of
carved cameo glass attribut-

ed to Frederick, Ludwig and

William on loan to the Dud-
ley Council collection from
private collections. These

were loaned by three differ-
ent descendants of the Kny
family, so despite a total ab-

sence of signatures on the
pieces, the family links have

provided the attributions.
It is likely that some of the

items will be returned to
their owners in the near fu-

ture so it is timely that this

article should be published.
The first three items,

shown in Figs.i,
2

and 3,

come from the same source

and are believed to be the
joint work of Frederick and
LEFT:

Fig.1
Panel

with Greek shep-

herd with horn,

edged in silver.

Height 25.5cms,

width 6.5cms.

ABOVE:
Fig.2

Panel with Greek

woman holding

a goblet riding

on the back of a

centaur, edged

in silver. Height
14.5cms, width

16cms.

BELOW:
Fig.3

Panel with two
Greek women

one with a script

the other with

a tambourine,
edged in silver.

Height 3.4.5cms,

width 16cms.

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

CAMEO ENGRAVING

William. They comprise
three decorative panels

from the same white-on-

amber blanks. All three are
edged in silver, stamped

“silver” on the reverse.
There is a common Greek
theme and the quality of

the carving is outstanding.

The panels serve no appar-
ent function other than

being entirely decora-
tive. The silver edging

obscures part of the
decoration on all three
panels so the framing
must have been an after-

thought. There is a hook

on the reverse which can

be seen as the dark area in
the centre top of the three

panels. It would seem that
Frederick and William pro-

duced them for their own

benefit, rather than as com-
mercial products.
The next two items were

produced by Ludwig. The

small panel with the wood
frame at Fig.4 has an en-

tirely different subject from

the other five items and

could best be described as

whimsical. It has a flying
elf or fairy with butter-

flies, moths and flies. The

background colour looks to
be darker than in the first

three panels, though could

be the same, just appearing

darker as it is enclosed in

the wood frame. As a loan

item there could be no ques-
tion of removing it from

the frame to compare the

colours. The brooch shown

at Fig.5 was produced from

a completely different co-

loured blank, but returns
to the Greco/Roman theme

with the head of a man

wearing a laurel wreath. The
accumulation of dust and
dirt in the grooves of the
carving accentuates the de-

tail of this piece.
The final item at Fig.6

was caved by Frederick
and given to William on
his wedding day in 1899.

The subject is the head of

a Greek warrior and the
blank is clearly similar to
the first three items. What
cannot be seen from the

photograph is that the

oval is slightly concave.

The carving is less detailed
than items
1

to 3 but most

effective in its relative

simplicity.

The similarity of the

blanks for the panels

in Figs.i,
2,
3 and 6 would

suggest all four

were produced at

about the same time,

near the turn of the centu-

ry. There is no information

to suggest when Ludwig

produced his two pieces.

This article presents

previously

unrecorded

information, that of cameo

carving by the Kny family

members. Detailed study
of the six items would

undoubtedly bring a greater

understanding to the craft

of Frederick, William and
Ludwig Kny and enable

a comparison with other
cameo glass of the period.
It also reminds us all of

the importance of family

histories.
LEFT:

Fig.5.

Brooch with a

Greek or Roman

male crowned

with laurel.
Diameter

3.5cms.

BELOW:
Fig.6

Oval with the

head of a Greek

warrior. Height

8.5cms, width

6.5cms.

RIGHT:
Fig.4

Panel with

flying fairy,
butterflies,

moths and flies
in a wooden

frame. Panel

excluding frame
7cms x 7cms.

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

I 9 TH CENTURY LIGHTING

_British
COUNTRY HOUSE
Lighting

Part II: The
Nineteenth Century

John P. Smith

U
ntil near the very end of the

18th century the only form
of lighting was the candle,

primarily made from beeswax or

tallow; this was mentioned but
not discussed in my previous pa-

per.
(Glass Circle News, Issue 143,

June
2017).
Oil only came into use

after 1785.
Candles were still used in the

nineteenth century and the in-

creasing availability of cut glass
made light fittings even more
BELOW

Fig.i
Wick hold-

er for Argand

lamp.
BOTTOM

Fig.2
Set of

three lamps,

unusually with

glass reservoirs

for the oil. The

oil could be quite
dark and was

usually in a
metal reservoir.
BELOW RIGHT:

Fig.3
Hanging

lamp for oil.
elaborate, but candles became in-

creasingly unimportant.
In 1784, a Swiss, Aime Argand,

patented a new form of lighting
using a tubular wick fed with oil:

air could ascend up through the

wick, giving a good supply of ox-

ygen and the flame was roughly
ten times brighter than a candle.

At that time the only oils avail-
able were whale oil, colsa oil (now

known as rape seed oil) or olive
oil. The thick, viscous oil was fed

from an upper reservoir by gravi-
ty to the middle of the wick: most

went up to the flame, but some
descended down the wick and

had to be collected in a receiver

below.
Fig.1 is a close-up of the work-

ing part of the lamp, showing
the tube over which the wick

was placed. Parker and Mathew
Bolton used this patent, as did
the highly successful Birming-

ham firm of Messenger, who had
a large export business to the
USA. Figs.2 shows a set of three,

hung with glass drops.

Fig.3 shows a hanging lamp
with the reservoir for oil in the

middle, while Fig.4 shows a very
elaborate related hanging lamp

for candles.
Glass candelabra remained

popular: Fig.5 shows an exam-

ple by Apsley Pellatt, c1825, con-
taining a sulphide of a goddess

and Fig.6 shows a later, rather
beautifully cut leaf pattern pair.
I should digress here – country

houses were very dark at night

and people used lanterns to move
about safely. I could not find an
example of an English lantern;
they tended to be rather rudi-

mentary and few have survived,

but Fig.7 is a fine continental en-

graved example, currently in Duff
House, Banff, Scotland. Fig.8 is

an example of a Sheffield plate
chamber candlestick with an
enamelled shade: very fetching in
the bedroom.
F. & C. Osler was founded in

1807, initially as just a drop mak-
er. By 1832 they were making

complete chandeliers in their own
engineering works and by 1852

they had stopped buying in arms

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

LEFT:

Fig.4

Elaborate hanging 4

lamp for candles.

BELOW LEFT:
Fig.5

Candleabra

with Sulphide by

Apsley Pellatt.

TOP RIGHT:
Fig.6

Elegant pair of

candelabra circa
1835.

RIGHT:
Fig.7

Portable lantern

for use in a dark

house. 18th

century

engraved,

probably

German.

BELOW:
Fig.8

Victorian Shef-

field chamber

candlestick, with

enamelled shade

and snuffer.
19TH CENTURY LIGHTING

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

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19TH CENTURY LIGHTING

and other parts and owned their
own glasshouse. Fig.9 shows the
cover of one of their catalogues,

from the works in Broad Street,
Birmingham. In 1847, Prince Al-

bert bought a pair of torcheres

for Queen Victoria as a birthday
present; Fig.io is a 19th century

photograph of them in Osborne

House, Isle of Wight, where they

remain to this day
(although they

have recently been moved to Buck-

ingham Palace for an exhibition).
Fig.ti shows one of Osler’s typ-

ical advertisements, for elegant
crystal glass chandeliers, placed

in The Art-Journal Advertiser.
RIGHT:

Fig.9

Cover for an

Osler catalogue
after 1852.

ABOVE:
Fig.io

Pair of Osler

torcheres in
Osborne House,
Isle of Wight.

Contemporary
photograph.

BELOW RIGHT:

Fig.ii
Advertisement

in ‘The
Art

Journal’.
BELOW:
Fig.12

Gas desk lamp,

with shade
removed to show

burner.
Coal gas was developed in the

United Kingdom by William Mur-

dock, with the first London street

being illuminated by gaslight in

1809. The idea was ridiculed by
Sidney Smith, the famous wit,

who lampooned the idea and the
following rhyme was popular in

Glasgow:

We thankful are that sun and moon

Were placed so very high
That no tempestuous hand might reach

To tear them from the sky,
Were it not so, we soon should find

That some reforming ass

Would straight propose to snuff them
out,

And light the world with gas.

Sir Walter Scott embraced gas

with enthusiasm; he was Chair-
man of the Edinburgh Gas Com-

pany and installed a gas-mak-

ing apparatus in his estate at

Abbottsford. Still standing on
his desk is a glass light similar
to Fig.12. Osler produced a very

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

LEFT:

Osler ‘bamboo’

style hanging

gas lamp.

RIGHT:
Figa4

Pair of

elaborate
gas wall
lamps.

9
19TH CENTURY LIGHTING

attractive glass bamboo-style
hanging gas lantern, illustrated
in Fig.13. Wall lights contin-

ued to be a sensible method of

lighting rooms, easy to light

with light in the right place. Wall
BELOW:

Fig.15

Joseph Swan,

inventor of the

incandescent

electric light

bulb (his de-
sign improved

by Thomas
Edison).
lights for candles still continued

to be made, but many were made

for gas or oil. Fig.14 shows a pair

of gas lights – you can see the

tap, with cut glass fittings, in

the middle of the arms. Safety

matches had not been invented

at the beginning of the gas age,

so it must have been quite excit-
ing to light the gas, using spills.
Coal gas was quite smelly, and it

gave off a large amount of heat,

so ventilation was important.
For large gas-lit chandeliers, a

perforated rose was attached to
the ceiling, venting to the atmo-

sphere along a horizontal duct
and out through the brickwork.
Unfortunately they were given

the rather ugly name of `gaso-

hers’.

By the 186o’s, kerosene (paraf-

fin to us in the UK) had become

the preferred fuel for lamps.

With the growth of the American
petroleum industry it was quite

cheap and was much more mo-

bile than colsa oil, which was very
viscous. Paraffin could be poured

into the reservoir below the light
and capillary action would cause
the oil to easily rise up through

a simple wick. As well as being

grand, simple oil lamps then be-
came affordable for the general

population.

Osler, and others, particu-

larly Perry, continued to make

imposing chandeliers for home

and abroad, which could be for

glass, oil or candles, depending
on the market. These designs still

harked back to the 18th century.
In fact, Osler advertised a ‘Wa-

terford’ chandelier in the style of

100 years earlier.
This all changed with the inven-

tion of the incandescent electric

light bulb, almost simultaneously

by Thomas Edison in the USA and
Joseph Swan in the UK. Swan,

a bearded hero of mine,
seen

in Fig.15, took out a patent in

1879/80 and had, by 1889, electri-

fied the Savoy theatre. For almost
the first time light did not come

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

I 9 TH CENTURY LIGHTING

from a naked flame and light
bulbs could be hung upside down,
directing light to where it was

needed. These were called `elec-
troliers% Fig.i6 is a typical Osler

example, just like a candle-lit

chandelier, but with the arms
turned upside down. The light
now shines down rather than

up, which is a great advantage.
Figs.17 & 17a shows an Osler ex-

ample with the design breaking

away from the past, together with
its scaled drawing in their design

book
(now in the Birmingham Mu-

seum).
Fig.18 shows the influence

of the Arts and Crafts movement,

the eye-catching design being by

Benson and the glass by White-

friars.
The twentieth century was not

a great time for lighting inno-
vation, either in design or tech-
nology. Fluorescent lighting was

introduced in the
19305

and was

very efficient, but unlike other
forms of lighting, the light out-

put is not regular across the spec-
trum, so the light produced is not

pleasing. Scandinavia produced
many of the most innovative

lighting designs throughout the
loth century and both Murano

in Venice and Germany with the
Bauhaus group progressed the

design of lighting. Regrettably,

England had rather lost the ca-

pacity to innovate.
The advent of LED lighting in

the 21st century, with the devel-
opment of fluors to give a nearly

continuous spectrum and a very

low heat output, is leading to
designs not possible in the past.

(Fluors are a group of chemicals,

largely base on Fluorine, which are
used in LED lighting to give a more
continuous spectrum than that

coming from basic LED lighting,

which has very pronounced peaks in

the spectrum; they fluoresce across

the spectrum to give an approxima-

tion to daylight or are particularly
designed for candlelight).

LEFT:

Fig.i6

Osler electrolier

with down-fac-
ing lights.

RIGHT:

Fig.37A

Osier electrolier
with enclosed
light shades.

To RIGHT:

Osler electrolier
with enclosed
light shades –
drawing.

RIGHT:
Fig.18

Copper ‘Arts
and Crafts’

chandelier,

Benson, glass

by Whitefriars.

I 0

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

MANCHESTER GLASS

MANCHESTER’S
CiaSS
REAPPRAISED

A review of a talk given to
The Class Circle
by David Willars on 17 April 2018

Sally Haden

0
ne area of British

glassmaking

histo-

ry that has received

little attention is the man-
ufacture of table and deco-
rative ware that took place

in and around Manchester

in the nineteenth century.

A review of the available lit-
erature quickly reveals that

apart from some awaken-

ing of interest around the

198os and some academ-
ic studies of recent years,

little analysis of the city’s
true contribution to British

glass is available to collec-
tors or historians. So it was

very interesting to attend
the illustrated talk given by

David Willars earlier this

year. Calling on various

sources, including his own
MA research and recent

conclusions drawn by sev-
eral North-West collectors,

he described the range, vi-

brancy and strength of the
city’s Victorian glass indus-

try in great detail, leaving
no doubt in listeners’ minds

of its significance.
David began by explain-

ing that there were upwards

of twenty companies pro-
ducing glass in Manchester

during the nineteenth cen-

tury, although a number of

these were either small, rel-

atively short lived, or didn’t
make widespread use of

the Victorian registration

system, thus making attri-

bution to a specific factory
difficult.

Of the main companies,

the first to be formed in

the city and eventually

known as Molineaux Webb

& Co. operated for a hun-
dred years, until the 193os.

At the opposite end of the
scale, John Derbyshire’s
glasshouse survived only
five years, but during that
time achieved a reputation

that surpassed by far its

short lifespan. Most of the
companies could trace their

roots back to nearby War-

rington, and for the most

part were related, often
through marriage. The close

family ties led to a good deal

of overlap between them in
respect of glass design, rec-

ipes, colour and finish and

many of these families even
had adjacent plots in the
Manchester General Cem-

etery just north of the city

centre.
To the uninitiated, the

initial impression is that
Manchester’s contribution

to the glassmaking indus-

try was limited to pressed

glass. The Victorian regis-

tration system almost ex-
clusively featured pressed

items and in the absence of
trademarks and catalogues

we have little other evi-
dence to make attributions.

This view is, however, cat-
egorically wrong. Utilising

the glassmaking skills that

had been developed in War-
rington in the eighteenth

century, Manchester’s pro-

duction of handmade glass

was of the very highest
order. Furthermore, man-

ufacture using tradition-

al methods was a parallel

activity alongside pressed

glass production through-
out the nineteenth century

and most certainly long af-

ter pressed glass techniques
had been perfected.

Recent analysis of the

few old trade catalogues

and pattern books that are
extant shows just how im-

portant the non-pressed

segment of production was.
For example, in 1846, only

two years after the business

was established, the Percival
Vickers catalogue illustrates
close to three hundred free-

blown decanter designs. Of

all the Flint Glassmakers
Friendly Society’s districts

in Britain, the district of
Manchester had the high-

est number of members in

1867, 1868, 1870, 1872 and

1877. The quantity of glass
being produced towards
the end of the century was

staggering, and included a
great deal of industrial glass

such as pavement lights and

signal glass for ships and
railways. The quality of the

city’s glassware was just as

significant. In 1851 it was

`affirmed without prejudice

to other manufacturers in

localities where such busi-
ness is now carried on, that

the Manchester glass is in
no way inferior to the best

in the country’.
It was perhaps in rela-

tion to the identification
of Manchester glass that

the talk was most interest-

ing. In 1980, referring to

the Manchester Town Hall
Goblet and other works by

Wilhelm Pohl, Roger Dod-

sworth wrote: ‘These glass-

es (and a handful of other

items) are almost the only
known examples of cut

and engraved glass made in
Manchester. Other facto-

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

TOP TO BOTTOM:
Figs.ia, ib & lc

Celery Vase,

Molineaux
Webb& Co.,

c1885, together
with extracts
from the MW

pattern books

containing the
same detail.

MANCHESTER GLASS

ries such as Percival Vick-
ers, Burtles Tate & Co. and
the Derbyshire Bros. were

also producing this type of

work, but not a single exam-
ple has been identified yet’.
Recently, however, careful

work by several people has
been able to overturn this

situation, and David took
the audience through the

various companies to show
what is being uncovered.
Although the celery vase

in Fig. i is not directly il-
lustrated in the Molineaux
Webb pattern books, the
identical shape and geo-
metric design is, thereby
confirming attribution.
Fig.2 illustrates a claret

bottle from the 1502 set,

as illustrated in the 1893
Percival Vickers catalogue.

Such detail would have
taken many hours of work

to complete and, in conse-
quence, such items were

not cheap to buy. Barbara

Yates describes how a sin-
gle celery vase of 1881 could
cost more than either a

footmaker’s or journeyman
cutter’s whole weekly wage.
Regarding pressed glass,

Manchester is, of course,

well known, but the lead
it took in the UK’s pressed

glass industry is little appre-

ciated. The pressing of glass

was an American technique,
although it seems that the
skills were also being devel-
oped in the Low Countries

before coming to Birming-

ham in the UK. From the
Midlands, the pressing of

glass spread quickly to Man-
chester, where the skills re-
quired for mould making

were readily available from
craftsmen trained in the
engineering requirements

of the cotton industry and
the burgeoning railway
network. It is important

to remember that by the
middle of the nineteenth

century, Manchester was

renowned across the world

for its manufacturing, trade

and prosperity. Free of the

weight of an embedded tra-
ditional glassmaking heri-

tage, the Manchester com-

panies were accorded more
freedom to innovate.
David believes that the

first pressed glass plates
made in Manchester were

produced by Molineaux

Webb as early as 1836 or

1837. Production using the
new technique of pressing

was introduced slowly, reg-
istrations then grew in the

186os, followed by a veri-
table explosion of design,
colour and finish in the last
quarter of the century. Ini-

tially, pressed glass designs

were made to imitate tradi-

tional cut glass.
The Derbyshire family of

glassmakers do not, super-
ficially, sit easily alongside

the other companies. First-

ly, their businesses were
based in Hulme and Salford

rather than Ancoats. Sec-

ondly, they were not related

by marriage to any of the

other major companies. Ev-
idence recently uncovered

shows that in 1841 the Der-
LEFT:

Fig.2
Claret bottle.

Percival

Vickers.

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

MANCHESTER GLASS

BELOW:
Fig.3
John

Derbyshire’s
Rock of Ages.

Unregistered

but marked with
JD’s anchor.
byshire family was living

practically on the doorstep
of the glassworks of Wil-

liam Robinson in Hulme
(a district across the city,

some distance away from

the glass factories clustered

in Ancoats). At this time
James Derbyshire was
16,

a ‘glass blower apprentice’,

and John Derbyshire was an
infant. Given the fact that
the Robinson glassworks

was the only one in that
district at the time, it seems

very likely that this is where
James, the elder Derbyshire

son, was apprenticed, along

with some of his brothers.
As William Robinson had
come into Hulme in the

182os from Warrington

where his family had been
engaged in glass, the Der-

byshire family were able to

hone their skills in the same

way as the other Manches-

ter companies.
As an adult, John Der-

byshire joined James in

business before branching

out on his own in 1873 in

Salford. After a few very
productive years, finan-
cial problems and personal
tragedy beset him, but his

legacy was well established
by a range of decorative
items: lions, greyhounds,
Britannias, busts of Queen

Victoria and the winged

sphinx, this being his most
famous piece. Furthermore,
John identified his goods
with his anchor trademark.

Where John gained his

inspiration from is open
to conjecture, but it does

seem that the industry had

some overlap with ceram-
ics manufacturing in near-

by Stoke on Trent. Josiah

Wedgwood, for example,

was producing black ba-
salt sphinxes a century

before John Der-

byshire

produced

his version in glass.
In a similar vein, it is

worth pondering why

John marked his goods

when no one else in glass
did so at the time, though
the companies of Sowerby,
Greener and Davidson from

the North-East followed

closely on Derbyshire’s

coat-tails. Again, was he

influenced by the ceramics

industry with its well-de-

veloped marking system?

Alternatively, John may
have wanted some way to
differentiate his goods from

those of his brother James,

after their businesses sepa-
rated in the early 1870’s.
Fig.3 illustrates a less

well known piece by John
Derbyshire, the
‘Rock of

Ages’.
As with most of Der-

byshire’s decorative glass,
this was produced in a va-

riety of colours. Most com-

monly in plain flint glass

and uranium green, both of

which are shown.
Burtles Tate produced a

light shade in their trade-
mark green and yellow
opalescent finish. The piece

in Fig.4 was part of the Fru-
min Edgeley collection be-
queathed to the Broadfield
House Glass Museum.
But has the Victorian

glassware that came out of

Ancoats, Hulme and Salford
fallen into the shadows just

because of the fascination

and collectability of other
sorts of glass? Or has the

common perception of his-

toric Manchester as `Cotto-

nopolis’ been responsible?

It may have been much to
the detriment of the history

of glass factories, as well as

other important activities,
that Victorian Manchester

is almost always celebrat-

ed for its textiles – in fact,

overwhelmingly so. As Da-

vid’s talk demonstrated, it
is now time to take another

look at Manchester’s glass,
for surely there is a wealth

of material which, when it

is discovered, identified and

appreciated, will establish
the true contribution the
city made to British glass-

making.

FOOTNOTES

1.
Bone, Peter. The Glass Industry in

Manchester & Salford. The Journal

of the Glass Association, 8 (2008)

20-28

2.
Dodsworth, Roger. The Manchester

Glass Industry. The Glass Circle, 4

(1980) 64-83

3.
Hajdamach, Charles. British Glass

1800-1914. Antique Collectors’ Club,

1
99
1

4.
Lattimore, Colin R. English 19th

Century Press-Moulded Glass. Bar-

rie & Jenkins, London, 1979

5.
Slack, Raymond. English Pressed

Glass 1830-1900. Barrie & Jenkins,
London, 1987

6.
Yates, Barbara. The Glassware of

Percival Vickers & Co. Ltd., Jersey

Street, Manchester, 1844-1914. The
Journal of the Glass Association,
2

(1987) 29-39

7.
Matsumura, Takao. The Labour Ari-

stocracy Revisited, Manchester Uni-
versity Press, 1983, p. 171-172

8.
Illustrated Catalogue of the Indu-

stry of all Nations’, The Art Journal,
new series, 3 (1851), 290.

9.
Dodsworth,2980. As above

10.
Yates, 1987, p.35
LEFT:

Fig.4

Burtles Tate

lampshade. Reg.
No. April
618

99.

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

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7

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net th.,

SNUFF MULLS

ChM
SNUFF

Mulls

Jill Turnbull

INTRODUCTION

T
he popular habit of

snuff taking has left be-
hind many collectable

items, principally snuff con-

tainers, generally known as
snuff boxes, made in a wide

variety of materials which

can be found in museums

and private collections. In
England the term ‘snuff

box’ has remained but in

Scotland it has gradual-

ly changed since the early

1.8th century, first to ‘mill’
and then, particularly in the
East of Scotland, to ‘mull’.

This short article discusses
a Scottish collection and

refers, therefore, to snuff

mulls. A typical early 1.8th

century Scottish snuff box

is shown below, construct-

ed from staves of ivory and
ebony, with an unmarked

silver base and hinged lid.
In Scotland small amounts

of silver were not required
to be hallmarked, so that

clue to the origin of the
mulls is usually missing.
One Scottish collector

owns a wide variety of the
early snuff boxes and mulls

dating from the i.7th cen-

tury, many of them (and

those relevant to this arti-
cle) created from horn, with

beautifully crafted hinged

lids, often of silver. Scottish
mulls were often designed

to be placed on a table or

mantelpiece but the small

horn mulls were intended

to fit in the pocket, to nestle

comfortably in the hand and
to allow a pinch or spoonful

of snuff to be shared with
friends and family. The lids

had to fit snugly, but not be
difficult to open, so that the

snuff would retain its po-
tency and not leak out, but

would be readily available

when required. It is gen-
erally acknowledged that

ABOVE: Fig. 1

This

cartoon c.18o7 by

Isaac Cruikshank

titled ‘Scotch elo-

quence to a chilly

congregation’

shows the man

on the far right
holding his horn
snuff mull and

cheering himself

up with a pinch of
snuff.

BELOW:

Fig.
2

An early 18th
century Scottish

snuff box created
from staves of

ivory and ebony,
which preceded

the curly horn
mulls.

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

‘G
Pr

iva
te
co
llec
t
io
n

(
Pr
iva

te
co
llec
t
io
n
)

SNUFF MULLS

ABOVE:
Figs.3 — 6

Examples of

typical horn

snuff mulls,

showing

variation in the

amount of curl
in the tails and

in the closures.

RIGHT:
Fig.7

An interesting

mull, heavily
cut with an

engraved and
gilded figure

of a racehorse

and the name
Lucifer. Much

of the gilding is

missing. Length

locms, diameter
of opening

4.4cins.
most horn snuff mulls were

made in Scotland, where

the style became iconic be-

tween about
1720
and 190o.

The aim of this article is to

illustrate examples of those
rare mulls made of glass

appearing to date from the

19th century
To put the glass mulls in

their wider context, Fig-

ures 3
–
7
show four typical

shapes of Scottish horn

snuff mulls. As can be seen,
the diameter of the tops are

very similar, the variation

lies in the number of curls
in the tail and in the clo-

sures.

GLASS SNUFF MULLS
Glass snuff mulls are rare,

not just because they are
few in number, but also be-

cause there seem to be very

few references to them in

glass literature. This article

is written in the hope that

more information and new
examples will come to light.

Snuff mulls come in many

shapes and styles but all the
known glass snuff mulls are

horn shaped, most being

similar in size. It has only

been possible to measure a
few of those illustrated, but
there is not a large varia-

tion, most ranging between

8.8 and
11
cm long, the top

diameters being between
roughly 3.4 to 5cms, with

one exception which will be
discussed later.
Although the glass snuff

mulls follow the design of

their horn counterparts,
cut glass is less smoothly

tactile and is heavier than
1;

the horn examples, so not ”

as comfortable in the hand

or pocket, which suggests

that most were actually in-
tended to be placed on the

table, where they could be

seen and admired. They fall
into two main categories:

cut flint glass, some with
expensive silver hinged lids,

and those decorated with ri-

garees and often enhanced

by other applied glass

shapes, often with plainer

stoppers – some hinged, but

many others missing. These

mulls often have a more ex-

aggerated curling tail. The
big question is, where were
they all made?

There is, fortunately, one

rare example of a glass mull

decorated with an engraved

and gilded racehorse, about

which there is sufficient ev-
idence available to provide

very strong indication that
it, at least, was made in

Scotland.
The heavily cut mull in

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

Pr
iva
te
co
llec
t
ion

Pr
iva
te
c
o
lle
c
t
ion

SNUFF MULLS

ABOVE:
Fig.8

An intricately

cut mull, the

lid decorated
with a red

glass knop.
The initials JK

are ornately

engraved on the

front cartouche.
Figure

7
has a minimally

curled tail, bearing on the
front an engraved and par-
tially gilded racehorse and
jockey with the name Lu-

cifer below. The silver lid

has a central inset facetted
piece of pale yellow glass.
It is not hallmarked. Fortu-

nately a silver gilt punch la-
dle has been advertised for

sale several times in recent

years, providing informa-
tion which sheds more light

about the possible source of
the snuff mull. The punch

ladle is hallmarked, show-
ing it was made by George
McHattie of Edinburgh in

1819. It is also engraved
with Lucifer’s name.
Lucifer was born in 1813

in the north of England, rac-

ing in 1816 and 17 in Catter-

ick, Doncaster and Newcas-

tle under the ownership of

Sir M.W.Ridley. In July 1817
he raced for the first time in

Scotland, at Edinburgh, and

was sold shortly afterwards
to a Mr P.G.Skene. There-

after he raced only in Scot-
land, where he was trained

by George Dawson, father
of a dynasty of racehorse
stables at Stamford Hall,

Gullane, about i8 miles east

of Edinburgh. The Caledo-
nian Mercury of i6 July

1821 described him as ‘Sir
William Maxwell’s celebrat-
ed racehorse Clootie (for-

merly Lucifer)’.
This history shows that

Lucifer raced in Scotland

very successfully under
that name for just over two

years- from July 1817 to Oc-
tober 1819 – coinciding with

the date of the punch ladle.
It seems unlikely that the

snuff mull and ladle were

given to Mr Skene as priz-
es — these were normally

5o or ioo guineas or a tro-
phy such as a cup or plate.

The amount of cash won
by the ‘celebrated Lucifer’

would easily have justified
the owner splashing out on

a conspicuous trophy of his
own, so it seems reasonable
to say that this glass snuff

mull is almost certainly

Scottish. The provenance
of most of the others is far

from clear although there

are one or two likely Scot-
tish candidates, while some

trainers.

In 1818 and 1819 Lucifer

won several prestigious rac-
es for Mr Skene, including
the Gold Cup and His Maj-

esty’s Plate in Edinburgh,

and in October 1819 he was
sold again to Sir William
Maxwell, who changed his

name to Clootie. The horse
died unexpectedly in July

1821 at George Dawson’s
BELOW:

Fig.g

The undecorat-

ed stem of this

mull enables

the container
for the snuff to

be seen clearly.

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

Pr
iv
a
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t
ion

SNUFF MULLS

bands of diamond and step

cutting, followed by a tail

cut in eight facets. It has a

hinged silver collar and lid

with a cork stopper.
Figures ioa and b show

different views of a well-

shaped cut mull with a
nicely curled tail and a
thistle decorating the

silver lid. The Nation-

al Museum of Scotland

accession

description

states that the initials
I.Mc.D. are engraved ‘on

the shield—shaped front

panel’ and that the source

was the City Glass Compa-
ny. The City Glass Works,

Glasgow, was estab-

lished by James
Couper in 1851, so

appears to be the
most likely source.
The very fine

mull illustrated in
Figure
11

is deeply

cut with leaves and

fans. It was exhibited
at the Glass Circle Di-

amond Jubilee Exhibition
in 1997. The initials CL are

engraved on the stem, while
the silver cover is finely

engraved with the coat of

arms and motto of the Wor-

shipful Company of Brew-
ers. It is hallmarked with a

lion passant and the initials
TW, and was sold as part of
the Henry Fox Collection on

8 December 2004, lot 117.
(Bonhams London) It is

now in a private collection.
Figure
12

shows a fine,

heavily cut mull missing its

lid while the proportions
of the example in figure 13

are rather less pleasing. The

mulls in figures 13,14 and 15

belong to the collection for-
merly housed in Broadfield

House Glass Museum and

are now in storage pending

the opening of the White
House Cone Glass Museum.
Mctears of Glasgow sold
ABOVE:

Fig.3.2

A fine, heavily
cut mull missing

its lid.

LEFT DOWN:

Figs.13-15

Figia

A portly small
mull with a

somewhat out of

proportion taiL

Fig.14

Another lidless
mull with rel-

atively simple

cutting.

Fig.i5

Variations in

cutting shown

on this mull

and most of the

others, implies

that they were

one-off
productions.

ABOVE:

A Scottish motif

on the silver lid,

the initials
LMc.D, engraved

on the front and

a Glasgow prov-

enance, confirm

this mull was

made in Scotland.

BELOW:

Figai
A finely

decorated mull

bearing the

initials CL.
other lids bear English hall-

marks.

The mull in figure 8 has

a fine and well curled tail,
the lid is covered with a

piece of cut glass anchored

with a red glass knop. On
the front is a shield-shaped

cartouche with ornately
engraved initials JK’; circa

182o-184o. The example in
Figure 9 is decorated with

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

RIGHT:

Fig.16

A fine mull

with a horn
2

lid engraved
with the

name George

Scott, possibly
suggesting a

Scottish origin.

RIGHT:
Fig.17

An ornately

cut mull with a
finely engraved
lid giving two

names, one of

which appears
in the 1846/7
Post Office

Directory as a
tobacconist in
Leith.
Pr
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o
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t
ion

SNUFF MULLS

0
the mull in Figure 16 to a

private collector. The lid

is made of horn bearing a

shield engraved with the
name George Scott. Horn

was little used in England,

so this might also be a Scot-
tish mull. The mull illustrat-

ed in Figure 17 has a useful

inscription on the lid: ‘From
John Smallwood to Jamie
Letham 1847′. It may or may

not be significant, but a

James Letham was listed in

the 1846/47 Post Office Di-
rectory as a tobacconist in
Leith near Edinburgh. Ja-

mie is, of course, common-

ly a Scottish version of the
name. No one by the name
of Smallwood is listed.
The coloured mull in Fig-

ures 18a and 18b is unusu-

al in a number of ways, the
most obvious being
the lack of tail. It

is larger than

the

other

mulls illus-

trated and is

hollow right

to the bottom.
BELOW:

Figs.18a & 18b

This mull has

an oval opening
the widest point
measuring

5.5cms. It is

only 4.3cms long
and is unusual

both in shape
and colour.

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

Pr
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C
SNUFF MULLS

FAR LEFT:

An unusual

glass mull,

simply decorated
with the name
of W. Guy

engraved within

the encircling

thistles.

MIDDLE LEFT:
Fig.2o

Another rare
mull in a simple

boot-shape, per-
haps intended
for someone in

the boot trade.

It is also oval in form, rath-

er than round. All the other

cut mulls in the collection

are of clear glass.Another
rarity is shown in Figure 19,
decorated as it is with a sim-

ple engraved design round
the name W. Guy. Wear on

the interior of the rim in-

dicates that it previously

had a collar which is now
missing. This mull is worn

on both sides, indicating
that it was probably a table

mull. It is possible that it

belonged to a woman, since
they also took snuff.
Figure
20,

is a boot-

shaped mull similar to oth-
ers made in leather or papi-

er mache. Such mulls were

relevant to boot makers and

sellers and to those who
usually wore boots for their

work, such as ostlers. The
quality of the glass is not as

good as the cut glass mulls:
it is undecorated and would
have had a cork stopper, so

would have been relatively
cheap.

A quite different version

of the glass snuff mull was

formed and decorated en-
tirely using hot glass, with

wrythen bodies and applied

glass decoration in the form
of rigarees, other shapes

and often very curly tails.

Apart from the larger di-
ameter of the opening, they
often resemble `seahorse’

scent bottles. Some of these
mulls were closed with a
cork, which is usually miss-

ing, and their lids were

generally cheaper and more
fragile than those of the cut
variety.

Figures
21-23

(Figure
22

see front cover)
are examples

of these hot-worked mulls,

three of them missing their

lids. The green glass mull in
Figure
24
is decorated with

three rigaree strips run-
ning down the body, with a

fourth going from one side
to the other round the base.

This mull can be held by put-

ting the fore finger through

the tail loop and placing the

thumb on the rest above it.
Figure
25

shows a slightly

more sophisticated example
of an uncut mull: note the

very curly tail.

It has been suggested that

the rigarees indicate the

mulls may have been made

at Alloa, but actual evidence

appears to be lacking. Willy
van den Bossche illustrates

a rigaree-decorated ‘Nail-

sea style’ bottle in his book

Antique Glass Bottles’ pub-

lished by the Antique Col-

BELOW:

Fig.22

A very different

style of glass

snuff mull, with

kiln formed
decoration.
Missing lid.

BELOW BOTTOM:
Fig.23

Catalogued as

a ‘Curly horn

snuff mull of

green quilted

glass, with the

rim and hinged

lid of tin, proba-

bly Alloa glass’.

Length 4.75″,

rim diam. 1.6″.

E
C

0
ABOVE LEFT:

Fig.24

This green mull

is longer than
the rest at

ncms, the open-
ing is slightly

oval, and
measures 5.2cms

at its widest.

Na
t
iona
l Museu

m
o
f Sco
t
lan
d

Na
t
iona
l Museum
o

f
Sco
t
lan
d

LEFT:

Fig.25

A silver lid

decorated with

a piece of green

cut glass raises
the status of

this kiln-formed

glass mull with
its very curly

tail.

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

SNUFF MULLS

Fig.26

The plain silver
lid on this mull
bears indeci-

pherable initials
and an insert of

pale yellow cut

glass. It is dated

1833.
(
Pr
iv
a
te
c
o
llec

t
ion
)

Fig.28

Possibly the

rarest of all the

glass snuff mulls
is this simple
undecorated

example, prob-
ably made for

personal use by

a glassworker.

ABOVE: Fig.27
The unusual

decorated silver

hinge to this lid

may indicate a
Scottish prove-

nance.
lectors Club in

2001,

which

he describes as ‘attributed
to the Alloa Glass Works’.
Other experts and sites on

the internet etc. also make
the same attribution but no
reference is made to actual

evidence. Since the skills

involved in creating rigarees
are not particularly sophis-
ticated, they could, frankly,
have been made anywhere.
Further evidence of a secure

attribution would be wel-
come.The ornately cut mull
in figure 26 has a plain silver

lid bearing indecipherable
initials, decorated with an

inserted piece of pale yel-
low cut glass. Different ini-
tials appear on the front of

the mull with the date 1833.

The silver lid on the mull in
figure 27 has an uncommon

hinge which is also some-

times seen on Scottish horn

mulls. The repousse decora-

tion depicts two different
unidentified flowers and a

group of thistles above the
hinge. These features might
well indicate a Scottish prov-

enance.
Somewhat ironicall Fig-

ure 28 shows possibly the
rarest example of all: a

simple, undecorated snuff
mull of relatively large ca-
pacity, well used — the sides

are rubbed — and its cork
missing. It seems very un-

likely that this example was
made either commercially
or for someone special, so it

would be pleasing to think
that one of the glass blow-
ers (maybe even a Scottish

glass blower!) created it for
his own use. Who knows?
Percy

Bate,

author

of
English Table
Glass,

published in 1913, had

some glass snuff mulls in
his collection. Two appear
in the catalogue of exhibits
of `Historic Glass Ware’
in the Palace of History at
the Scottish Exhibition of
National History, Art and

Industry, held in Glasgow

in 1911. There are no images

available but among the
list of Bate’s Jacobite wine

glasses, toddy lifters and

firing glasses are two glass

snuff mulls with purled
decoration and a ‘cut glass

snuff mull (silver-mounted),

engraved J.H.D.’, lent by

C.E. Whitelaw. Dozens
of horn snuff mulls and
Mauchlin Ware snuff boxes

were also on display in the
exhibitions, emphasising
the relative scarcity of the

glass examples.
Since horn snuff mulls

were made in Scotland, it
seems reasonable to as-

sume that some of the glass

snuff mulls were also made
there. It would certainly ap-

pear that there is sufficient
evidence that at least two

of the mulls illustrated are,

indeed, Scottish, and there

are at least two other pos-
sibilities. The tobacco trade
was hugely important to
Glasgow, snuff constituting

a large part of it, so it would
not be surprising if the oc-
casional glass snuff mull

was requested from the
local glassworks, of whose
products we are largely ig-
norant. It would be helpful

and interesting to hear of

any more examples, partic-

ularly if there is evidence as
to their origin.
There are examples of

glass snuff mulls in the Ash-
molean Museum Oxford

and Kelvingrove Museum

and Art Gallery Glasgow

– and very likely there are

others.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Information about snuff and

its containers can be found in:
European and American Snuff

Boxes
1730-1830 by Clare le

Corbeiller, BT Batsford, 1966

Discovering Horn
by Paula

Hardwick, Lutterworth Press,

1981

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

CREATIVE GLASS

Creative
GLASS
Exploring

Judith Gill:
lalRoses
Cla&c

WHO AM I?

T
hrough my natural and

organic experiments

when using glass or

other mediums, I would de-

scribe myself as a creative

glass explorer, a visual art-
ist. For me the journey and
the process of creation is
just as important as the fin-

ished artwork.
boundaries.

These influences came to-

gether when I studied a BSc
in textile design and devel-
oped my portfolio through

the layering and juxtaposi-

tion of colours, shapes and

textures. There is a sense of

structure and form found
nique, enjoying the process

of experimentation and

Wabi-Sabi* to develop de-

signs that I wouldn’t have
thought possible. I find

it an unusual medium as
the design possibilities are
endless: it is fragile, trans-

parent, hard, ubiquitous,

INSPIRATION
My influences have been

varied, gathered from ear-

liest memories of fascina-
tion with the jewel-like
drawings on the cover

of “The Rubaiyat of

Omar Khayyam”,

to the natural

and industri-

al forms that

surrounded
my childhood
in

Stockton-

On-Tees. I grew

up in the midst of

the mighty industries

of the North East, their
close proximity to the nat-
ural environment of rivers,

coast, moors, ancient mon-

asteries and cathedrals and
have been responding to
the contrasts of this dual-

ity through my work ever

since.

I must have inherited my

joy in the colours and pat-

terns of Moorish design

from my grandmother; her

ancestors were Spanish sol-
diers washed ashore from
the Armada. Later in life I

discovered the exuberant

genius of Gaudi and was
inspired by his sense of au-

dacious fun and the beauty

of pushing beyond known
in my work from my many

years working as an estab-

lished knitwear designer.
When I changed career, I

was excited by the diverse

tactile possibilities of work-

ing with kiln-formed glass

and machinery to create

designs that interpreted my
enjoyment of the natural

world, and captured the lu-
minosity, colour and trans-

lucency in a medium that
appears to be as fragile and

strong as the natural world.
I approach glass as a ma-

terial rather than a tech-
and used in cutting edge

technologies in commu-
nication, space travel and

architecture. It also has an

intriguing history, as 2.5

million years ago Stone Age

man used obsidian, the vol-
canic glass, to make sharp

spear heads that enabled
them to hunt more effec-

tively and grow stronger as

a society.
I found that entering a

new field without enough
knowledge was sometimes
to my advantage as I could

be open minded to using
ABOVE:

Fig.i

A
symphony of

Bluebells.

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

CREATIVE GLASS

RIGHT:
Fig.2

The

effervescence

of Tulips.
technology, without being

constrained by it.

DEVELOPING WORK

I like the old fashioned way

of recording flower shapes,

landscapes and skyscapes,
by sketching and paint-
ing in a workbook, so that
I can add photographs to
record images and notes

on colours. This lets me
return to my records and

sketch ideas for patterns
and designs. It can either
take a long time to distil an

idea or, on occasion, imag-

es just pop into my mind.
Different art forms often

cross over, enlightening
my direction. For example,

blending colours onto silk
can create unique combi-

nations and colours that

inspire my glass experimen-

tations to design a flowing

intermingling intensity of

colour that I wouldn’t have thought of myself.
My approach is

inquisitive
as I’m always interested in

how to translate an image

onto glass. Looking at and

marvelling at the patterns

of oil on water led to a num-

ber of bodies of work, which

explored the use of dichroic

and iridescent glass.
The glass sculpture of a

bluebell wood (Fig.i) was
my response to record the

illumination of water in

cells of the flower and how
this changed with differ-

ent stages of maturity and

light. I’d hoped to capture

the moment in spring when

anything seems possible

as the miracle of new lime-

green growth contrasts

with the cobalts and indigos

of the flower.
To achieve this I record

colour manuals that contain

all my recipes for different
hues, tints and combina-

tions, so I can easily
refer-

ence
successful mixtures of

glass powders. This project
arose from realising that
sheet glass has limitations
in creating flowing pattern,
movement and luminosity,

so I began to experiment

with Bullseye powdered
glass and have enjoyed the
ride.
To develop a piece, I

brush on a primer to the

washed shelf in my kiln
to prevent the glass from

sticking to it. Once this has
dried, I coat the desired

surface area with PVA wood

glue and sift the prepared
powder on to the shelf, us-
ing small tea strainers that
I have adapted to deliver

different quantities. I also

use thin tube sifters used in
china painting that are very
useful for adding tiny high-

lights to the powder. For
fine coatings, I cover
the

openings

of small

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

CREATIVE GLASS

containers with different

deniers and layers of ladies

tights, which produce the

minute colourations found

in nature.

For different shapes I will

make stencils or draw the

outline in the powdered

surface, which will need to

be -larger than required, as
the glass will contract in fir-

ing. I will apply patterning

before firing, and if I wish

to layer pieces on top of
each other, I will differen-

tiate them through subtle

changes in size, pattern,

colour or shape so that each

piece retains its integrity.
(Fig.2
opposite)

To create movement I use

a glass-fusing technique

called draping, where I

place the fiat glass layer on
top of a mould former so

that the outer edge falls in

an unconstrained manner

into large folds when it is

heated in firing. The moulds

are used to raise the height

of the glass so that it can

drape down to the desired

depth, and are made from
a technical ceramic that is

heat resistant and provides

separation between the
kiln shelf and the glass so

that it doesn’t stick. They
range from manufactured

ceramic tubes of differ-
ent heights and widths, to

lightweight

ceramic-im-

pregnated papers, and to

felt that can be moulded by

hand into different shapes.

For unusual forms I use

wire mesh to create the

base shape and then cov-
er it with kiln felt that I

have soaked in colloidal

silica liquid that once dry

will provide a strong shape
to use a number of times.

Stainless steel moulds from
the kitchen are effective, as

during the firing process

the glass and metal con-

tract at similar rates – unlike

clay, which will contract less

than the glass as it cools

and can trap, crack or even

break the glass. Each design

looks fragile, but due to the
many layers that are fused

together it is strong.

Depending on design,
the metal netting, inserts,

dichroic beads and glass

pieces can be fired in or at-

tached during the construc-

tion stage. I use an efficient

epoxy adhesive to connect
the pieces together and

have also used concealed

lighting (Fig.3); here I used
clear micro warm white? led

lights, which allowed me to

thread them through the

openings in the petals, so
that the wall mounted light

would glow in the dark.

FOOTNOTE

*Wabi-Sabi
can be defined as

the most conspicuous and

characteristic feature of traditional

Japanese beauty”,
“If an object or

expression can bring about, within
us, a sense of serene melancholy and

a spiritual longing, then that object

could be said to be wabi-sabi, it nur-
tures all that is authentic by acknowl-

edging three simple realities: nothing
lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing

is perfect.”

Judith’s work can be seen at www.

wildrosesglass.com her contact

email is [email protected]

ABOVE:

Fig.3

The year of a
Heather

Moorland.

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

MARGARET DOCHERTY

A
DISTINGUISHED
Hoard

A Collector’s View

ABOVE:
Fig.i.
Reptile vase

by Siddy
Langley

WaI

at follows could

be described as
case study that

may be dauntingly fa-

miliar to several of you.

Someone who has

a
hoarding disorder
might

typically keep or
collect

items that may have

little or no monetary

value and find it hard

to categorise or orga-
nise things. This distinguishes

hoarding from collecting which
is altogether more structured and
encompasses locating, acquir-

ing, cataloguing, displaying and
maintaining items that are of in-
terest to an individual collector.
Margaret Docherty and her late

husband Bill most definitely fall
into the latter category, having
accumulated a vast collection of

mainly twentieth century Brit-

ish and European glass over the

last forty years or so. However,
circumstances change and the

pressures of needing to down-

size, together with the realisation
that disposal of a collection can

be more difficult than

acquisition, loom large.
Which is the more ap-
propriate channel for

disposal: an auction; a

specialist auction; tak-
ing a stand at the glass
fair or even ebay? After
much thought, Marga-
ret chose to offer part

of her collection from
the house at Frome,

Somerset, and duly

used the forum provid-
ed by our membership

as her target audience.

At the beginning of Au-
gust , the collection of

several hundred piec-

es was accompanied
by a large selection

of books, magazines

and sale catalogues.
Serious collectors do

quite often become

serious students of
their subject.

The first piece they
bought, from Strat-
ford on Avon, was a
Strathearn vase and

this was quite

appropriate given their
Scottish roots. The Do-

cherty’s then spent

time with a fam-

ily in Lincoln
who collected

Ysart pieces.
Duly en-

thused and
returning

home with
twelve

pieces, they

were hooked!
Nearby Bris-

tol and particu-

larly the fairs held
at Shepton Mallett were
early and fruitful

hunting grounds. A

sign that the collection

was becoming very se-
rious was the purchase

of a large bowl made

by Paul Ysart and later
given to his wife Mary.

While there was an ear-

ly Scottish influence,
the sphere of interest

very soon broadened
to include Mdina, the

Stourbridge compa-

nies, Whitefriars in

the Geoffrey Baxter

era and Scandina-

vian glass. Holidays

in Seville and Prague

provided particularly
good opportunities to buy and in

addition extended their interests

towards other European manu-

facturers. Developing a collection

is not an overnight event, howev-
er, and along the way it is normal

for tastes to change or evolve.

Consequently, it is not unusu-

al for any collection to contain

several of what may be termed
`learning pieces’ or, alternatively,

later purchases that make earli-
er ones seem less attractive.
The vase by Siddy

Langley,
typically dec-

orated with
reptiles,
was one

of sev-

eral pur-
chased

from that

particu-

lar studio.

Likewise

the large WMF

platter,

Fig.2,

demonstrates the eclec-

tic nature of thecollection, but
perhaps this is inevitable given

the length of time over which

items were accumulated. Con-
trast this with the cocktail shaker

by John Walsh Walsh, Fig.3, and

you begin to get an understand-

ing of the diversity in range, style

and colour within the collection.
Many pieces remained unsold

on the day, so the ‘rationalisa-
tion’ continues on a less formal

basis. Margaret has retained cer-
tain treasured items, and in part

is also comforted by being able to

help finance her grandchildren’s

World Challenge trips to Cambo-
dia and Costa Rica as well as their

aspirations on the ballet stage.

RIGHT:

Fig.2

Large WMF
platter

BELOW:
Fig.3
John Walsh

Walsh cocktail

shaker in
uranium

glass

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

MURRINE

The World of
MURRINE

Brian Clarke

ABOVE LEPT:
Marilyn

Monroe in

Murrine

made by
Mike Hunter

inspired by
Andy Warhol

ABOVE:
A rendering
of Vermeer’s

Girl with a
Pearl Earring

by Mike

Hunter using

the Murrine
method

urrine are

coloured

patterns or images made
in a glass cane. A stout

cane can be made by alternately

gathering and plunging different
coloured glasses from the furnace

into variously shaped dip moulds,

building up a variety of layers. A
complex cane can also be formed

from fusing together many thin

glass canes of different colours
into intricate patterns. The cane

is eventually drawn, stretching
the glass into a longer, thinner
cane. When the cane is cut into

thin cross-sections the pattern is
revealed. One familiar style is the

flower or star shape which, when

used together in large numbers

from a number of different

canes, are called millefiori
(as

in the paperweight on page 14 of

Glass Matters, issue
2).
Murrine

production first appeared in the

Middle East more than 4,0=

years ago and was revived by

Venetian glassmakers on Murano
in the early 16th century.
Once murrine have been

made, they can be incorporated

into a glass vessel or sculpture
in several ways. A number of

murrine may be placed on a

marver and then picked up on the

surface of a partially blown glass

bubble. Further blowing, heating,

and shaping on the marver

will incorporate the murrine
completely into the bubble,

creating a random arrangement

of murrine in the vessel or

sculpture being blown
Alternatively, the murrine can

be arranged in a compact pattern

and then heated in a furnace un-
til they fuse into a single sheet.

This sheet can then be taken over

a mould, such as a bowl shape

and further heated so that the
murrine sheet slumps to take the

form required.
Another technique, using a

sheet of murrine made as above,
is to make a small disc (collar)
of molten glass on the end of a

blowing iron, then roll the disc

along one edge of the sheet, pick-
ing up the sheet on the blowpipe

in the form of a cylinder. The end
of the cylinder opposite the blow-
pipe can be squeezed together

and sealed. With further heating,
the sealed cylinder can be blown

and formed into any shape the

glassblower requires.
Many notable glass artists reg-

ularly utilize murrine in their

work. These include Dante Mari-

oni, Lino Tagliapietra and David
Patchen from America, Hilary

Crawford in Australia and in the

middle years of the zoth cen-

tury, Ermano Toso for Fratelli

Toso in Italy. Today in the UK,
there is a master glass artist us-

ing murrine: Michael Hunter of

Twists Glass from Selkirk on the

Scottish borders. He has created
the most outstanding murrine

portraits, the like of which have

possibly not been seen since the

work of glassmakers in Murano
in the 17th century. One is Mar-

ilyn Monroe, perhaps with refer-

ence to the work of Andy War-

hol; the other is ‘Girl with a Pearl
Earring’ from the oil painting by

the Dutch 17th century painter

Johannes Vermeer. This painting
has been in the collection of the
Mauritshuis in The Hague since

19o2. These two Murrine ‘por-
traits’ are shown above.

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

FINE

GLASS THREAT

The
SAD
demise of
FINE CLASSMAKING
in the West

Andy McConnell

T
ake a good look at these guys:

glass-blowers at Kosta Glas-

bruk, Sweden. They might be

driving taxis next week….
Fine glassmaking has been in

deep trouble for decades. The rea-

sons are obviously complex and
reflect wider trends. More spe-
cifically, its decline can be large-

ly attributed to the advent, from
the early 1970s, of machines that

made glasses that at least resem-

bled fine, blown equivalents. And
glasses, or ‘stemware’, had pre-

viously been the financial back-
bone of traditional glassmaking:

accounting for over 75 per cent of

its turnover and even more of the
profit.
Early machine-made glasses

looked and felt cheap, but im-
proved. Today, at least some of
the output of even respected

makers, like Riedel & Schott, is
entirely machine-made, priced

from about £6. At the cheap end
of the market, sets of 6 au-

tomatically formed glasses

sell for as little as
£2.
Com-

pare these to a handmade
`Chateau’ wine glass by

Bertil Vallien for Kosta

Boda at £40 each (Fig.i) –

and you can’t put it in the

dishwasher!
The vast majority of the

world’s drinking glasses are
now machine made by giant
corporations. The largest, Libbey
[US] & Arc [France], each turned

over about $85om in 2014. Arc’s

10,360 employees make a daily
average of 4.3 million items at
production facilities in France,
the US, China, UAE & Russia.

Libbey, with sales of $825m, has

sites in the US, Mexico, Portugal
[Marinha Grande], the Neth-

erlands [Leerdam] & Chi-
na. They are followed by
Bormioli [Italy], €554m in

2011 & over 2,500 employees, &
Pasabahce [Turkey] with €48om

revenue in 2009 and 5,800 em-

ployees.
These factors combined to wipe

out hundreds of fine glassworks

over a single generation. Famous,

royal-warranted

glassworks

have vanished. Denmark’s Hol-
megaard closed in 2009 and Bel-

gium’s Val St.Lambert is a ghost.

In both Bohemia
(Czech Republic)

and Murano
(Venice),
glass has

lost sales and prestige. Steuben,

America’s premiere glassmak-

er closed in
2011.
The French &

Finnish flagships, Baccarat &

Iittala, currently survive largely

by the grace of wealthy backers.
253-year-old Baccarat was bought
from Starwood Hotels [US] by

a Chinese investment compa-
ny, Fortune Fountain Capital, in

2017, & Iittala has been owned
by the Fiskars homewares
group since 2007.
Even in Sweden, where

accountants now reign
supreme, glassmaking
has been suffering a sim-
ilar lingering, painful

death. In 2013, Orrefors,

arguably the loth century’s

most significant glass-

works, closed. Today, its

former site is a warehouse

for an internet domestic-sales

company. Over the decades,

hundreds of Orrefors’ skilled
craftsmen, representing centu-

ries of combined experience, have

been lost to unemployment.
Sweden’s great roster of glass-

works, from Afors and Aseda

to Stromberg, is now almost
entirely defunct. Only Kosta,
down to some 125 from 900

,-:

411r741
n
–
employees

20
years ago,

bears any resemblance

to its former self. And its

Fig.1

survival is exclusively due to its

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

FINE GLASS THREAT

parent, the
New Wave
giftware

group, continuing to absorb its

losses, declared at £5m between
2008 and
2012.

Yet the virtual demise of fine

glassmaking in the West has not

been due to a lack of demand for

functional and decorative glass.
Indeed, worldwide sales have

never been greater: it’s just being

made elsewhere.

IKEA was among the first com-

panies to outsource its produc-
tion to China (Fig.2), but that

trend has now become almost

ubiquitous. The results are re-

tailed in Britain by the likes of TK
Maxx, Debenhams, M&S, John

Lewis Home & even, heaven for-

bid, the ‘design’ store, Heal’s.

1114

F”—
CE
-4114
11,

Desgn and Ou.ny
/KEA of Sweden

Waterford went bust and was res-

urrected, but its production was
promptly outsourced to Slovenia.
Today, Orrefors Kosta Boda’s
entire production, excepting stem-

ware and ‘art’ pieces, has been
outsourced to 11 different foreign
countries, including Thailand,

where glass is presumably melted
using tropical hardwood as fuel.
China, exploiting low costs and

previously unencumbered by envi-
ronmental protection, has rapidly

emerged as a leader in several cat-

egories of glassmaking, including

optical, technical and glazing. But

its decorative glass has so far been

stylistically undistinguished, typ-
ified by derivative copies of Scan-
dinavian prototypes. Its appeal is

obvious: its low price. Typically,

a tall, multi-coloured
&
weighty

Chinese vase will be crammed

with consumed energy, rare earth
metals & skill, yet retails for under
£30: less than cost price in Europe.
It is a grim joke among West-

ern glassmakers that the price

of packaging and shipping glass-

ware from China is possibly
greater than the cost of making.
Of course, the artistic Studio

Glass Movement is now active

around the globe, and good luck

to its practitioners, but its scale is

miniscule compared to the past.
Sad, innit?
The Decanter

Ancient to Modern

This article has been taken from
The

Decanter, Ancient to Modern,

(Fig.2
above) a new edition of Andy

McConnell’s book, due to be on sale

before Christmas 2018.

Any discussion and comments

on the above facts and thoughts

will be happily accepted, with
possible space for printing in the

next issue of
GLASS MATTERS.

Made in Ch na

201.105 21

12386

Letters from the
MUSEUM STORES

Regular updates and stories from
Chloe Winter-Taylor.

Keeper of Glass
&

Fine Art, Dudley Council

F
ollowing the closure of Broadfield

House Museum of Glass in 2016,

the entire glass collection and ex-

tensive glass library has been moved

to our collections stores at Himley

Hall. Behind the scenes over the last 18

months we have been working closely

with the British Glass Foundation to
open a new Glass Museum in the Bor-

ough, The White House Cone museum

of glass. At the moment we are wait-

ing for an outcome from the Heritage
Lottery Fund on a grant application to

fit out the new museum, once this has

been confirmed we will begin moving
the glass to the new site for display.

Whilst we wait for the grant confir-

mation, Charles Hajdamach has been

working on developing the object lists
and selecting items of glass from the
collection for the new museum dis-

plays. Please check the British Glass
Foundation website and subscribe to

Glass Cuts for further information

and updates on the progress of the
project.

The collections management at our

museum store is underpinned by the

hard work and dedication of our team
of collections volunteers. Our main

task over the last
12
months has been

to audit the entire glass collection and

update our catalogue records follow-

ing the relocation of the collection.

We have also been preparing the glass
collection for the move to the new
museum including conducting pho-

tography, processing new acquisitions

and working on tackling our museum
backlog.

One of our main projects this year

is to organise and sort out the Glass
Library, cataloguing and digitising our

library records. Once the project has

been completed, we are very keen to
open the library up by appointment

for people to use for research.
If you are keen to find out more or

to get involved please contact Chloe

Winter-Taylor. We are always looking

for new volunteers to help. If this is

something you are interested in please
don’t hesitate to get in touch
Chloe can be contacted by email, land-

line or mobile phone.

[email protected]

T: 01384 812749

M:
07497371985

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

FAKE OR FORTUNE?

18th Century
.

REPRODUCTION
Classes-

REVISITED

EDITOR

I
n The Glass Cone, issue

iii., following a reader’s

query and comments

on how best to guard

against being ‘taken in’ by
reproductions and outright

forgeries of 18th century

glasses, we published a
discussion with replies
from GA committee
members and a response

from Mark Taylor and
David Hill, the Georgian

Glassmakers. Since then,

further

correspondence

arrived which deserved

a response. The updated

letter from Colin English

is published below, along

with additional research
and trials on engraving and
polishing over the pontil on
the underside of the foot

of the 18th century glass;

with your editor viewing
the work, this was carried
out by Katharine Coleman
MBE, a distinguished

engraver with considerable

experience of 18thcentury

glass.

THE LETTER FROM
COLIN ENGLISH
For many years I have

enjoyed reading The Glass

Cone: turning first to

articles on my particular

interest, Georgian drinking

glasses, and then reading

some other articles to

widen my knowledge of
glass in general. When issue

111
arrived I was pleased

to see that there was what

appeared to be an article
on Georgian baluster-

stem drinking glasses, but

on reading the article my
pleasure quickly gave way

to anger and dismay. Chris

Smith may be forgiven for
raising the subject, but the

views expressed by senior
members of the Association

are at best naive and

publishing the article is

both disrespectful and
insensitive to Mark Taylor

and David Hill.
The principle of caveat

emptor applies to all fields

of antiques and Georgian

glass is no exception. There
is always a risk when buying

antiques where provenance
cannot be guaranteed, that

buyers may make mistakes.

Buyers can minimise this

risk by purchasing from

reliable sources or by
taking the responsibility on

themselves by learning as

much as possible about the
objects of their interest.
I am perplexed by your

concern for the “newer

collector”. Can there
really be a collector who

starts his collection with
a Georgian baluster stem

costing several thousands
of pounds? Even the

immensely rich A.C.
Hubbard, who amassed one

of the finest collections of

antique English drinking

glasses ever made, started
his collection with a
relatively modest opaque

twist glass.
[A Wine Lover’s

Glasses, Ward Lloyd
(2000),

PP
1
5]

Both you
[the editor]

and Nigel Benson refer
to polishing-out Mark’s

signature, but surely one
of the first things that any
serious collector learns
is that these glasses have

snapped off pontil marks

and polishing of pontils
did not start until the end

of the 18th century when

baluster stems were no

longer in fashion.
All four respondents to

the question express their

support for the inclusion of
an alien piece of coloured
glass in the base for ease of
identification. This would

significantly detract from
the appeal of the glasses

and would certainly have

stopped me buying some
examples of Mark and
David’s work. It may not

even achieve the stated

aim of protecting newer
collectors as the undated
inclusion may be seen as

being a maker’s mark used

by a Georgian glass house.
It is also appears

somewhat perverse to
single-out Mark and David

when there are other

glassmakers

producing

reproductions of 18th
century drinking glasses.

Notable amongst these is

Mike Hunter of the Twists

Glass Studio who also signs

and dates pontils.

Collections are made

for many reasons, but a

predominant driver is
the understanding of the
qualities and styles of

the glass that allow us to

discriminate and identify
the genuine article. Gaining

this knowledge in itself is

rewarding but can also be

profitable. I surely cannot

be alone in buying examples
of early Georgian glasses

at bargain prices from

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

FAKE OR FORTUNE?

general antiques shops
whose owners thought they

were selling late Victorian

glasses? The knowledge
and confidence to make

these purchases can only

be acquired from years of
reading, viewing museum

collections and above all

handling glass. Those not
prepared to invest this time,

and indeed new collectors,
can minimise their risks

by buying from reputable
specialist dealers (some of

whom can be found online)
or at vetted fairs, which of
course include reputable

dealers.
The introduction to each

issue of the Journal of the
Glass Association states:
The Glass Association is a
national society which aims

to promote the understanding

and appreciation of glass and

glass-making methods, both
historical and contemporary,

and to increase public interest
in the whole subject of glass.

It follows that a funda-
mental role of the

Association must be to
assist in the education of

both collectors and dealers
and is not to discourage

the honest and detailed
research and production of

replica Georgian glasses by

Mark and David.

I was lucky enough

to attend one of the

demonstration days held

by Mark and David for the

Association. I learned a
great deal about how my

glasses may have been
produced: I say “may” as
they modestly pointed out

that their techniques are the
result of years of research

and experimentation since
no contemporaneous text

books exist which describe

what were trade secrets.
I hope to attend further

demonstration days and

look forward to them being
re-convened by Mark and

David.

EDITOR

Corm is right in saying

that ”
knowledge …. can

only be acquired from years

of reading, viewing museum

collections and above all
handling glass”

Though

I must say that even

the most experienced
collectors, including myself,

researchers and museum

curators can make errors

in attribution and dating.
(see articles by Simon Cottle

and Dwight Lanmon with Bill
Gudenrath in Glass Matters

issue 2].
I agree with Colin

that the glasses made by

Mike Hunter today and

many of the reproduction’s

from English glasshouses

at the end of the 19th and
beginning of the loth
centuries are unmistakably
just that — reproductions.

But many of us are aware
that there are some glasses

that can confuse and some

were created to do just
that. Mark Taylor’s and

David Hill’s glasses are

excellent reproductions,

this conversation was

begun to hear views on

how to minimise the risk of
confusing them, now and
for future generations.
It is also true that

polishing

out

the

`snapped off’ pontils did

not come into fashion

until the end of the 18th

century, but, snapping

off a pontil often leaves a

highly polished surface,

with sharpness just around
the periphery. So if the

pontil is engraved across
this shiny area, it could

be polished out. When

asked to investigate this,
Katharine Coleman agreed

to experiment by trying

to remove the signature
on one of Brian Clarke’s

glasses from the Georgian
Glassmakers, though she

had never done

this particular task before.

This is what she concluded:-

‘CATHARINE COLEMAN

WRITES
I have never specifically
taken out an artist’s

signature — I have removed

scratches, chips and even

whole names on wedding
bowls when there was a

spelling mistake, change
of name or divorce (!) but
never indulged in what is

borderline fraud like this.

As requested, I ground

out the signature and in the

following way:-

1.
With a strip of window

glass cut to fit the area
to be ground and 400
carborundum grit (mixed

with a little soap and water),

I ground out the signature

on the pontil of the glass.

2.
Having washed the glass,

I then reground the area

with the same glass shard
and
600

carborundum grit,

taking care once more not

to touch the sharp edges of

the cracked off base.

3.
When there was not a

single trace of the signature
left, I then pre-polished the

area with a Polpur “Lapi
Grey” wheel and water,

mounted on my lathe with

a screw headed spindle and

water drip. Sadly I did not
have quite the right size
of wheel — the smaller one

was too small (the spindle
fouled on the edge of the

folded foot ) and the larger

one was too big. The wheel

being expensive, I regret I

was not prepared to cut it
down and I consequently

ran a little over the sharp

edge of the area and so

softened the sharp edges a

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

FAKE OR FORTUNE?

bit. The wheel size is a bit of

a compromise as one needs
it to be as big as possible
to get as flat a polish as
possible, avoiding turning
the area into a traditional

polished pontil.
4.
I polished the areas with

cerium oxide mixed with

water, using a hard felt

wheel mounted on a lathe
spindle.
5.
Following Brian Clarke’s

suggestion, I also ‘faked’

some light wear to the
underside of the foot rim.

While the signature was

totally removed and there

was no trace of work on
the glass surface, I was not
entirely successful in hiding

all my tracks as the sharp

edges of the cracking off

became slightly softened.
Though I am sure that with a

correct sized wheel and a bit
more care, it could be done.

Certainly other people who

are doing this sort of work

would make tailor-made
tools for the purpose. If
the sharp areas become too

softened by their polishing,
then a patient engraver

could engrave some good

sharp intentional ‘cracking
off’ chips with a fine stone

wheel and minimal polish.
There are full instructions

for repairs or corrections

and erasures on glass
— chips, scratches or

errors — in P.Dreiser & J.
Matcham,
Techniques of

Glass Engraving,
2nd edition,

A&C Black
20
06, ISBN

0-7136-7516-0, pp.153-155.

To complete this discus-

sion, Katharine came to the
final conclusion.

66
The way that the

blowers could really

permanently mark their

glasses and thwart the

engraver/polisher would
be to run their drill

engraved signatures over
the chipped areas of the

cracking off area.
99
LEFT, TOP TO

BOTTOM :

Underside of
foot before any

work.
Fig.2

Signature on

cracked off
pontil

Fig.3

Signature

polished off

pontil scar

Fig.4

Repolished
pontil scar

Fig.5
Extra

striations add-
ed to polished

out pontil.

TOP & ABOVE:
Fig.6

Clean foot rim

– no wear.
Fig.7

Underside of
foot rim given

wear.

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018

The _;.ass Society Presents

Two
Special Events

in Clare with
Andy McConnell

& Friends

Zis
HOW
Hare

wen.

ariocanom

AN EVENING WITH ANDY ReCON ELL

,FURDAY

from BSC Ws ‘Claques Roadshow

October

FRIDAY 26 October

llam • 5pm

Clare Town Hall
In aid of EACH S the
GLASS SOCIETY

Katharine Coleman MBE
Andy McConnell

glass engraver

PRICE £12.00 pip

Stewart Hearn 1Kathryn Ream

to rocioce

glass amst cerarmast

£25 p/p includes buffet lunch
[email protected]

er’

tor

Meim

72
OBITUARY & EVENTS

IN MEMORIAM

Massimo Marino

Sadly, we inform you of the

passing of Massimo Marino,

dealer and specialist in 20th
Century Italian glass, who died

on 4th September 2018. He

was 46.

The cause is unknown to us,

but he was being looked after
in a hospice and had been

complaining about what he be-

lieved was an ulcer from stress.

A review of his life amongst

friends in the world of glass

will be presented in the next
issue of
Glass Matters.

Professor Vera Evison

As readers who are also mem-
bers of the Association of the
History of Glass (AHG), will be

aware, Professor Vera Evison,
eminent early medieval ar-

chaeologist, and author of the
British Museum’s ‘Catalogue of

Anglo-Saxon Glass’, died ear-
lier this year at the age of loo.

An obituary appeared in ‘Glass
News 44 (July 2018)’.

With no instructions in her

will, Vera’s friends decided
to generously dispose of her

library free of charge. The

archaeological books, off-

prints and glass studies of all

periods, in addition to long
runs of several journals, were

made available to students and

researchers. There may be a

further opportunity to choose

publications that remain. Dr

Justine Bayley (mail@jus-

tine-bayley.co.uk) of the AHG

will let The Glass Sodety know

if this is forthcoming; if you
have interest, either drop us or

Dr.Bayley an email.

MEETINGS
Held at The Art Workers Guild,
London, Gradidge Room

(upstairs) 6.3o pm for light

refreshments and talks to

start at 7.15. The charge is Eio,

payable on the night.

2018

Thursday
22
November:

Clive Manison,
‘Evidence for the

Existence of Original Designs by
Dr Christopher Dresser in the

pattern books of Thomas Webb

and Co. Stourbridge’.

Thursday 6th December:

Andy McConnell, Bottoms Up!

The Story of Wine, its Rituals

and Glasses

A light-hearted talk that traces

the story of wine from its

humble beginnings in rotting
grapes before the Bronze

Age, to the present, when

single bottles can change

hands for thousands of

pounds. The talk visits the

ancient societies of Egypt,
Greece and Rome, travels

through the Middle Ages, the

Renaissance and 18th centu-

ry Britain. It culminates in

the present day, when more

wine is being consumed than

ever before.
2019

Thursday 14th March:
Ming Wilson, Senior Curator,

Asian Dept., Victoria and Al-
bert Museum, Chinese Glass

Tuesday 9th April:

speaker tbc

Thursday 9th May:
Dr. Elisa Sani, An early

Venetian Glass Lamp (full

title tbc)

Thursday 27th June:

speaker tbc.Full
details will

be emailed and also be posted
on The Glass Circle and Glass

Association websites.

Study Day
–

Hot from the Furnace Mouth:

How practical glassmaking

supports glass history

Project Workshops, Quarley,

Hampshire, SPii 8PX, 10.15 –

17.00, znd November 2018.
If you went to one of our

‘Let’s Twist Again ‘meetings

with Mark Taylor & David

Hill in Quarley you will be

interested in a study day

organised by the AHG.

You
will have received by email,

the full programme and book-

ing form for the day.

The Glass Society proposed
trip to Italy 2019
Keep the dates free

We know that many were
disappointed that due to cir-
cumstances, the Italian trip

was cancelled this year. Be
assured – it’s on our radar for

2019. The provisional dates
(to not clash with anything

of too great importance) are

from 16 – 20th May 2019.
The visit will be built around

going to see the Diageo
Glass Collection (formerly

Cinzano) at Santa Vittoria

d’Alba, the Brera Gallery in
Milan and Villa Monastero

at Varenna, Lake Como. As

soon as the itinerary has

been confirmed, you will be

informed.
EVENTS

Theft& Clam Society event

Study day and AGM’s at the V&A.
Saturday October 13th 2018

This year, The Glass Association and The Glass Cirde are
1
holding a joint study day at the Victoria & Albert Muse-

um in London. The event has been organised by both groups

under the name of The Glass Society, the future name of the

combined group. The meeting is being held in the Sadder Cen-
tre, Seminar Room 3. The most direct route is to go through

the new V&A entrance in Exhibition Road, turn left towards

the Sadder wing and the lift and rise to level 5.
Registration, coffee and tea will be from 10.45am. Our chair-

men, David Willars and Sue Newell will introduce the day,

followed by Sue’s talk on ‘The founding of the glass collection

at the Victoria & Albert Museum; an overview of the items

acquired c.1840-1860’. The AGM’s of the GA and the GC will
then be held separately and lunch taken. The afternoon warms
up with a discussion from Reino Liefkes – V&A senior curator

of ceramics and glass – on an unusual piece of glass purchased

by the V&A., entitled ‘What’s the purpose: oil lamp, perfume

sprinlder or trick glass?. To round off this special day, two one

hour tours will take place; John Smith, past chairman of The
GC, will take you around the museum to view the important

glass exhibits that are NOT located in the glass galleries; Reino
Liefkes will be in action again, showing the collection of 20th

and 21st century glass on display. The day’s
event
will finish at

4.30pm.

You
will have received by email, the full programme and booking

form for the day

BBC AntiquesRoadshow
Glass expert Andy McConnell will be coming to Clare.
Friday and Saturday on 26th & 27th October 2018

(I
n

Friday evening in the Town Hall, with refreshments from

7pm, Andy will give his ‘Beyond the Roadshow’ talk. Later

there will be a charity auction, raising funds for both EACH (East

Anglia’s Children’s Hospices) and the Glass Sodety.

Andy is an entertaining speaker and this promises to be an evening
of bonhomie and banter.

Interestingly, at one point in his life he lived in Glemsford and

worked for Suffolk Free Press.

On Saturday 27th, there will be a full programme in the Commu-

nity Centre when Andy is joined by Katharine Coleman MBE, the
renowned glass engraver, and Stewart and Kathryn Hearn.

Stewart
Hearn is a glass artist

and Kathryn is a ceramicist who

has recently retired from her
position as Course Director at

Central St Martins, London.

They now work together at their

lovely home and studio in Chat-

teris, Cambs.

Andy will be talking about

Lalique glass and conducting a

glass ID session, so bring along

any pieces you have that you

want to know more about.

Andy’s completely re-written and
long awaited book, ‘The Decant-
er’ will be out before Christmas.
Book your copy while you have

this opportunity to meet him.
(see the cover on page
27).

Glass Matters Issue no. 3 September 2018
31

LEFT:

Lynn ratafia glass.
RIGHT:
Lynn ale glass

GLASS
ME A T T E R. S

The joint magazine of
THE GLASS CIRCLE
and

THE GLASS ASSOCIATION

Promoti,frus the u.wcterstawcavus atiLd arpreciAti,o1A, of glass

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Glass Society Glass Matters_No.3, Oct 2018

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