Topic: Sowerby Victorian find

[Anne E.B.]

http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-7834

Just found this nice little piece of Sowerby today.  It has the peacock's head impressed on the base.  Thanks to Glen and Stephen's Sowerby's Vol.1. Victoria to George V,  I now know it first appeared in the Illustrated Pattern Book No. IX, June 1882.  There are figures of children around the side holding bells and playing some sort of game/nursery rhyme action. 

Any ideas what this might have been used for?

[KevinH]

I don't know for sure - and I have not even browsed any references to find out - but I wonder if this might be one end of a four piece set that, when put together (with two straight side sections and another similar end), form a posy-holder centre piece.

[mhgcgolfclub]

Hi

I believe they  were used as table centre pieces to decorate tables  maybe with flowers, depending on what size table you had you could have quite a few with semi- circle pieces  and straight one's  down the length of the tables, strange as I also bought 2 identicle piece yesterday

Roy

[Martyn K]

Hi anne,

l love the 4 green Oiva Toikka 'Fauna' glasses you've got pictured before this centrepiece.

[Anne E.B.]

Thanks guys   Table centre piece for flowers would make sense.  I would imagine a candle then went in the middle of the 2 piece set.  I'll have to look out for another one to complete the circle.

Glad you like my little glasses Martyn.  They were an unexpected find along with some Iitaala Ultima Thule glasses in a box of assorted 'rubbish' at a carboot sale.   

[Bernard C]

Anne — Cottle tells us that it is from Walter Crane's The Baby's Opera, A Book of Old Rhymes with New Dresses, published in 1877.   Your piece is Oranges and Lemons.    Sowerby pattern number 1293 - the matching straight posy trough is pattern number 1293½.   As Kevin said, two ends and two straights comprise a centrepiece.

Bernard C. 

[Anne E.B.]

One down, three more pieces to go then .  Thanks Bernard, and Kev too.  It took a little while for me to visualise it   I would imagine it looks quite impressive when complete.

[Carolyn Preston]

Anne — Cottle tells us that it is from Walter Crane's The Baby's Opera, A Book of Old Rhymes with New Dresses, published in 1877.   Bernard C. 

I've got the book. Actually, not a first edition, but circa my mother's birth (mid 20's).

Carolyn

[Bernard C]

... I've got the book. Actually, not a first edition, but circa my mother's birth (mid 20's). ...

Carolyn — J.G. Sowerby and his design team chose seven illustrations from Crane's The Baby's Opera to use for their fancy glass:-

• 1260 Lavendar's Blue
• 1263 Little Bo Peep
• 1281 Jack and Jill
• 1285 Little Jack Horner
• 1293, 1293½ Oranges and Lemons
• 1294 Dance a Baby
• 1296 Ye Frog and Ye Crow

The first example of The Baby's Opera that I had through my hands was an early example that looked as though it had spent most of its years in the toy box.   Nevertheless the pages were all there and reasonably clean, although the binding was disintegrating.   You can imagine my disappointment when I discovered that mounting up a full set for Sowerby enthusiasts was impossible.   Two of the the seven are on opposite sides of the same leaf.   How inconsiderate of J.G.!   ... and that is the only criticism I have ever made of the great man.

Bernard C.