Topic: Verrerie Souchon Neuvesel

[Frank]

I have a catalogue from this St Denis glassworks and note it (Ivo, Glass A-Z) was formerly Legras. They did dome of those moulded vases with mostly natural motif's; fish, birds, leafs etc. and was wondering id this was the type of piece designed by Heiligenstein?

All I found Googling was that the company tried unsuccessfully to takeover Compagnie de Saint-Gobain in 68 and failing that changed its business and became Danone.

[Ivo]

Legras was a bottle plant. VSN was a botle plant. Danone was a bottle plant. I think the ins and outs of the packaging industry require a specialised industry analyst and there is little we can do here. We're just not sufficiently introduced to make any sense out of a rapid sequence of takeovers, mergers, buy-outs and market shifts.

[Frank]

Catalogue is 30s with some containers but mostly utility kitchenware and tableware and very Art Deco vases.

[Ivo]

does it have the galloping horses vase?

[Frank]

nope

[Frank]

When the became Danone they stopped glass production and shifted to contents, obviously a good move as they now are a household name, so as VSN 1926-68 they appear to have been quite successful.

Anyway a couple of the vases, when was this style of vase been first introduced? And by whom?

[Ivo]

When the became Danone they stopped glass production

Oh no they did not. In 1966, EVIAN SOUCHON-NEUVEUSEL and flat glass giant BOUSSOIS merged under the new name of BOUSSOIS SOUCHON NEUVEUSEL (B.S.N). They attempted a hostile takeover bid on ST.GOBAIN which failed in 1969. In 1973 B.S.N and GERVAIS DANONE announved their merger to become the largest food group in France under the name B.S.N GERVAIS DANONE with a turnover of 16 billion FFs. Danone was the owner of Verenigde (including Leerdam) glasfabrieken until quite recently. Core business is of course champagne bottles, beer bottles and various packaging glass. But the relevance for collectors escapes me.

Danone sold its majority stake in BSN Emballage to CVC Capital Partners (UK) in 1999 - but at the same time they took over Gerresheimer. The combined company (44% Danone!) has 20 plants in France, Spain, Germany and The Netherlands.

[Frank]

... moulded vases with mostly natural motif's; fish, birds, leafs etc. and was wondering if this was the type of piece designed by Heiligenstein?

[Ivo]

Auguste was technical and artistic advisor at VSN (previously Legras) in Saint Denis from 1926 to 1931 - but he was also a colorist and enameler, and had his own sales outlet in Paris. If he was responsible for the drab matt grey mass produced vases is not known. He did produce quite stunning coloured pieces which are signed Daum or Mont Joye around that time. After 1945 he only did Ceramics.

[Frank]

Were they actually grey or just frosted clear?