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Author Topic: Ysart ID Help please  (Read 1469 times)

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Offline tropdevin

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Ysart ID Help please
« on: October 06, 2008, 10:41:36 AM »

The two paperweights below were sold at auction along with another 12 or so paperweights, all Scottish.  The first is a carousel weight, and this design is usually attributed to Salvador Ysart.  But there appear to be Caithness cane sections in the base - so was it one made by Paul when he was there?

Carousel.  Diameter 82 mm, height 60 mm. Fluorescence: LW faint yellow green, SW strong bright blue.



The second is intriguing: at first sight it has Bohemian combed design.  But the pontilmark looks like the first weight - as does the colour of the glass, which shows a slight yellow-brown tinge.  We know that Salavdor made all sorts of designs - could this also be by him or Paul?  Any thoughts?

Abstract.  Diameter 95 mm, height 76 mm. Fluorescence: LW faint yellow green, SW medium grey (I can't decide whether it is slightly yellow or slightly blue!).



Alan
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Offline Frank

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Re: Ysart ID Help please
« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2008, 11:08:42 AM »
In my opinion the styling of the second is far too modern for Salvador and I don't see Paul even trying something like that.

For the first, see image 4 here http://www.ysartglass.com/Ysartnews/Ysartnews3a.htm

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Offline KevinH

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Re: Ysart ID Help please
« Reply #2 on: October 06, 2008, 11:59:23 AM »
Fascinating!

I agree that the "Carousel" weight appears to have Caithness canes - although canes of that style (also used in the Edinburgh Crystal millefiori weights) are known in some of John Deacons' work (John had a contract with Caithness at one time to make the canes). And I think Perthshire Paperweights also used canes of a very similar structure. However, the overall apperance of the weight is not one I know from other than the Ysart men - and similar style from Bohemia / Czechoslvakia.

With a yellow-brown tint to the glass, it doesn't seem to be right for the Caithness Glass lead crystal. But the UV reaction of yellow-green / strong bright blue does tie up properly for that period of Paul's work at the Wick factory. If this is by Paul Ysart, then maybe it was made when the batch was not at its best? Or perhaps it was made at the Perth factory with a lead batch that was not up to the standard of that at Wick? (Did Paul occasionally go to the Perth factory?)

However, the ground of the weight seems unusal for a Paul Ysart piece as all the "fountain / carousel" types I have seen (not that many, though) have had a thin white ground as a base for the coloured chips. But many of the Badge weights assumed to be by Paul Ysart, do not have a thin white ground!

Generally, the quality of the working in that "carousel" weight is what I would expect in a Paul Ysart piece. Similar weights (such as the one Frank linked to) by Salvador, although good, are not as precise in the setting as Paul's - and anyway, the UV results are not right for anything by Salvador.

The base finish is not what I would expect for a Paul Ysart item - except that it is similar to some of the Badge weights (that I think might well be Belgian!). But even if Paul did finish the bases of some Badge weights in that way, why would he revert back to that "1930s" way of doing things after 30+ years of better quality finishing?

I agree with Frank about the second weight. It is odd that it has such a modern look to the crisp central part with its striking blue, white and "whatever-colour-that-is", but has a fairly typical "combed bakset" of late 19th / early 20th century continental work. The UV result ties in well with a "soda batch" of earlier work.
KevinH

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Offline Frank

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Re: Ysart ID Help please
« Reply #3 on: October 06, 2008, 01:09:45 PM »
(Did Paul occasionally go to the Perth factory?)
Paul had his batch made at Moncrieff when on his own, if he did the same while at Caithness, I do not know - but it is not impossible as he only made weights for himself at Caithness. His recipe still exists.

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Offline KevinH

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Re: Ysart ID Help please
« Reply #4 on: October 06, 2008, 01:43:31 PM »
The UV for Paul's weights from the Harland years is consistent, and the "dusty pink" colour under Longwave would probably tie in with the batch made at Mocrieff's at that time. [Incidentally, the UV result for the Moncrieff "Unific" glass tubes you sent me, Frank is different, being a distinct orange.]

The UV results (that I have checked) of Paul's weights from the Caithness period are also consistent, showing green / blue reaction under longwave / shortwave.

Something I forgot to say about the "carousel / fountain" weights by Salvador / Paul is that Paul's always (as far as I am aware) had a bubble placed neatly on the outside of the coloured "legs", whereas Salvador did not (as far as I know) add the bubbles. On that evidence alone, the "carousel" weight above would not have been made by Salvador.
KevinH

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Offline Frank

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Re: Ysart ID Help please
« Reply #5 on: October 06, 2008, 04:34:43 PM »
The Vasart one in Ysartnews 3, linked above, has bubbles.

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Offline KevinH

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Re: Ysart ID Help please
« Reply #6 on: October 06, 2008, 05:35:15 PM »
Yeah, it does - I knew that - but somehow it didn't come to mind when I made the comment (he says, trying to get out of the error :angel:). But are the bubbles actually on the "legs" or are they set "floating" above the point where the "legs" meet the twists placed around the ground?

All other (????) Salvador "carousel" type wieghts I have seen jave not had "leg" bubbles.
KevinH

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