Topic: Birmingham Museum day out.....interesting pieces?

[keith]

Had some spare time last Saturday so popped in the museum and art gallery and took a couple of interesting pictures(with permission) .Before any one asks I contacted them and they have given their blesssing to use these images,so thanks to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery here they are.
    The first is by TC&E Barnes c.1870,a B'ham firm I can find no info' about.
    The second a pair of 'lens' vases by Walsh Walsh,which look nothing like any work I've seen by them,any opinions?
   

[Lustrousstone]

Wow, will that do!

[Bernard C]

Keith — Thanks.   Very interesting.

Barnes is new to me as well.   Yet another to add to the list.

The Walsh vases don't surprise me, as they made high quality cameo for a long time.   Sadly very little has been recognised.

Grateful thanks.

Bernard C.  

[David E]

Perhaps this will help. Drawn from www.birmingham.gov.uk (Museum & Art Gallery). I don't have the full URL as I just copied and pasted it over with the attribution.

Thomas Collier Barnes, a glassblower working for Osler, entered and won the International Workmen's Exhibition in 1870 with his collection of glass vessels. Half of the prize-winning exhibit went to the Royal Collection, and most of the rest he gave to the Birmingham Museum to establish a collection of "glass articles having skill or artistic merit displayed in them". Accordingly, with the co-operation of the South Kensington Museum, the foundation of today's extensive glass collections were laid - which still includes some of Barnes' own work.

So T C Barnes may have set up his own company (TC & E Barnes?), but as the dates of 1870 coincide, it implies that he was employed by Osler at the time.

[keith]

Thanks David,some of the Osler pieces they have there are amazing,must be nearly two inches thick!