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Author Topic: William Swingewood snr for Stevens & Williams 1920's? Hunt lampwork things  (Read 15161 times)

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Offline chopin-liszt

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Re: William Swingewood snr for Stevens & Williams 1920's? Hunt lampwork things
« Reply #20 on: September 15, 2011, 10:47:26 AM »
 :24: :24: :24:

I doubt it, jp, still far too distasteful.
You wouldn't want a portrait of Harold Shipman in your house, would you? Even though he's dead.
Cheers, Sue M. (she/her)

‘For every problem there is a solution: neat, plausible and wrong’. H.L.Mencken

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Offline flying free

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Re: William Swingewood snr for Stevens & Williams 1920's? Hunt lampwork things
« Reply #21 on: September 15, 2011, 11:43:01 AM »
Getting away from the ghastly hunt theme  :-X, I have a tiny opalescent-point Siamese cat which looks as if it was made by the same maker as the wee dog.

 It is made of both opalesecnt and opaque white glass.

I'm convinced it's something absolutely excellent, and from this time, not Komarovy and quite probably by the same maker as the figures being discussed here.


Well for the record I am vehemently anti hunt  :) JP thank you for looking out all the detail and information on the sizes.
I had bought these not knowing what they were to be honest, just that they were curious because they were actually enclosed and fairly large pieces even without their bowls ( I don't really do free standing animals or small things) , and the detail in the woman is incredible and the dogs look real.  I never gave them another thought until I spotted them looking for the Stevens and Williams bowl in another thread.  When I checked the woman with a magnifying glass and spotted her opalescent hands it reminded me of your comment on the cat Sue, which is why I asked about it  :sun:  I hadn't actually spotted that the design of the cat and my dogs is quite similar as well.  The dogs are opaline but without opalescent noses.
m

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Offline Frank

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Re: William Swingewood snr for Stevens & Williams 1920's? Hunt lampwork things
« Reply #22 on: September 15, 2011, 12:22:22 PM »
There seem to be more differences than simlarities between the subject examples and the S&W posted further down.

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Offline flying free

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Re: William Swingewood snr for Stevens & Williams 1920's? Hunt lampwork things
« Reply #23 on: September 15, 2011, 02:02:12 PM »
I can't agree there are more differences than similarities, because I can't actually see any of those Mike posted in close up in order to tell - apart from one, where I can see there are differences in some ways and most obviously with the legs/hooves on the horse.
That said, again it is hard to tell because they are moving legs whereas mine are stationary and of course they are horses legs rather than dogs legs so comparing those two is also difficult.  I can't see the pictures of Mike's dogs closely enough to make any comparison at all although the picture of the dogs standing still, indicates their legs are fairly straight and undefined, much like my horse legs appear to be, although there is definition in them it's difficult to show in the photos.
Is there evidence somewhere that these sets were all identical? (I'm not ignoring the fact that differences can be subtle and are not necessarily to do with colours, and the 'overall' look of the piece).  
Personally I do think the horse Mike has put in close up actually looks more like the horse on an ashtray id'd as by William Swingewood Jnr, page 178 Hajdamach 20th Century British Glass.  If so would these goblets have still been made in the 50's (which is the date one of WS Jnr  items in the book is id's as).  If not and these sets are dated to the 30's then I presume it is possible that there are differences in the detailed execution of these pieces by the same maker, as the rider and horse in the goblet in 20th Century British glass also looks slightly different to the one Mike has.
Frank are you aware of another maker who could have made glasses constructed in this way?  If we assume they are Stevens and Williams for now given there are a number identified as Stevens and Williams that look remarkably the same, are you aware of another lampworker who would have been able to make these goblets at Stevens and Williams?  

m

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Offline Mike M

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Re: William Swingewood snr for Stevens & Williams 1920's? Hunt lampwork things
« Reply #24 on: September 15, 2011, 08:58:08 PM »
Though I go into a bit more information if this help at all...............

I based the Stevens and Williams attribution on these bowl-less ones more on the fact that the spheres holding the figures are very similar and the mountings above and below appear identical. The figures being similar helps too!

I must have seen parts of maybe as many as 6 hunting sets now - the riders (man, woman and once I think a master with top hat) and horses vary wildly in colour and slightly in form - I've had the dogs running, standing and jumping up, I think the fox is also either running or jumping up.

The first two part sets I had were verified coincidently by both Charles H and by Billy's grandson (some also were marked for T Goode -which helped). I think they both mentioned that apart form his son, Billy was the only lampmaker employed by S&W or for that matter any Stourbridge glassworks at that period.

All that being said comparing pictures is far from an exact science - and pictures like mine don't really help -sorry I don't have better pictures -those spheres make them very hard to photo.

Hope this helps -I'm pretty confident they are topless, S&W and Billy snr -but only as confident as you can be comparing poor quality photos!

cheers

M

 

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Offline flying free

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Re: William Swingewood snr for Stevens & Williams 1920's? Hunt lampwork things
« Reply #25 on: September 15, 2011, 09:32:32 PM »
Thank you Mike  :)
I've found it difficult to photograph the horse one well at all.  I did get some slightly better pictures yesterday in daylight that show more detail.  I wasn't going to bother putting them here, but if I get time, I will just for future reference.
m

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Offline flying free

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Re: William Swingewood snr for Stevens & Williams 1920's? Hunt lampwork things
« Reply #26 on: September 16, 2011, 08:06:38 AM »
I was looking for something else entirely and spotted this attribution.  A goblet that seems to be the same as mine and those Mike posted with a rider and horse in it attributed to a Harry Moore at Stevens and Williams.   You will need to scroll down the page, I think it is 5th or 6th picture down on the left.

http://www.stylendesign.co.uk/guidepages/edtog1.html

m

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Offline Mike M

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Re: William Swingewood snr for Stevens & Williams 1920's? Hunt lampwork things
« Reply #27 on: September 16, 2011, 09:25:28 AM »
Hi

Although I might be totally wrong, I suspect this is an old mis-attribution (I think that page is a few years old and when it first appeared it was probably as good a guess as any)

-as I'd said in that earlier thread, Charles H's book was one of the first to really document the Swingewood work.

Charles told me about going through the Swingewood designs with fascination - wondering if they had all been made.
 
-one particular one he said drew his eye and he included the design drawing in his book - the lampwork figure is a bird then the sphere is etched with vertical bands like a cage!
cheers

Mike 
PS found another couple more Swingewood 'close ups' - two crowns -the coloured one is  trial edition of only 2!
And the clear a limited edition of 50 -both made as 'abdication' commemoratives for Thomas Goode and Sons

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Offline flying free

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Re: William Swingewood snr for Stevens & Williams 1920's? Hunt lampwork things
« Reply #28 on: September 16, 2011, 10:14:55 AM »
ooh they are gorgeous !  I read about the bird, it sounds wonderful.
For what it's worth, gut instinct is a terrible thing I know, but I do think mine are the same  :P
I'm happy to be proved wrong, but for now I 'think' I'm right lol.
m

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Offline chopin-liszt

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Re: William Swingewood snr for Stevens & Williams 1920's? Hunt lampwork things
« Reply #29 on: September 16, 2011, 10:54:01 AM »
My guts agree with yours, m.
And they think my little cat belongs too.
Christine handled it and agrees that the work is of stunningly superior quality, it's a miniature, anatomically correct sculpture.
Cheers, Sue M. (she/her)

‘For every problem there is a solution: neat, plausible and wrong’. H.L.Mencken

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