Topic: Some new Vaseline Glass - ID needed

[Glassyone]

Adam!, Cyril Manley's book 'Decorative Victorian Glass' is a good resource. He is not always right as members of this Board have pointed out to me in previous threads. He does have a lot to say about these firms and gives many examples of their work.

I was in a rush last night as it was my birthday and my son was cooking dinner.
On page 25 of his book he says that 'some of the articles produced by these firms are so much alike that it took me years to discover how to separate them. I finally acheived it by using ultraviolet light' ---but does not say how!! Not on that page anyway. And I'm not sure that would be reliable.

Connie, I'm a rank amateur who is mostly wrong and occasionally correct or partly so. I am just developing the impression that the details of B and M applique may be more detailed and 'controlled' than S and W , that could be rubbish and as for all the other firms, well that's beyound me yet!
Best wishes for more info to come for you both.
R

[Lustrousstone]

I'm not really saying anything. It's just that in Skelcher's book, Boulton and Mills isn't even given a mention and  "In the past fifteen years,..., he has collected and studied nearly 800 pieces of glass coloured with uranium." He uses radioactivity and density to help decide along with old literature and catalogues, etc. He certainly gives similarly styled items as probabaly Stevens and Williams. Perhaps we should ask him to join us, I'll try and email through ebay. It is interesting and odd that the earthlink site doesn't have a single Stevens and Williams piece, and they were one of the big glass houses.

I have two very similar but very different in the small details Stourbridge baskets. I suspect they are different glasshouses, but either looks to be possibly Stevens and Williams. Got to go late for work :oops:  :shock:

[Bernard C]

Adam — my apologies — I forgot one glassworks that I should have mentioned as a possible source for your Victorian / Edwardian fancies.

Charles Kempton & Sons, of Lambeth.   See Timberlake.   We know little about their products, except for their amazing trumpet vases and a few rare registered designs.   They were a medium sized glassworks (by comparison with the Stourbridge factories), and by 1886, when they launched their trumpet vases, they were as highly skilled in both decorative techniques and the use of colour as the Stourbridge glassworks.

I think it is reasonable to include Kempton into the general term "Stourbridge".    Note that both Hajdamach and Reynolds were published before Timberlake.

Hope that helps.

Bernard C.  

[David555]

Thanks Ruth & Christine

Your joint interest and input has been both informative and generous - I agree with the authors comment 'some of the articles produced by these firms are so much alike that it took me years to discover how to separate them.

Bernard - thank you for the extra name, along with your other post I feel very well informed and I love pieces of glass that are good, can be pinned down to a general area, but remain a mystery in terms of maker. It is something I can get my teeth into from time to time, it's nice to get a name straight away, but it is fun to get clues and play detective - research in another word  :lol:  :?  :cry:  :lol:  :?  :idea:  

Adam P

[Lustrousstone]

I thought I would show you my two baskets, both creamy white uranium glass with amber trim and handles. Seen separately you might think, different design, same stable, but I think different stables. Everything is different about them. Click to enlarge.

[David555]

Lovely pieces Christine

I agree, the crimped edge is so similar and the colour of trim and handle is almost identical. These seem to be across the board techniques many Stourbridge factories had in common.

When you look closer as you suggest, I can see the width of the trim is different and the main body of each piece seems not only different in colour but also in technique - this is very subtle and not unlike my two vases where the inner colour bleeds through more (difficult as they are from the same factory), however the depth and sharpness seems different, this is best seen in the bases, your taller basket has sharper lines and a more defined pontil not unlike my single vase – that seems the key factor if you were to dispute over manufacture – to my untrained eye at least.

I don't know enough about the handle techniques, I guess many were interchangeable from factory to factory - the 'thorny' handle on the first is my favourite (so naturalistic), even though I have cut myself on some elaborate pieces in the past  :roll:  

Do you have any ideas on attribution, I have looked at 100s of pieces in the last few days in my books and get 'Victorian Vaseline Vase/Basket/Bowl, Epergne'....ahhhhhhhhh – named attributions seem a bit unsafe unless there is a label or mark.

Thanks


Adam P

[Lustrousstone]

I must admit I haven't looked far to find an attribution. Even the amber glass on them is a different shade of brown. I too like the thorny handle but the other one is my favourite, it's much richer looking - I always think of one as being skimmed and the other full fat - if that analogy makes sense