Topic: Sowerby Green Slag Glass Queen Anne Candlestick

[mhgcgolfclub]

Fred

A couple of pictures of what must be a quite rare Sowerby geen slag glass Queen Anne Candlestick. Please feel free to ask for more pictures if of any interest for you.

The condition is not good having been glued togther in a couple of places.

Roy

[Lustrousstone]

What a shame, as it's a very handsome thing

[Paul S.]

very interesting piece Roy.         
This pattern doesn't seem to appear in the Sowerby CD catalogue - in the ordinary sequence of pattern Nos. -  although there is a picture of one in Queens Patent Ivory Ware at the very end of Part Two.                Glen and Stephen Thistlewood's comments are worth reading, regarding this particular pattern, as are those of Raymond Slack  -  I'm not sure whether we infer from these author's notes that the design is assumed to have been manufactured in Ivory Ware only, or it's just me mis-interpreting these authors comments.           Aside from Ivory and the usual Opal Vitro-Porcelain colours, sticks were certainly made in brown and purple marbled colours, so doubtless a few were knocked out in green marble glass  -  but it's just whether this pattern has ever been seen previously in other than Ivory.
There are, apparently, some Sowerby sticks in very rare colourways.
I've looked through The National Archive pictures but wasn't aware of seeing this 'Queen Ann' pattern pattern in the Representations.

I won't repeat the wording from the CD or book  -  I don't know if Glen might wish to comment further.

It appears that not all of Sowerby's candle sticks and chamber sticks were Registered - but that aside it's possible that a striking design such as this may well not have been Registered since is bears massive similarity to previous very well know ceramic candlestick design, and Registration might have been thought to be bordering on plagiarism...............just my thoughts.

In fact I'm not a fan of green, so don't share Christine's comments, but if you can find me one in Ivory, well.....................

[agincourt17]

Thank you for your permission, Roy. I certainly haven’t seen this pattern in green malachite glass before. I presume it has the Sowerby peacock head trademark and the ‘Queen Ann…’ inscription under the base (see below).

Paul, the IQW candlestick actually appears on page 10 of volume Three of the Thistlewood CD-ROM.

Simon Cottle (page 69 of ‘Sowerby – Gateshead Glass’) describes it at a

neo-classical candlestick, following the fashionable style of the Queen Anne Movement of the 1870s and 1880s, was produced in Ivory Queen’s Ware, Jet and Blanc de Lait colours. Found in two sizes, and inscribed under the stepped base ‘Queen Anne Candlestick’ and ‘J. Mortlock & Co. Oxford St. and Orchard St. London’…

Though most examples of this pattern seem to be in IQW, here are two photos of an example of the pattern in white vitro-porcelain for reference. (Permission for the re-use of this image on the GMB granted by hippots).

The inscription under the base of this example begins “QUEEN ANN CANDLESTICK…” [not ‘Queen Anne…’], as does that shown on the Thistlewood CD-ROM and that quoted on page 62 of Slack, so I presume that the inscription quoted by Cottle is merely a mis-reading.

I can’t remember seeing a Sowerby Queen Ann candlestick in jet glass, though I have seen candlestick pattern 1196 in jet glass (and I believe Roy had a rare pair of pattern 1196 candlesticks in blue opalescent glass).

Although Cottle says that the Queen Ann candlestick is found in two sizes, all the examples I have seen have been 10¼ inches tall. Roy doesn’t give a size for the green malachite example, but I would be grateful if anyone has examples to show in heights other than 10¼ inch, or in other colours.

Fred.

[mhgcgolfclub]

Fred

The candlestick is 10.25" and marked on the underside.

Roy

[Paul S.]

quote................"the IQW candlestick actually appears on page 10 of volume Three of the Thistlewood CD-ROM."..............     that's what I was referring to Fred, although I called it part Two and should have said Section Two (last item on the very last page I think), but it doesn't occur as a factory pattern drawing along with other sticks.            The implication seems to be that the base always carries the reference to Mortlock, which can be seen in Roy's later picture.                 However, obviously I didn't look at Simon Cottle's text properly.
I had hoped that there might have been additional input, but would imagine we've covered most of the information.

Perhaps someone has been using Roy's example for Cluedo

[thewingedsphinx]

Hi,
I come across a pair of these headless candlesticks today. Obviously they look as if their heads have been knocked off and then ground down, how ever the finish is so good is it possible they were made like this for another purpose (cake stand?) Or have they simply been restored and polished? Both are headless.
Thanks Mike

[agincourt17]

Strange, but still interesting, even though I don't have an answer, Mike.

Fred.