Topic: Stevens and Williams Arboresque question

[bfg]

m, I'm following this thread, can't add much - looking at the word Arboresque - 'arbor' latin for tree and 'esque' meaning resembles, in the style of.

I'm looking in Manley at the page you mention and the soft open crackle is certainly tree bark like which would sit well with that breakdown of the word

.....but then another definition of 'arbor' is an axle or spindle on which something revolves - which could relate to the SW rainbow stripes

so I'm still confused  I would have thought that such a specific word would relate to the style or pattern of the range?

I'm going through 'Fredrick Carder: portrait of a glassmaker' at the moment. not found a reference to Arboresque yet  (but there is a reference to a mat-su-no-ke style vase designed by Carder in 1880  lol)

I hope you get to the bottom of this one soon

[Baked_Beans]

How about this ?

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/443393525785091206/

Is it Stevens and Williams ?

[flying free]

Mel, I thought similar (re trees) and, from the description, the picture I had in my head was of something like 'fibrilose' but with more of the trailing
like this link (looking at the decor trailing rather than the shape)
http://gorgeousglass.org.uk/collections/getrecord/DMUSE_ST358/

I hope Nigel can confirm whether Rainbow is an actual decor in the pattern books  and has nothing to do with Arboresque. 
Leaving us still looking for an image of Arboresque though.

Baked Beans - mmm, well, I don't know for sure but it doesn't match the description in the Crystal Years.  I think that one could be one of those cases where the crackle picture and description in Manley has translated into 'anything with crackle is Arboresque'.  But I could be wrong.


m

[flying free]

http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/gorgeous-stevens-williams-arboresque-vase-no
This showed up as 'snow white Arboresque'
It looks the same as the vase under 280 in Manley as far as I can see (open to correction, but the foot and rim and crackle effect practically look as though it's actually the same vase.)  The only difference is the colour where this one is clearly white over pink, but in Manley all the pieces look peach in my pictures. 

Actually, I'm beginning to wonder about the colour photography in the Manley book as well.  If this is the same vase and I believe it is (very distinctive rim shape and a round bun foot, quite difficult to find an exact match to that really), then the vase in no 280 in Manley is possibly white over pink.  Which begs the question, is the bowl we are discussing under no 285, actually white crackle not peachy pink as I am seeing it?  I suppose it is possible all three of the crackle pieces he used were peach coloured.

Edited to add: Looking again at the photograph, I think item 280 is white crackle over deep pink transparent glass, but the lighting is making it look peach all over, I think item 282 is clear with a white crackle possibly but has a deep pink rim on it, and I think item 285 is possibly pink (not peach) crackle over transparent glass, although again it could be the lighting and it could be white over pink transparent glass.

Also, is it possible that Manley mistook the process and that neither this vase where he says ' All the glass-blower had to do was mark, with some pressure, the outer casing with a sharp piece of metal before the article was blown to full size.' or any of the vases were made by this process.   But actually they were all cased over transparent glass and then the outer layer was crackled using cold water then blown out a little further to open the crackle out.
I am open to correction on all my observations ... for that is only what they are.

I have found a couple of pieces listed as 'Hobbs Snowstorm' - they seem to be white crackle over a deep pink transparent glass
(caveat - I have no idea at all about Hobbs Brockunier glass - this is just what they were listed as)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hobbs-Brockunier-rubina-overshot-crackle-snowstorm-rose-bowl-rosebowl-glass-/221348719176?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3389696a48&nma=true&si=tznYn5dbNwf63OpQ4XfOXtBb4KI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

http://www.rubylane.com/item/334026-074/1880s-Hobbs-Rubina-Bowl-Snowstorm
m

[KevinH]

Kev, do you or anyone else reading this thread, own British Glass Between The Wars - Dodsworth?

Yes, m, I have "BGBTW", and I can confirm some points ...

In your reply #17, you asked about S&W "rainbow" decor. Bernard's points relating the BGBTW illustrated item and the 1938 pattern number were correct. And yes, the vase in the auction link with the description referencing the BGBTW book is indeed the same pattern and the same colour (delicate blue and green fading into each other in a very rainbow-like way).

And, quoting from the BGBTW book, page 99, catalogue #335:

Described in the Stevens and Williams Description Books as 'light blue and green rainbow cased inside.'

As for "arboresque" ...

BGBTW, page 99, catalogue #331, [sadly not illustrated] was a bowl in "... a style known as Arboresque, introduced in 1933". The description says:

Clear glass, blown into an irregular patterned mould and sprayed with orange metallic salts.

That description of being sprayed with orange salts would fit well with the colouring of the bowl shown in Manley #285 (and #191 in the earlier Collectible Glass book). The photos in the later Manley book are probably ok for colour but many do have a rather dark appearance due to the shelving and background colour and general lighting. But looking closely at image #285 and especially #191 in the earlier book,  the colour does show as a thin, "watery" orange with hints of greyish-blue (according to my colour reception). As I said, I think that fits with "sprayed with orange metallic salts".

So, if my thoughts are correct, maybe all of the four colours (as stated by Manley) for Arboresque were sprayed metallic salts. And maybe (as stated in BGBTW) all Arboresque was a mould-blown pattern.

And not only that, but perhaps the meaning of "arbor" in connection with this pattern, was "like tree bark" (such as with oak etc). That could make sense of why we have been thinking of "crackled surface decoration" and have not considered "mould blown".

If so, then I guess some / most / all of the white crackle over pink items referred to are simply not "arboresque". And that would also vindicate Manley in his later book. He only referred to Item #285 as "arboresque". Items #280 and #282 happened to be the first two of that small group for which he used the term "cracked surface decoration".

[Baked_Beans]

This is a great thread you guys are amazing !

Do you think there could have been a typo error and the original reference to the word should have read arabesque which is a term used in the art world and is in my glass dictionary.... " in Islamic art, a flat decoration of intricate interlaced lines and bands and abstract ornaments adapted largely from classical sources "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabesque_(Islamic_art)

Just a thought 

Cheers, Mike.

[bfg]

If so, then I guess some / most / all of the white crackle over pink items referred to are simply not "arboresque". And that would also vindicate Manley in his later book. He only referred to Item #285 as "arboresque". Items #280 and #282 happened to be the first two of that small group for which he used the term "cracked surface decoration".

Yes, this is something I noted down late last night - although the one on worthpoint m linked to is probably the same as #280 Manley only referred to #285 as being Arboresque and it is a much more open, delicate & gentile finish to my eye.

I tend to hesitate now where Manley is concerned but I can see how easily things can be misinterpreted or misquoted over time and become the norm

[flying free]

Thank you
I will come back in more detail on the crackled pattern shown in Manley once I've had a chance to look again at the photos and digest your comments.
One thought -
(I find myself completely unable to work out how to do boxed quoted comments so apologies)

1)
Ref Kev's comment in his post just above (my underlining)

'Yes, m, I have "BGBTW", and I can confirm some points ...

In your reply #17, you asked about S&W "rainbow" decor. Bernard's points relating the BGBTW illustrated item and the 1938 pattern number were correct. And yes, the vase in the auction link with the description referencing the BGBTW book is indeed the same pattern and the same colour (delicate blue and green fading into each other in a very rainbow-like way).

And, quoting from the BGBTW book, page 99, catalogue #335:
Quote
Described in the Stevens and Williams Description Books as 'light blue and green rainbow cased inside.''

The use of all lower case in this sentence in the BGbtW book still leaves me unsure as to whether 'Rainbow' was a named range or just a descriptor of the 'rainbow' effect of the striped colours as they appeared to the eye.  It's a better descriptor than using the word 'striped'.  If it was a named range it should have appeared with a capital letter for the word I would have thought? 
Also, IF it is the same vase, Hajdamach (see my post #18) has the caption as appearing in the pattern books as ' 'Light Blue & Green Rainbow Cased Inside' ' with capitals for all of it.

I'm not nit-picking - I genuinely haven't been able to find any reference anywhere to an actual Stevens and Williams range called 'Rainbow' in the pattern books.  And the fact that Broadfield House have the vase denoted 'Object Name: Stevens and Williams Vase' rather than a range name as they do for other ranges, compounds the query.

m

[flying free]

Observation on the missing possible 'Rainbow' range in The Crystal Years:

The Crystal Years was written by R.S. Williams-Thomas.  It was published in 1983.
In the Foreword to the book
it says: '... Dr. Leonard S. Rakow, M.D. of New York City, is a famous collector and expert on Cameo Glass:
... .  Now Lt. Col. R.S. Williams-Thomas who has helped to guide the destinies of the company for the past half century presents it's history ...'
'
This would mean the author of The Crystal Years had been there since 1933.  He was born in 1914 so that would make him 19 in 1933.
By the time the rainbow striped green and blue vase was in the pattern book in 1938 he would have been 24.

According to CH British Glass Keith Murray was designing for the company between 1932 and 1939( ref page 155) and there is a design book that has his designs in.  But within that book there are designs that have 'not KM' written next to them.  Hajadamach says ' Most of these 'Not KM' designs were by Hubert Silvers Williams-Thomas, Reg Silvers Williams-Thomas and Harry Whitworth; ...'

The author of the Crystal Years was an active member of Stevens and Williams glass during the 1930s when these rainbow striped pieces were made.  Is it conceivable that having mentioned, amongst earlier ranges, a range called 'Tortoiseshell' dating to the mid 1930s and a range called 'Arboresque' carried out in the early 1930s, that he simply forgot to mention what seems to have been fairly well produced range by comparison to say Caerleon for example (judging by the number of shapes and colours that have been found by board members) of rainbow striped vases called 'Rainbow'?

m

[flying free]

To add to my post above, but to keep the information separate:
There are some other noticeable issues -

1) Charles Hajdamach 20thc BG (2009)
     - page 109 mentions 'Abbey Glass' (March 1928) (plate 214 right hand for crackled version of)
     - and a 'Mesh' vase and pattern (October 1929) (no picture shown)
     - and a 'Bubbly' glass (plate 213 left hand)

None of which are mentioned in The Crystal Years.
 
Also Hajdamach on the same page in the same paragraph mentions
     - an  ' "Arboresque" range' introduced in 1933, but shows no picture.
 He says' ... but by this date the fashion for these effects was waning and they disappear quickly from the company pattern books.'

He does not give a description of the decor for the Mesh or Arboresque ranges but does the describe Caerleon, Abbey and Bubbly ranges.

Why, given Manley had produced a piece of glass under Arboresque in a book dated to the early 1980's, and The Crystal Years (dated 1983) gave a description of the decor for Arboresque, would a description of Arboresque decor have been left out of CH 20thc British Glass I wonder?

I'll have to come back later on the crackle issue - got a report to write and not getting anything done fast at the mo 


m