Topic: Scottish? but has a cross of St George cane

[chriscooper]

Hi, not my photos a friend sent me them thought it was a good Scottish weight but puzzled it appears to have a cross of St George cane?

[SophieB]

Hi Chris,

It is an early Paul Ysart weight (Pre-war Moncrief, I think). Yes, that cane does really look like a St George cross. Not sure whether it was by design or by accident. May be KevinH will be able to tell us more.

SophieB

[chriscooper]

Thank you Sophie for confirming believe it or not I told her I thought 1930s Paul Ysart.
Thanks too from Michelle Reader for your help 


Chris

[Frank]

Red Cross is also the flag of Barcelona, whence the Isart's started. Does not appear to have been used in France though.

[SophieB]

I had not realised that Saint George was the patron of Barcelona and Catalonia. One learns so much on this board!!!

SophieB

[tropdevin]

***

Hi.  I think St George is a widely used and popular figure -I have even seen an image of him slaying a dragon in a remote village on the Austrian / Italian border.  He is patron saint of Russia, Egypt, Greece, Potugal, Ethiopia and many other countries, as well as cities including Moscow...so a busy chap!

Alan

[KevinH]

... Yes, that cane does really look like a St George cross. Not sure whether it was by design or by accident. May be KevinH will be able to tell us more.

SophieB

All I can say for certain is that I have seen a few Ysart canes which use a cruciform design and the colours vary. The example in Chris's weight is distinct in its colouring and in the form of the cross, in as much as it is quite a thin cross. Some of the cruciform canes have a thin layer of contrasting colour around the main cross section.

I have weights with a few examples of cruciform canes and some are simply elements of a complex cane. Others were used as a central feature of a simple cane. These elemental uses may not be easy to see in some weights. It is clear that at least some of the cruciform canes were made at Moncrieff's in the pre-war years as they can appear in pre-war labelled bottle stoppers.

Chris's weight is a good example of a Paul Ysart likely 1930s item, using a cane that can also be found in weights made at the Ysart Brothers works and perhaps also later into the Vasart Ltd years and beyond.

[chopin-liszt]

St. Andrew is the patron sait of Amalfi in southern Italy, and his cross (like the Saltire) flag is used there.
I believe Saint Nicholas is the parton saint of thieves as well as being Santa Claus.

No wonder the last few popes have been so keen to create more saints - the existing ones are clearly overworked.

[chriscooper]

More photos is it unusual that the glass is pale purple she assures me it's not reflection because the ground is brown?

Chris

[chopin-liszt]

Could it possibly be neodynium? It appears to have the correct sort of tinge to the shade of lilac.