Glass Message Board

Hi,
(I really don't know where to post this on Glass Messages... you don't have a section about South Africa! Please move it to a better section if necessary?)
Can anyone tell me when modern glassmaking started in South Africa? I cannot find anything about it anywhere. The chances are good, I think, that it may have been British technology that was taken there, as happened in other places in the world, eg Australia, Japan (my area of study www.hadenheritage.co.uk). Surely some modest scale manufacturing was set up there? No doubt mass importing from Britain took place, but surely somebody started up making it there in the 19th century? Even if only bottles/flat glass.
I will be visiting the Eastern Cape in a few weeks, and would like to find out in advance if there are any museum collections there, of 19th century glass (British or South African). I see there's one well north of Durban, that's too far. Thank you!

I do wonder if this was made by Salvador, we'll await Kevin's expert eye, he has more experience than most in this area.

Nick

I have seen a coupkle of other weights with very similar spotted dogs. One of those, illustrated in Bob Hall's 2001 book World Papperweights: Millefiori & Lampwork,  has three dogs around a lamppost with one "doing what dogs do". The other, sadly, I cannot recall the detail for right now - it got lost somewhere in one my "unfinished work" folders.

As for the hunter on a horse, I have never seen another but Salvador Ysart is usually credited with these sort of "one-offs" - which can then  later pop up in other weights.

The one in Bob's book was said to be by Paul Ysart but I have always doubted that. The one shown here seems to be consisitent with work from the Ysart Brothers period of Vasart. It might even be a pre-war wight but I think the base finish would have been better if it was.

Could it be early Vasart Ltd (1956 - 1964)? Might be possible - would need the usual shortwave uv check, or specific gravity measurement, to see if it has a lead-based dome.

Hello
I was wondering if anyone could help me identify this piece.
It is quite weighty 1.7 kg and has a hole in the top which makes me think it may be a lamp base, but I really do not know. There are no markings
Any help would be appreciated.
 

Hi, It reminds me a little of the vases by Frantisek Vizner at Skrdlovice. Might be an avenue worth pursuing.

I've got a different vase with this mark, NGC or NGL, followed by the number 07. Given my location (North East England) it's probably likely to be from the National Glass Centre. Did you ever find anything about this?