Glass Message Board
Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => British & Irish Glass => Topic started by: Frank on July 08, 2011, 12:33:37 AM
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Blimey they got there, just need to add some photographs of the glass.... http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O48752/vase/
Do lots of searches on Monart vasart ysart Strathearn to try and get them interested in adding pics.
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yes I find it rather frustrating that I go to search, they appear to have lots of items, then...ah....they don't have any pictures. I go to the Dudley Museum site (no idea what its called) and they seem to be better organised with glassy pictures.
Actually Frank....what a great project for someone - to photograph and load up the V&A missing glass pictures. Now that would be a fab job.
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thanks for the link to the V. & A. - I wasn't aware that these images were available (all good stuff lady, as Max used to say - not our Max, of course). I have now asked them for a response regarding pictures of the Scottish material, so will let you know their reply.
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reply today from the V. & A. "Thank you for your email. We are currently experiencing a high volume of enquiries. We will do our best to reply within the next 20 working days. We appreciate your patience at this busy time. If your enquiry is urgent, please telephone the Section on 020 7942 2073. Thank you".
I have always found them very helpful, so must assume they are genuinely very busy - they could, of course be spending all their time up-loading the Scottish pictures ;)
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Perhaps somebody might like to suggest to them that Ysart glass was not made in GLASGOW....
:thud: I suppose it is north of Watford, but you'd think a museum might have tried to get their geography correct.
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Already alerted them on that. English museums, sassenachs! :sc:
I think they bought a lot of stuff from Jackson too, did some putting right many moons ago. ...oh too many moons. :tsk:
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just had a reply from the Ceramics & Glass Collections Dept. at the V. & A. ............and I did ask for permission to quote verbatim, but this may not happen as they decline to discuss the nature of their replies, normally, so I will just give a synopsis of their response. Their reply indicates that so far only a small part of the glass collection has been photographed. It would appear that, whilst they want the entire collection available for on line viewing, a continuation of this project is heavily reliant on resources/funds, and currently this is very much subject to museum priorities. Being the glass and ceramics department, they informed me that during the course of 2010, they completed a programme of photographing something like 30,000 pieces (of ceramics) - I assume these are available on line, but don't really know. In a similar way to the ceramics, it is the department's hope that they are able to finish photographing the glass, as and when they can find the resources to do so.
Haven't a clue as to the overall size of the glass collection, imagine it's very substantial - don't know if it is the largest within the UK, or not - but project obviously on hold for the time being.
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It would be good if the job went to a paid professional photographer of couse, but if funds are that tight, it sounds like an excellent task for a work experience for a photography student. Perhaps they should contact the Universities and offer a work experience week to someone on the photographic course?
m
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:hi:
Brilliant idea m :hiclp: - and the lucky winning student could then ask for folk to sponsor them, to raise extra funds!
(I don't understand sponsoring somebody to have a lovely trip abroad to walk the great wall, or climb Kilimonjaro, get them to do something useful, something worth sponsoring.)
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Actually if they found a photographer I wouldn't mind going up for the week to catalogue and match ;D what a fab way to spend a week surrounded by all that beautiful glass.
m
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Exactly - there are loads of us who'd do the task just for the love of it!
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Actually if they found a photographer I wouldn't mind going up for the week to catalogue and match ;D what a fab way to spend a week surrounded by all that beautiful glass.
m
Exactly - there are loads of us who'd do the task just for the love of it!
Yes, if it could arranged, it could be very useful ...
Perth Museum & Art Gallery have included much, or possibly all by now, of their collection of glassware in the website scran.ac.uk (http://www.scran.ac.uk/), which is run by Scran Ltd., part of The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland.
In 2003 I arranged with the museum to photograph and catalogue all of the glass paperweights, excepting “picture weights”. That action initially came as a result of a paperweight club visit to the museum when some apparent misattributions were noted. My review of the weights and the production of the catalogue (colour images and text) was non-professional and was not charged for. I was simply happy to assist in something worthwhile and to get another personal viewing of the complete reserve collection.
At the time I was producing the catalogue images (and checking the weights with uv light), a professional photographer was also engaged in making images of other parts of the museum collections, as well as the paperweights. It was the professional images of the paperweights that were used for the Scran website. However, my catalogue was used to provide corrections to the museum attributions and general data which, in turn, has been used within the Scran website.
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nice to fantasize but..................... somehow I think they'd very politely decline your offers :).........however, never let it be said that you didnt try. Their email address is....ceramicsandglassATvam.ac.uk. I've altered the address very slightly - as you can see (@) Wish you every success. ;D Surely you're too far flung Sue, but don't know where m is. Do let us know what they say :)
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The correction of the Z ginger jar has been made and will go live on the next monthly update.
Photographing the V&A collection would still have a resource cost as no-one could be left alone with, nor normally handle the glass. They freaked when I picked up an uncertain piece... had to wear gloves. I pointed out that absolute authentication could only be done by feeling a piece. But still got given the gloves.
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Frank I realise the resource issue, but if they had just *one* person there holding and positioning the glass and a 'prize winner' student photographing it and a 'volunteer' matching the shots taken to the catalogue id's and numbering them accordingly, then their only resource would be one person, rather than two and paying for a paid professional photographer.
Sometimes thinking outside the box has great gains - I wonder if they have considered this. Not only that, but once done it would be a fabulous marketing tool - not only to publicise their amazing collection, but also they would be able to harvest names/email addresses of visitors looking for glass by ensuring you had to sign up to view, and then market to them regarding forthcoming events.
m
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Museums are generally constrained to think only in the box. As they have experience of photographing 30,000 pieces I would expect they are very aware of the resource costs and it would be higher than you imagine, but even one person dedicated to the project would be an enormous strain. Most of the glass would need cleaning too, not to mention all of the paperwork... I would not be surprised if they have as many pieces of glass, if not more. I don't doubt they have much more than 30k pieces of ceramic anyway. There reserve collection of glass is massive. You could probably spend 10 year trying to catalogue it. On the plus side I would expect new acquisitions are photographed on arrival.
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Ok, they'd need teams of us!
Two of my friends here came to stay with me for a week's holiday last year - which they spent cleaning, polishing and photographing my collection. :thud: A labour of love indeed!
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ah well...I don't hold out any hope then unless they are bequethed a huge sum of money with a specific request that it is spent on catalogueing their glass.
I'm up to town mid August for a few days, so I am determined to go to the V&A and have a look round if I can manage a few child free hours. Are you allowed to take photographs does anyone know? I saw a number of pictures online from someones visit and just wondered whether they were illicit or not :)
m
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personal/private snapping seems to be permissable, provided you ask the security staff within that room before clicking away - I have not had a problem in the past. :)
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can also suggest that if a visit was possible on the first Tuesday in the month - then Reino Liefkes (I can do unashamed name dropping as well), and his colleagues offer an open surgery between 2.30 and 5.00 p.m. - should you have a piece of glass in need of attribution. Understandably, visitors are required to sign in and out - just to make sure you aren't leaving with a piece of 'nipt diamond waies'. Always good to see behind the scenes, and they have a library to die for. I have spoken again to them, and sorry to disappoint you but they most definitely have 'in house' photography staff, who........"are trained how to handle glass"......so think that services offered by Sue and m will not be required.
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Christine and I were allowed to take photographs in Edinburgh Museum - we did ask first. Always best to.
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Ok, they'd need teams of us!
Two of my friends here came to stay with me for a week's holiday last year - which they spent cleaning, polishing and photographing my collection. :thud: A labour of love indeed!
Nice friends Sue, anyone we know? :kissy:
Carolyn
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yes - Glassobsessed and Suzygpr. :sun:
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Some years ago, the ruling on photography in the V&A was that a permit was required if a tripod was used to support the camera - but if you used no tripod then it was all ok; you could take hand-held shots of anything, anywhere.
According to his own comments on a tv program, Eric Knowles was caught out on that one - having arrived with his tripod and camera, he was approached by a steward who asked to see his permit. After admitting he did not have a permit, he made the necessary arrangements and returned to take his photos. It was only later that he found out that the permit was not required for hand-held photography!
I do not know if that ruling still applies.
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I've already given the department's email address on page one of this thread - if you are in doubt, I might suggest that you simply ask them what their current ruling is. As I've already mentioned, I'm not aware that things have changed, and provided you are not resourcing for professional reasons, and you are using hand held equipment, then all should still be o.k. Replies are signed by Reino Liefkes, usually - believe he is department head. Of course, if the situation has changed, then please do let us all know, especially as I intend to visit during the coming weeks (for the Tuesday surgery) :).
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Reino Liefkes is the Senior Curator Ceramics and Glass collection V&A (and author I believe as well)
I will take a camera and ask when I get there I guess. If the answer is no I shall just enjoy the glass anyway :sun:
m