Glass Message Board
Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => British & Irish Glass => Topic started by: Frank on July 08, 2007, 08:52:33 PM
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Does anyone have any ideas about a company Studio Glass Factory, in England, around 1980's... source http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250140015282
Seller has a lot in this vein...
(Title updated to reflect ID)
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Looking at the colours and the metal leaf inclusion (would that be aventurine?) they remind me of Isle of Wight - could they be friggers or made by someone who used to work there?
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Metal leaf inclusion can be anyone, I do not see any aventurine.
But what of the company claimed by the seller, not one that gets anywhere with Google? Note also that the seller has batches of similar goods which implies clearance sale lots. The golf club head has it label blacked out too ???
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Looking at the seller's other items, they look like the sort of stuff I can buy from several local market traders. Round here they all go to the same wholesaler I think. I would say the same of the glass. Made abroad for a UK label. I'll keep my eyes open
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Well, it's not unknown for gold inclusions in Chinese weights.
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Hi,
These are mostly immitations of the IOW minimal and maximal ranges from the mid 80s...I seem to remember a discussion about these a few months ago when they first appeared and were at that time mostly coming from a seller in the Norfolk area. Could well be Chinese but definately not IOW.
Martyn.
PS. note the 3 day listing!!
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It turns out that the Minimal and Maximal range were designed by IOW but outsourced to Isle of Man glass. IOM glass was staffed by ex Wedgwood glassmakers and apart from those made for IOW, they also made more than they were supposed to and sold them to a company called Espagna International. Needless to say, both of those naughty companies are out of business.
So these on eBay can be regarded as fraudulent copies. Which is an interesting status. The seller is not breaking any rules and they are effectively second-hand fraudulent copies. Apart from any IOW marking, these would be indistinguishable from the originals.
Does anyone have an IOW original, can they confirm if marked?
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I was just going to add what Martyn has just said, having found the polar bear's cousin in my new Michael Harris book
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Hi Frank,
IOM did produce these as you say, but I still suspect they may be new, unless someone has just discovered boxes full of them in an old stock room? They only seem to have appeared on the market in the last year in these sort of numbers....and the colours of some look odd to my eye at least. Still they are decorative and if as you say they are IOM production his description would be factually correct. Dont think IOW Glass would be overjoyed though.!!!
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I presume that IOW knew about these being produced, old stock batches of things do often appear on the market... often when a distributor goes out of business the store rooms get cleared and voila! It seems unlikely that someone would suddenly be producing a relatively low value range where so much is consistent with the original.
It would clearly be useful to know how the IOW ones can be identified as these will be physically identical, if only a label then that means they probably cannot be separated.
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Hi Frank,
Your probably right (I'm a suspicious sort) though certain of the rarer colours - like blue for example - can achieve good prices that might make it financially viable. IOW is only marked with labels, Michael Harris would on rare occasions sign pieces (and there are plenty of fake versions of those out there) but on small pieces like these it's extremely unlikely.
So as Ron Wheeler is often heard saying 'caveat emptor' (buyer beware)
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IOW is only marked with labels
I should correct myself....earlier IOW Studio Glass upto circa 1981 of course is often marked with thier flame in gather prunt embossed to the base. Pieces from circa 1981 on including the minimal/maximal range generally have a nice clean unmarked polished base. Labels (or remnants of) are often found on the bases of this size piece
Also just had a closer look at all of those offered (now they ended unsold) and I'm even more certain none are IOW or IOM. One of the pears seems to be propped up to stop it falling over.!!
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The price they are being offered at is surely too low to be interesting to fake and they also look to be well made?
Perhaps one of our glassmakers can comment on the potential cost of making such a range for so little reward?
If Chinese they should show up on one of the wholesale sites.
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Point taken...but have a look at Ron and Annes 'Artius Glass' site under the Azurene section to see what these pieces (if right) can achieve today and it looks much more profitable....
http://www.artiusglass.co.uk
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Hi All,
I saw these last week too. I don't think they're very nice or very well made at all - most have badly applied, 'burnt' precious metal leaf - but each to their own!
I alerted Elizabeth & Timothy Harris to their presence as soon as I saw them. In my opinion, as suggested above, they are most certainly not Isle of Wight Studio Glass pieces at all, and nor do I think were they made 'officially' on the Isle of Man for IOWSG.
I think the quality is comparatively very poor, and the colours of the base glass (bar white - very, very rare - and black) are wrong for either studio. The shapes, however, are based on IOWSG designs produced there and mainly on the Isle of Man (St John's Crystal). My research for my book uncovered that these sorts of shapes in these sorts of colours and 'finishes' were produced just before the Isle of Man studio closed, and also by a couple of other studios/factories afterwards. As has been suggested, these may be from surviving late stock from the Isle of Man studio, or similar from another. Also, they may be being made today. The quality is comparatively poor (tho I'm sure I could only do worse!) and labour and materials, particularly in China, is cheap - so who knows? It's a cute, novelty line of fairly easily worked shapes that could feasibly sell very well in the West. I also never came across the name 'Studio Factory Glass' in my research.
Whatever their country of origin, they are derived from and closely resemble IOWSG designs, but are not purporting to be by them. Therefore, they are not really fakes in the truest sense of the description. It also depends whether IOWSG are or have since been able to protect the designs, including the Azurene finish, in any way.
Incidentally, the range of Azurene Minimal/Maximal animals is not made today. When they were made they were marked with black triangular labels, which can of course be removed. I've never, ever seen one signed by Michael Harris with his name - it'd be fun to see how he could fit it on such a small space!!
I hope they go away as they only create confusion, and I don't think that they are anywhere near as good as the IOWSG originals.
Best,
Mark
www.markhillpublishing.com
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There has been discussion on the Azurene finish here, although in particular to the use of metal foil as decoration. We have (in this forum) traced the history of the technique back to circa 1878 with occurrences in various places since then at different times.
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,7608.0.html
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After IOM went bust the contents of the studio were offered for sale in 1987 by the receiver at £4,500. The sale included 100's of items of glass - I am not able to determine if they were sold. It is possible that they did not sell and got forgotten in a warehouse until more recent times.
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Does anyone have an IOW original, can they confirm if marked?
This is my little elephant from the coloured range. It has the triangular sticker marked St.John 's Crystal, I.O.W. (correction) I.O.M. on the base. Great quality piece.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y195/glassie/misc864.jpg
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Hi, please can anybody throw some light on a conundrum I have?
Is there a link with the Isle of Man glassworks (St. John's) and Isle of Wight Glass?
I have 2 identical pieces of azurene glass (little animals), and one has a St.John's Glass Isle of Man sticker,and the other has an Isle of Wight Glass sticker on it.
I wondered if Michael Harris could be the link here???
Any help appreciated, thanks.
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I'd read this thread....
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,16131.msg94836.html#msg94836 (http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,16131.msg94836.html#msg94836) Mod: topics merged for completeness
Which has some detail on just what you ask...
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There is a link. I too have an animal with a triangular St.John's Crystal label, although it isn't in azurene but a kind of mottled 'tortoise shell' effect. The Isle of Wight Studio Glass Forum kindly informed me that a range of animals was produced for a very limited period between 1983-5. They were produced at St.Johns Crystal on the Isle of Man for commercial reasons. There was a range of 18 different animals and they were called maximals or minimals depending on size and produced in 'Black Azurene' and 'Gold Azurene' and originally a coloured range which must be mine.
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n.b. Just spotted Steve's reply with link before posting the above. :)
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Did anyone ever follow up those left in a warehouse? The Zoo would like some images of these too ;)
Can mods merge this thread with the linked one if they think it a good idea?
Mod: done :)
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I would like to thank all of you who have taken the trouble to reply. I have read the link, and that has some very interesting reading. Does anyone know who actually made the minimals range.....was it Michael Harris?
I have squirrels, hedghogs, birds and ducks, and some of them have exquisite detail.
Any further information, especially about the St.John's crystal factory making the pieces for commercial reasons, would be appreciated......is there a website I can go to for more info?
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The Maximals and Minimals were made at St John's Glass under license from Michael for the Azurene finish. Two former Wedgwood glassmakers made the pieces and trained new glassmakers, hence the similarity of some of the animals with some of the Wedgwood animals. Michael conceived the other designs. Info Michael Harris Mdina Glass & Isle of Wight Studio Glass, Mark Hill http://www.markhillpublishing.com/ (http://www.markhillpublishing.com/)
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Thank you so much for that information. I know so much about Langham glass, but very little about this lot, and was totally ignorant of the Wedgwood connection. I have a minimal elephant as well, and thought it looked so like the Wedgwood shape!!
I will have to post a message about another piece I have.....this has been so helpful.
Any other info on St. John's or IOW glass will always be appreciated......never too old to learn!!