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Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => British & Irish Glass => Topic started by: JOK on June 11, 2013, 01:37:27 PM

Title: Gordon Forsyth for Stuart, 1934
Post by: JOK on June 11, 2013, 01:37:27 PM
I recently found this vase designed for the Harrods exhibition of 1934 by Gordon Forsyth. Although it is signed Gordon Forsyth, the mark is quite rubbed but thanks to the designs shown in 20th Century British Glass I was able to recognise it. This is quite a large size being 24cm high.
I am very interested in Harrods exhibition pieces so would be interested to see any other pieces people might have.
Title: Re: Gordon Forsyth for Stuart, 1934
Post by: Paul S. on June 14, 2013, 10:50:02 PM
great piece :) - presumably you've seen Ian's Graham Sutherland vase posted very recently.          For obvious reasons not many of the Harrods pieces get posted on the Board - and come to that not many in the books either.
It seems that it was glass from the Stuart factory only that was used in the Harrods exhibition.

Nigel has commented (within Ian's post) giving reasons for the absence of Harrod's pieces in 'Art Deco To Post Modernism' - and Dodsworth's book has been mentioned.       There is a Miller's booklet from Frankie Leibe (special consultant Jeanette Hayhurst) - 'Glass of the '20s & '30s' which shows a couple of cocktail shakers  -  one designed by Dame Laura Knight and the other (apparently in L. Kny's style)  -  both are apprently backstamped with the factory name and the designer's name  -  according to the books all of the pieces from that exhibition were so marked.      Don't know what it says of Harrods customers in the mid 1930's that cocktail shakers should seem to have been so common.  ;)

The cut design on the shaker, from Knight, is repeated in Leslie Jackson's '20th Century Factory Glass', togher with another of her designs for a bowl, and a cut design on a vase from Vanessa Bell is also included.

Would be interesting to have some idea of the total number of individual pieces in the exhibition - there may be other books which give a greater coverage of these Harrod's exhibition pieces, than those mentioned above.            Am I correct in saying that the Wedgwood Museum have pieces from that source  -  and is there printed matter available to buy from the museum??       -    or any other available source of images.

Presumably this vase also carries the factory backstamp, in addition to the designers name  -  and do you have other Harrods Stuart pieces??