Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Unresolved Glass Queries => Topic started by: David E on March 15, 2005, 01:52:07 PM
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Hi all,
Meet Brian the Fish (http://tinypic.com/2884lg) :lol:
I have seen an example similar to this on Chris Stewart's CloudGlass.com (http://www.cloudglass.com/davidsonpostwar.htm) (scroll about half-way down), but there are enough marked differences to make me think it might not be Davidson. It measures 11½" (29cm) long, so not a tiddler!
I have had similar fishes before, one Jade Uranium glass and the other clear glass.
Any ideas?
David
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Hi David
I dont know much about Davidsons from this era, my forte is cloud glass, however unless it was modified in the 60's this does not appear any thing like Davidsons jade. Looks more like a celadon colouring to me. Davidsons jade, which I still feel is much under-rated, has the appearance and attribute of colour inconsistency, which is what you would expect from most natural elements or copies of, but this is very even almost to the point of bland. So...not much help in taking you forward..!
regards
gareth
morgan48
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Hi Gareth,
Ah, but at least I'm not going backwards :D
I agree with you about Davidson's jade; although I don't own any myself (but I do collect cloud) it typically uses the same styles, which is seriously under-rated. I can imagine a good grouped selection could look very nice in the right surroundings!
I can confirm the colouring is very consistent, so I'm prepared to be guided by you on this.
Any other offers?
David :mrgreen:
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David, you can't call a fish Brian, Brian is a snail. I know, I was there as a student. Late '60s in the JCR at 5.55. More popular than Top of the Pops. For the mystified, do a Google search on "Magic Roundabout Brian Snail".
My first fish, a clear uncoloured Walsh crackle fish, was a Fish called Wanda. For the mystified, do a Google search on "Fish called Wanda". Very English humour, roll around the floor in hysterics standard, not quite as good as "Clockwise", neither of which are intelligible to more civilised societies. Subsequent Walsh and Nazeing (read the paragraph above the Davidson catalogue image, David) fish have been named after ("for" in the USA) the children of my family and friends.
I hope that is all intellegible to everyone! It took me nearly three weeks to get it so concise!
David, before anything else, are the indented swags on the body mould-blown or tooled? If they are regular and gently fade away towards the tail they will be mould-blown.
Bernard C. 8)
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Hi Bernard,
I also remember 'Brian' the snail and the influence it had on students. But in the late 60s I was far too old/young (depending on your PoV) to watch it. Now they've made a film, I've probably matured enough to understand what the hell it was all about! :lol:
You also forgot 'The Life of Brian', which of course is another link to 'Wanda'.
Anyway, I also meant to say that the image on the Web page is actually much larger (slight error; you shouldn't use HTML to resize images), so it can be opened up much larger.
As for the accompanying text, I did read all this beforehand, but as the two fishes are quite different (all the fins) I assumed it wasn't Davidson/Nazeing.
But it is definitely mould-blown, as the scales do diminish towards the tail.
David :mrgreen:
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David, none of us ever forgave the Monty Python team for hijacking Brian's name.
As those swags are mould blown, your fish is unlikely to be a frigger. Hence it must be a production piece, hence not British. That's as far as I can go.
Best of luck,
Bernard C. 8)
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Hi Bernard,
That's fair enough, thanks for your input (Magic Roundabout and all).
I hadn't thought of it as a frigger anyway, although I suppose that was always a possibility. But as you point out, being mould blown this would never be an option.
David :mrgreen:
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David — not "never" but "unlikely". I have had two fish through my hands that I suspect were friggers, but how do you prove it without provenance? Friggers are a minefield. As soon as more than a handful were made they turn into a production line, in fact I suspect many production fish started out as friggers. I will have to read Hajdamach's chapter on friggers again.
I like the definition of friggers as end of day novelties that paid for the pint or three on the way home. Specials such as those made for glassmakers' processions don't meet that definition in my opinion.
Bernard C. 8)
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Bernard — (copied your en space!) sure, but so much effort goes into making the mould to begin with, I'd have thought this would have started with the intention of it being a production line piece. Then again, I suppose there were failed moulds that might have been adapted to make friggers?
I do have a few friggers, purely because of the (sometimes) outlandish designs that transpired - a complete freedom of expression. I read somewhere that the Whitefriars 'Swungout' vase started as a mistake, but Geoffrey Baxter liked it so much they were retained as a production line - otherwise they might have been flogged off down the pub!
If you do have any reading material on friggers I'd like to know how to obtain this.
Nice idea if the glassmaker did make moulds purely for friggers, though!
David :mrgreen:
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David — there is material on friggers in Hajdamach as I said, also in Strange & Rare.
I can't think of any other sources at present. Most items described as friggers should really be described as specials or trials.
Getting a mould from the store and setting it up would normally take too long for its use in making a frigger.
Bernard C. 8)
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Strange & Rare is a fully illustrated exhibition souvenir / catalogue, published by the Glass Circle in 1987, and long out of print. You should be able to obtain a copy through the inter-library loan system.
Bernard C. 8)
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Thought I'd resurrect this topic now Leni's fish has disappeared into the depths (sorry, Leni :) )
I'm still hoping someone can ID Brian as this is completely eluding me. If someone knows of any 1950s/60s/70s manufacturers who produced glass fish I'll see if I can track down a likely producer.
On a side-note, did anyone know the French for hake is 'Colin'? :lol:
David :mrgreen:
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Brian has got lost :cry:
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The return of Brian!