Glass Message Board
Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => British & Irish Glass => Topic started by: scavo on April 24, 2012, 10:56:18 AM
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Picked this up on a car boot. My first impression was that it was styled after Thrower's Showstopper, knocked out in China or elsewhere, quite recently. But before I car boot it myself, I'd like to rule out the idea that it could be a test piece or a seconds.
I've taken some pictures next to a couple of Showstopper decanters for comparison. The vase doesn't have a pontil.
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It's unlikely to be inspired by anything and could have been made anywhere. The ripply effect occurs when the sides are flattened on the marver and then not smoothed out. That's probably where FT got his inspiration from.
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Thanks Christine. I can see that it isn't the same quality as F/T either in the actual glass or the execution.
I need to learn more about how glass is made ...
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Take a trip to St Helens World of Glass for a start; that's not too far for you. http://www.worldofglass.com/
Then there's the Red House Cone (longer day trip) and, for commercial glass, Dartington itself (but that's a bit far for a day trip).
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The ripply effect occurs when the sides are flattened on the marver and then not smoothed out.
These ripples have come from the mould that the glass was blown into......... More pronounced when the mould is cold . Please note that the mould sides would be smooth and not rippled.
All best wishes,
Patrick.
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Thanks Patrick. I understand. My limited 'knowledge' tells me that the vase and the Thrower pieces were made in a very similar way: blown into a wet wooden box. The accuracy of the Thrower pieces, and the wonkiness of the unknown piece are down to the skill of the blower, if indeed symmetry was desired in the latter.
Thanks Christine. We have friends in Wigan. I know about Pilkington/Ravenhead, but didn't know about the visitor's centre. I will put it together with a trip to a flea market.
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???
I don't see any need for a mould to be used - flattening the sides on the marver would have exactly the same effect and be far more time-efficient and cost effective.
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Hi Sue,
Sorry to disagree with you here............ These are certainly blown into a mould and trying to do the same on a marver would take immense skill and a long time.
I will ask Adam to look at this topic and give his views on this.
Best wishes,
Patrick.
ps, This video shows the use of a wooden mould that does not give the ripple/cooling effect. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozYW5yZjq54
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Thank you so much Patrick. Much to learn from those vids I didn't even know they were there!
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I was simply mentally comparing it to tons of Mdina which is flattened on the marver to make vessels into different shapes - such as the (uncut) cut-ice pieces and the uncut cube shaped vases too.
All were originally flattened on the marver, some of the sides got cut and polished flat afterwards. They didn't use moulds - the bits are all different sizes!
Given so much was done in this manner there, I just assumed it would be much easier than using a mould - which would have had to be made.
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I think that if you tried to make these on the marver as you formed one side the others would distort. Those Mdina cubey things are really thick walled, Sue can you have a look at yours and see if any of them are nearly solid for me?
John
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I've just inspected 10 of them, all a good inch thick. They are all different sizes, several are quite squint, only 2 are uncut.
However, I've also inspected a load of square sectioned bottles - Mdina, MDG and Mtarfa.
There may well have been a square sectioned mould used at Mdina, the bottles all seem to be the same "circumference"....... but
I've got a thin-walled massive tortoiseshell square base sectioned bottle with tall neck - definitely marvered into shape, and I've also inspected an unusual cut-ice lollipop which has exactly the same sort of "cellulite-like" texture on the uncut side - and it's the only one I've ever seen which has this unusual tall slim shape - I very much doubt a mould!
Also I have a massive IoWSG Fish - with cellulite.
The square MDG bottles are different sizes of small and the surfaces are covered in tool marks as well as those from the marver....
and I've also just compared two Benny Motzfeldt Randsfjord Inkpots - completely different sizes - both in "circumference" and in height. Marvered into shape.