Topic: Nazeing basket?

[RAY]

got this piece today with some paperweights, it's just over 3" high mottled green in colour with a clear glass handle

[Ivo]

Caithness I guess!!

[chopin-liszt]

Looks like Nazeing to me. Cheers, Sue

[Frank]

Nazeing it is. It was also done without handles and with handles vertically on the sides of raised rim.

[nigel benson]

Really?

[nigel benson]

Hi all,

I suppose I really ought to expand on my last post.

Just 10 days prior to setting up the "Nazeing Glass and its Origins" exhibition I had decided to include a group of about 16 items, including a basket such as the one shown on this thread.

Until this point in time I had always been unconvinced about pieces like this, however I went to see a collection and felt that when they were in context with other known and documented pieces of Nazeing they looked correct. Perhaps therefore I had been mistaken.

A week before the exhibition I received the name and telephone number of the only remaining glassblower from the Nazeing post-war art glass period.

I went to see him with the group of 16 pieces and added in 3 documented items by the factory.

He identified the 3 Nazeing pieces as exactly that and said none of the other pieces were right and gave reasons why they were not.

I pulled the 16 pieces as there was doubt as to their origin(s).

Now I realise that academically one persons word is not enough evidence, however until and I can prove the origin categorically I do not feel it correct to give the Nazeing attribution to pieces such as this.

Nigel

[Bernard C]

Nigel — Grateful thanks.   It is very generous of you to provide this information.

Bernard C.  

[Frank]

This style has been seen with an Elwell label and a side handled variant is shown in the Timberlake Nazeing book.

However, on a more careful look it does not appear to exhibit many Nazeing characteristics - other than being fairly low quality. So, Nigel could well be right. The pontil mark has not been finished in the way usually seen on Nazeing.

There are other makes in this style too but they tend to be be better made. Nazeing is the current favorite for categorizing the 'unknown' coloured glass of poorer quality - although they were certainly capable of better work than this.

Ray can you take some close-ups of the decoration.

Nigel what were the reasons that the 16 pieces were not?

[Bernard C]

Frank — How do you decide whether handmade art glass or any other type of glass is of poor, medium, good or fine quality?    That is besides the more obvious aspects of form and function.

Does the finish of the pontil scar influence this?   I ask this because only recently Ivo mentioned his small RB Rainbow mushroom posy.   This has a beautifully finished ground out and polished base, whereas my otherwise identical example has been left just neatly broken off.   To me both are of the same fine quality;  the base finish probably just indicates that Ivo's posy was sold through a prestige client's shop, whereas mine was sold through A.N. Other's hardware shop in a small town.

Bernard C.  :?  :?:

[nigel benson]

Hi everyone,

I was very careful to relate my experience only.

It is quite possible that there are at least 3 sources for the various pieces that have similar stylistic features to Nazeing. Until that is sorted out to at least a basic level I feel that the least said the better. I am following leads, but as always nothing is simple when carrying out research!!

Until the detail can be validated the jury's out, and , what's more you pays your money and you takes your choice. After all these  (or at least some of these) pieces might still turn out to be Nazeing.

As I said in the previous post, it is not wise to rely on the memory of one person, however I personally am uneasy about the whole raft of items that are not documented or that do not directly relate to the known catalogues via style, laying in of colour and patterns, etc.

As for the quality judgement it is just that - a subjective statement. Beauty is after all in the eye of the beholder. Objectively the pieces that I am refering to are generally reasonably well made, but tend to be within a limited colour spectrum, which relates to the work of Nazeing.

I have always said to people who I have discussed this with (including Geoff Timberlake) that just because I have a hunch, it might not necessarily be right. At this stage I tend to feel everyone has to follow their own feelings. Only time will tell - as with so much else in life!

I just felt that maybe my misgivings were worth a first public airing.

Nigel