Topic: Clear glass vase with green tadpoles - Stevens & Williams ???

[thomas]

A rather plain glass vase that looks like someone tried to dress it up with green tadpoles.  It's really not all that plain; it has vertical panels that are hard to photograph.  The panels extend from the top, down the sides and across the base to the polished pontil mark.  The outside is smooth but the panels can be felt on the inside.  The base is scratched consistent with some age.  It is 8-1/4" (21cm) tall and 3-3/4" (9.5cm) wide.  The dealer insisted that it's Stevens & Williams.  Just about all of the Stevens & Williams images I found are of fancier glass.  I did find one image of a grouping of Stevens & Williams clear glass with green tadpoles but the tadpoles didn't look like the ones on my vase.  They were larger, flatter and circled around the vase rather that running up and down.  I also saw one vase by Stuart and one by Kralik but they didn't resemble my vase at all.  Do you think this is Stevens & Williams?  If not, who?  Can you guess an age? 

[stew2u2]

i have seen some kralik vases with the same green trails. not saying this is but it is somewhere to look.

[Lustrousstone]

Other makers are available. I would say more Bohemia than England, but I could be wrong. Is it lead crystal?

[thomas]

It's not lead crystal.  When you thump it, it doesn't ring, it thuds.  To be such a famous glass manufacturer, I certainly have a hard time finding a lot of information on Stevens & Williams.  I have never seen a book on S & W glass.  Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places.  I did find a book called "20th Century British Glass" which seems to have some chapters devoted to S & W glass.  Pricey but maybe I'll try to pick up a copy.

[flying free]

Thomas, there is some information on the board about S & W which should add an extra dimension, but info seems to be scarce - I have a couple of pieces, and without Nigel's (Nigel Benson) help would never have been able to identify them.
There are some pieces in the Black Country Museum website and there are catalogues I think held at the Broadfield House Glass museum here in the UK, but finding info or pics is scarce.  They did some amazingly beautiful glass.
m

[KevinH]

Also, search the Board for "peacock trail" (rather thna "tadpole"). This will bring up several threads for items with similar decoration.

And here's another question to ponder: Did the trails always continue beneath the items for a particular maker?