Topic: Does anyone know what this is?

[guest]

Dear All,
Can anyone identify this small glass bowl (about 10cm diam). The body is in clear glass, with the colours marvered on. The pontil has been roughly ground out.
http://tinypic.com/2bu1xw
http://tinypic.com/2bu25e
Thanks for your help,
Kevin Davies

[Frank]

Not Monart, likely European... German, French or Bohemian.

[KevinH]

Oooh ... now that's interesting ...

I agree that the base finish does not look like Monart but the "holed-orange" and the grey-white powdered stripes (20 ribs) are very much like a couple of early Vasart or maybe pre-war Monart (Salvador most likely) paperweights I have.

I'll add some pics soon, but need to pop out for a few hours first. More later.

Corrected in blue as per later message (Moderator)

[Frank]

Monart certainly used this type of white stripe but usually heavily iridised and appear darker, but the bowl has no catalogue match and does not feel Monart to me. The shaping apart from not matching any catalogue shape, the foot style is not frequently found in Monart.

I played around with the colours and after white balancing it is more orange but does still not look like a Monart colour.

[KevinH]

Hi, I'm back.

In my earlier response, I missed the word "not" as in it should have been "does not look like Monart".

Anyway, here's a temporary page I have put together showing various views of what I was tryng to say (but of course with my customary ifs and buts):
http://www.btinternet.com/~kevh.glass/MessageBoard/Weights.htm

I think it is interesting to compare the orange colours and also the way the white stripes in the bowl have a similar apparent "edging" as seen in my weight with the "grey" stripes.

I have commented in my page about the problems with colour comparisons of web-based photos (see also our discussions in another thread in this Board - wherever it is). However, to my eyes, the working and colouring of the white in the bowl seems to be very much like that in my weights - even with the variations in hue.

The fact that the bowl has a rough ground pontil area does cause doubt over a usual Monart and maybe even Vasart attribution. But with the paperweights, there are a range of finishes to the pontil area from rough ground to perfectly smooth.

I have the feeling that the bowl could well be a Vasart piece from the 1946 to 1955 period but with a finish to the pontil area that is more consistent with the paperweights than the other items.

I would not normally say this in a public Message Board, but if the bowl is for sale, I would like first refusal. It would fit very well with my planned talk at the "Perth Event".   If it is not for sale, is there a chance that I could check it out in person? My email address is shown in my profile on this Board.

[Frank]

Interesting points Kevin.

The striping would have been achieved by blowing a dip mould after marvering which causes the edge effects - I have seen similar stripes in some continental glass.

Now the possibility of Vasart did cross my mind too, but I considered it less likely. This might explain the colour differences and a continental type of foot finish was used by Vasart where they followed their own instincts. Certainly Salvador declared at the start that they would not use Monart shapes - of course there are exceptions to that, but they are mostly the more classic shapes that many glassworks used.

In Monart and Vasart a totally flat base does result in the need to completely remove the button and does explain why the stripes are removed at the centre of the base. The stripes are on the surface. The matching number of stripes is a result of the same dip mould being used. Would the Ysart's have owned their tools, likely, but I am not so sure about moulds which at Moncrieff would have been made in house. It depends on the relationship that Salvador had with Moncrieff's and I do not know what that relationship was like when he left to set up on his own.  I suspect not very warm as he was setting up shop just down the road and thus less likely to allow him to keep such items but not impossible. If not were they able to afford their own in Post-War Scotland, probably. Certainly there are plenty of striped pieces of glassware from the early Vasart period.

Base type 5 here http://www.ysartglass.com/BaseLabel/Bases.htm is Vsart and shows well the quality of grinding that could be achieved with their limited equipment. Certainly they had a grinder from the start and most of the grinding would have been done by Joe Dickson - thus should exhibit consistency.

Kevin - can you take another shot of the base that shows the grinding up.

Finally, I am seeing a lot of very unusual pieces of Vasart that I never suspected to exist 15 years ago - I hope to catch up on the backlog of Vasart for the site soon, certainly before August. One item of Vasart is arguably one of the best ever pieces - it will feature as a Pin-up. Perhaps this one will prove Vasart but I would be interested to hear alternative possibilities.