Topic: Webb 'Bristol blue'

[keith]

At last,the decanter now all I need is a rolling pin,please don't tell me there are others

[ahremck]

I like it , it matches mine in "Bristol Green"(if there is such a thing!).  I have taken mine to show the colour - a lovely teal green.  In fact it looks much darker then that and is a really rich shade of greeen.

Ross

[keith]

Very nice Ross,I suppose once I've got all the blue ones it's the green ones next

[Lustrousstone]

Bristol blue and Bristol green are so named because that is where the colorants entered the UK, though both colours were undoubtedly used in glass made in Bristol,

[KevinH]

It is interesting that the 1984 book, Bristol Glass by Witt / Weeden / Schwind shows no illustrations of "Bristol Green" glass - which is a shame because we might then have had a chance to compare, in an authorative work, the shade(s) of green that might have been produced at Bristol.

[David E]

Of course, we shouldn't forget the famous "Bristol Purple" 

These are the Webb's 'ships' decanter and 'flask' decanter (sans stopper, although they are interchangeable to a certain extent) in amethyst. As with the blue and green range, there is a lot more to this series: jugs, mugs, plates, etc.

[Paul S.]

If you can have such a thing as 'colour snobbery' - I'd certainly be guilty - the amethyst is my favourite, followed closely by blue.   I find it hard to believe that a book entitled 'Bristol Glass" doesn't actually show any examples of Bristol green  -  I'd say it was vastly more than "a shame"  -  postively ludicrous in fact, assuming it is the book's intention to discuss 'Bristol' coloured glass.   I don't have the book, but think on this evidence I'd give it a miss.
My only book on coloured glass is something called, appropriately, 'Coloured Glass' by Derick C. Davis and Keith Middlemas  -  bit dated at 1968, but packed with good illustrations, although not qualified to say if the text is accurate.     There is, apparently, something called 'British and other Coloured Glass' by John Bedford - 1954, but haven't a clue as to its usefulness.
Apparently the blue was arrived at by the use of smalt - a vitreous form of cobalt oxide, which presumably was imported, but from where I don't know and, occasionally, copper was used for blue.
The greens seem to vary more than the others, especially in the drinking glasses - loads of shades.

Sorry for the sidetracking Keith - and seems you have a lot more to go yet

[keith]

  so there is a flask,not seen one of those before,just missed a rolling pin a while back

[David E]

Just make sure you get the flask decanter with a stopper 

Although my favourite colour in general is amethyst, I do think the Webb blue is really stunning, but have yet to find any green.