Topic: Etruscan vase bright azure blue opaline c1850,what is the picture,which country?

[flying free]

This is a Richardson enamelled jug with waterlilies from around late 1840's.  The picture blows up really well and it has the fawn/ecru flat enamelling on it (shaded overpainted with colours but there's a lot of it there).
http://gorgeousglass.org.uk/collections/getrecord/DMUSE_BH168/

Note the staples all around the bottom of the jug still worth saving and worthy of display because of it's rarity.

In my reply #63 above I noted in the list of exhibits 1849 at Birmingham
'No 10 is the most exciting
'Vase, blue ground, painted, Atalante and Hippomede (sic)'  - a blue ground vase and also classical in painted design!!'
Well, this is a link to a white opaline vase from Richardson at Broadfield House, in a similar shape to my blue one, and it has the transfer printed design of Atalante and Hippomene
http://gorgeousglass.org.uk/collections/getrecord/DMUSE_BH1339/
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[flying free]

Ok, this is my new working hypothesis 

Produced by Richardson decorated by J Northwood.

I've been searching engravings etc of horses (Etruscan/classical etc) on various vases but not a stitch where I've looked at the engraving or pattern and though, yep, that looks like mine.
Then today I happened upon page 181 in Charles Hajdamach's British Glass 1800-1914.
  The plate 160 shows 'Two templates used by the Northwood workshop about 1861-1862.Based on a photograph in John Northwood I by John Northwood II.'
Both designs are very similar to mine but particularly the design on the right.  No other horse design I've looked at has the same proportions, the movement of these/mine, the 'fine'ness of the horses etc.  All others have thick legs or fat hoofs and most are quite 'static' in their depiction. 
These templates are incredibly rare as they were thrown away.

These two templates can be matched to a frieze engraved on a jug which was a Richardson blank - it's shown on page 161 and here it is in the Broadfield House collection.
http://blackcountryhistory.org/collections/getrecord/DMUSE_ST430/
The photography is rather unfortunate in that it's nearly impossible to see the engravings clearly. The templates are black on white background so much more easily comparable and I feel certain they are very close to my picture. 

Hence new hypothesis of decoration by Northwood.

Very exciting find for me 
m

[Lustrousstone]

Sounds plausible M

[flying free]

ooh thanks - what do you think of the template please?  Jim said 'what? doesn't look anything like your horse' sighhhh.
m

[Ohio]

Have to agree that the template horse is very different...more of the classic roman horse in the template, but thats just me.

[flying free]

Ken, thanks for looking. I know what you and he both mean but it's very difficult matching templates to actuals.
This goblet engraving is possibly a good way of showing this better (than the Vase I linked to in the BH)
It's a goblet in the V&A and the reference for it is also given as page 181 British Glass (CH)
It does enlarge and is easily seen and compared.  The rider has the hat on of the picture on the left in the book but the horse is not the same depiction as the template.
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1192594/goblet-northwood-john/

I feel in my bones I'm closer than before 
m

[Lustrousstone]

I think the right-hand horse is very similar but we have to remember yours is enamelled not engraved or etched. I think the decorated by Northwood might be off though.

[Ohio]

I don't wish to come off as a wet blanket, however (and my opinion only) the artistic design of the Northwood renditions (and the 2nd template states "probably decorated by John Northwood") is more along the lines of older artistic interpretations in the classic greek/roman styles & even though your vase has greek/roman figures the horse interpretation is more along the lines of  modern classical, meaning the rendition actually looks like horse & not a caricature. Regardless you have a vase that is of outstanding quality & age.

[flying free]

The decorated by Northwood bit came about because he served his apprenticeship at Richardsons.
So that was my new connection once I'd found the templates

Ok, so let's forget that I thought Northwood had decorated it - let's just say I now think there is a link somewhere between his templates (used post 1861) and my vase (I think dates to c.1850 ish so a good bit earlier).

Ken I know exactly what you mean about the differences in how mine is depicted and how they are depicted in the engraving on the goblet.  I was just trying to add an example on here so people could see what I was describing but I can't add a photo of the templates which would be much more helpful. 
However, whilst the depiction of mine is different to the engraved version on the goblet depiction, I still think there is a marked similarity between my horse shape/movement and the template version (on the right.)

Somewhere I feel there is a link.  ~Did the person who made those Northwood templates, also make the templates for the depiction on my vase?

Right, off to investigate a bit further.  Thanks so much to you both for your input and thoughts - hugely appreciated as I need to be kept on track 
m

[flying free]

A Northwood claret glass engraved with a scene from the Parthenon Marbles, here in the Broadfield House collection.  A different type of engraving from the previous links.

http://gorgeousglass.org.uk/collections/getrecord/DMUSE_ST359/
and a decanter from the frieze here
http://gorgeousglass.org.uk/collections/getrecord/DMUSE_BH797/

m