Topic: A pair of rare green opalescent Sowerby pattern 1240 ‘Gladstone bags’ to show.

[agincourt17]

A pair of green opalescent Sowerby pattern 1240 ‘Gladstone bags’ which appears on page 4 of their pattern book IX (1882). There are from registered design number 314283, registered on 18 September 1877. The opalescence is mainly toards the base of the pieces, and I am told that the glass is not UV-reactive.

(Permission for the re-use of these images on the GMB granted by glassmahonia).

Usually seen in blue or purple malachite or plain black vitro-porcelain, these are the first opalescent green versions I have seen.

The only other opalescent versions I know of are a pair of rose opalescent examples in the Shipley Art Gallery (and which are shown in the pattern number gallery in the final section of Vol. 3 of the Thistlewood Sowerby CD-ROM catalogues).

Someone must value these green opalescent versions highly too, because they reached a final bid price of £292.82 after a frenetic final few seconds of bidding on eBay tonight.

Fred.

[mhgcgolfclub]

Hi Fred

One in plain white vitro-porcelain.

Roy

[agincourt17]

Thank you, Roy.

The only other vitro-porcelain example I have come across was pale blue.

Fred.

[Paul S.]

very attractive.          I can post a watermarked pic of the National Archive drawing of 314283 submitted by Sowerby, if you would like Fred  -  let me know.

[agincourt17]

Thank you, Paul. That would be very useful.

Fred.

[Paul S.]

Sowerby very busy around this time  -  purple ink drawings everywhere - but I wish they'd used black ink, for some reason the purple doesn't translate well onto modern digital pix.
Hope of some use.

[agincourt17]

Excellent, Paul.

Fred.