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Author Topic: Large Harbridge 1930's art deco cut glass vase perhaps missing it's frog .  (Read 6924 times)

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Offline Paul S.

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as someone who has hijacked this thread substantially already, my opinion would be to create a separate thread - we seem to have detracted too much already.

Some of the Glasgow School/Arts and Crafts visuals have the looks of bridging the gap between 'nouveau' and the much later 'deco' styles, which seems to have been French inspired, originally.        Ironically, it seems that the expression deco doesn't appear to enter the British vocabulary until the 1960's, which surprised me, but am sure those who have an interest in design know what is meant by the term.

quote from Nigel.......... "But I'd like to hear what other people think before I make any comment".
Why should that be Nigel  -  can we not read your thoughts sooner rather than later.

My own thoughts on the appearance/cutting of this vase is that it doesn't really express the style of 'art deco'  -  but that's just my opinion.

and here I go again  .......  digressing once more. :-X

Offline nigel benson

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I have already written a published article on the subject of British Art Deco glass, and given a talk on the subject, so I've already nailed my colours to the mast, although, granted not here. It is also the subject of another talk that I will be giving at the Glass Association in September, in Kingswinford, West Midlands

I didn't want to influence other people's thoughts, so I decided I'd hold back to allow for some ideas before I comment. Who knows, there may already be a consensus?

I agree with you Paul, that the Harbridge cut vase that began this thread is not Art Deco, although it is of high quality and workmanship  :)

Nigel

Offline Paul S.

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like perhaps many other already well-defined subjects in life, I'd imagine there is virtually no debatable room remaining for 'opinions' on what constitutes art deco -  people have been banging on about it for too long for the style to be lacking in definition..........   perhaps misunderstood though.
Rather than referring to a period, it is, apparently more a style than anything else, although we tend to think of it as occurring somewhere between the end of the first WW and c. 1940, and although dangerous to sum up any art movement in anything less than a substantial coffee table book, deco is typified more than anything else by angular geometry in whatever form it occurs.

I love it  ..... why I'm not entirely sure....   I think it's the preciseness and streamlining - the balance of shapes and lines........  it's alive and vibrant and pushes boundaries...... and of course the risqué aspect. ;D

I think we'd all doff our hat to you as the expert on the subject of glass from that area Nigel, and there are some to-die-for pieces out there, although usually out of range of our pockets.

As is so often the case with these threads, folk aren't usually very forthcoming with their ideas, unfortunately, but it would be interesting to have an input from countries other than the U.K.

Now, where's Kevin - he must surely move these last few posts. :)

Offline chopin-liszt

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I don't  like it much at all. Too sharp, angular and... just uncomfortable-looking. ;D
Cheers, Sue M. (she/her)

Earth without art is just eh.

Offline Carolyn Preston

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I don't  like it much at all. Too sharp, angular and... just uncomfortable-looking. ;D

Which is why I have always preferred nouveau to deco. But I wouldn't have though Charles to be deco as he was the same time period of William Morris. And where does Arts and crafts fit into all of this?

Carolyn

Offline Baked_Beans

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Thanks Nigel for bringing up this subject of style. I don't think the shape of the vase is Art Deco but the deep horizontal and vertical cutting , I think , smacks of a certain Art Deco influence & style . Plus the mark dates from the period and there is loads of age scratching to the base.  It's a chunky, heavy vase and with strong and deep geometric cutting . 

This link says "Harbridge embraced a general Art Deco style " and I think the cutting (ignoring the diamond cuts ) does embrace a general Art Deco style  :D

http://www.cambridgeglassfair.com/exhibitions/pastexhibitions/2013-02-harbridgeandwatford.htm

Ta, Mike


Mike

Offline Baked_Beans

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I've added a pic of the mark and a base shot. You can just see the mark I hope.
Mike

Offline Baked_Beans

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Here is a link to a pic. of the Chrysler building New York .....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Building

Totally stretching the imagination here  ???   :o   ;D  ..... but I hope you can see my own opinion  ;)
Mike

Offline chopin-liszt

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 :o
I have never considered the Chrysler building to be Art Deco, I've always thought it was gorgeous - but I hadn't seen the bottom (ugly) part before.
Now, I only like the roof of the Chrysler building.  :'(

But I think the cutting on your vase is designed to fit the pear shape of the vase itself. I wouldn't have thought it was Art Deco from looking at it. Just a combination of fairly traditional cuts.
Cheers, Sue M. (she/her)

Earth without art is just eh.

Offline Baked_Beans

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I must admit that when I first saw the vase in the shop I thought it might be Victorian from Bohemia and then I discovered the mark.  On the whole I agree with you Sue  :)

I too love that roof , I tried to go up to the top once but they have closed it to members of the public now . :(
Mike

 

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