Topic: Caithness One Off Design - age / designer?

[SimonD]

Help is sought to identify age and designer of a one of one paperweight. I'm pretty certain this is a Caithness paperweight - largely because it is engraved "LILAC WONDER 1/1 CAITHNESS SCOTLAND" in minuscule letters on the base. I presume it is a sample piece that was never put into production, though perhaps there are other reasons for it being made.

The geometric lamp-work in my weight are very similar to that by Rosette Fleming that appears on the Scotland's Glass site, so I wonder if she could be the designer/maker of this piece. I read in Glass Messages that Rosette did designs with Caithness in the late 1990s, so possible it this is her work?

Rosette Fleming joined Caithness in 1983; her first design (4 "Four Seasons" weights) was issued in 1996, her last designs in 1999.

Best wishes,
Simon

[chopin-liszt]

You could try contacting the Caithness studio/shop in Crieff to ask, in case they might know.
I would hope (fingers crossed) Allan Scott might pop in sometime and see this thread, because he may well know.
Unless Wuff or other Caithness pwt experts here do?
I think it is something a little bit special!

[Wuff]

I had made notes when the weight was sold on ebay in 2010 - but didn't have time to follow it up then - and, unfortunately, it's still on my to-do list . So I also hope, Allan might be speak up here .

[ALLAN]

Hi,Although both Rosette and I made this type of design at Caithness, I would say this is probably one of hers. Two reasons make me think this...
1- The signature on the base is not consistent with my weights.
2- The buds do not have stems, not a thing I normally do.
The weight was likely made for the Scottish Glass Society Exhibition, but not necessarily for Rosette herself. We both quite often were asked to supply some flowers for the other workers in the glass house if they fancied trying something different for the Exhibition.


Hope this helps

Allan

[chopin-liszt]

Thanks, Allan. You're a star. 

[SimonD]

I second that! Much appreciated, Simon

[chopin-liszt]

 
This might be an appropriate time and place to show a couple of Allan's weights from the Scottish Glass Society Exhibition in 2005.

[chopin-liszt]

I'm not the best of photographers; the weights were all sitting in their proper Exhibition "spots" and it was very hard to get a representative image of any kind, because of all the cuttings doing amazing optical things everywhere.