Topic: British Studio Glass Vase Marked 'BW London 70'

[Pinkspoons]

An early-ish British studio glass vase, partially cased with random bubbling and trails of yellow powder. It's about 20cm tall. Engraved to the based with what looks to be a 'BW' monogram, and 'London, 70' - but I've not been able to track down anyone fitting the initials.

I think it's a lovely vase - it shares much in common with later Bertil Vallien pieces for Kosta Boda.

[Greg.]

Interesting item Nick.

I'm afraid I can't help identify the monogram on the base, however, this piece is very similar to many pieces that were produced in the late 60s and early 70s at the RCA and also the Glasshouse. This piece may well have been produced by a student of Sam Herman's at the time, however, I also couldn't manage to put a name to the monogram.

The style and technique is also very similar to a couple of other pieces that recently came up for sale, that were blown by Wayne D Filan a student of Sam's. Here are a link to both pieces if you haven't already seen them:

http://ebay.eu/1sX46dF

http://ebay.eu/1BHaxQG

Interesting mystery, if you do manage to put a name to the monogram, I would be very interested to know. 

[Pinkspoons]

I did suspect that it might have hailed from the RCA - I've had a couple of pieces from RCA students signed '[name] + London + [date]'.

The first Filan vase you've listed, especially, is very close in form to mine! Odd.

[chopin-liszt]

I've got a booklet from the Exhibition "The Glasshouse and its Tree", shown in 2008.


There's a huge (and difficult to follow, with teeny tiny print) diagram of who was who and where they went from there, in it.
I can find Wenna Bishop, from '83. A little late for your piece, Nic. and besides, the booklet is about the Glasshouse, not the RCA, although they were closely intertwined in the early days.

Wayne Filan is not there - I think he was on a studentship at the  RCA at the time and I would suspect he wasn't the only one.

This sort of thing really piques my interest too - my Wayne Filan is quite different to the ones shown. I'll track an image down.
I did have a dream about acquiring a piece by every single student from the RCA from the early days... once.

[flying free]

I can't find all the details right now but in 1970 there was some gathering of glass makers in London.  I will try and see if I can find more details on who, but from what I've found so far there is no one with those initials.

I have found that an exhibition was held in December 1970 at the Park Square Gallery in Leeds owned by Mrs Sarah Gilchrist.
The archives are at
The University of Leeds
The Library.
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/library/spcoll/handlists/074MS712QueenSq.pdf

The info from that is as follows:
'26. Christmas exhibition, mainly of glass, sculpture and jewellery,
December 1970
Work by:- Brian Askwith, Terence Bennett, Richard Bonehill, Lynne Bradshaw,
Ingebord Bratman, Ralph Brown, Jane Bruce, Pamela and Christopher Burrows,
Stephen Chaplin, Ann Christopher, Jon Clark, Dillon Clarke, Martin Demaine,
8
Handlist 74
Wayne Filan, Alan Freer, Sam Herman, Susanna Heron, Fenella Hill, David
Hockney, Brian Illsley, Peter K Jackson, Duncan S James, Heskel Joory, Peter
Layton, Margaret Lovell, Mary Martin, Annette Meech, Breon O'Casey,
O'Donnell, Ric Oginz, Asiru Olatunde, Simon Pearce, Wendy Ramshaw, E
Russell, Pauline Solven, J Suhajek, Keith Tyssen, Austin Wright and Helga Zahn.
Also prints by: Patrick Caulfield, Elisabeth Frink, Terry Frost, John Hoyland and
Kenneth Martin.
1138-1206 Correspondence, 1970-1. 81 ff.
1207 Biographies of exhibitors, [1970]. 19 ff.
1208 Price list with annotations, [1970] 23 ff.
1209 Sales lists, [1970].11 ff.
1210 Rough accounts, [1970-1]. MS 10ff.
1211 Mounted press-cuttings, [1970]. 4 ff.
1212 Photocopies of press-cuttings, [1970]. 5 ff.
1213-1217 Miscellaneous publicity material about various exhibitors. 13 ff. '

There does not appear to be anyone in that list that would match the initials BW.
I wonder if it could have been an overseas glass maker come to London for that gathering, rather than a British maker?
I'm sure I read somewhere that Benny Motzfeldt for example also came over that year, but I cannot find my reference for that at the  moment. And for example, Sam Herman, Wayne Filan, Jon Clark and Martin Demaine are all mentioned in that list along with Jiri Suhajek.

Sue if you are reading this hello and for you -
In addition to this in December 1969 there was a Mdina Glass exhibition
information as follows:
'21. Glass exhibition, December 1969
Work from Mdina Glass, Malta.
950-959 Correspondence, 1969. 11 ff.
960-961 Mounted press-cuttings, 1969. 2 ff.
962-964 Miscellaneous financial documents, 1969. 3 ff. '

[Pinkspoons]

Thanks for all the effort in taking a look, both of you.

I've a track record for finding glass that really should be identifiable... but which ends up in a big pile marked 'Dunno'. *sigh*

Although I did stumble on a photographic catalogue of RCA students' work 1960-2002 - it contains no 'BW', sadly, but it might be of interest to others:

http://www.vads.ac.uk/collections/RCAROSW.html

[Greg.]

Hi Nic,

Thought you may like to see this related piece, which I came across earlier this year for sale (photo taken with permission, whilst contemplating possible purchase). The piece has sadly been converted into a lamp at some point in its life. I would think there is a strong possibility that it was produced by the same hand as your piece, or at least from the same pot, given the similarities in colours comparing both pieces. Unfortunately, this piece, was unmarked, however, thought you may like to see it nevertheless, given the similarities.

Thanks for adding the link to the back catalogue of RCA students work, I din't realise this resource was available online. I gather most of these images are taken from the students end of year shows. Coincidentally, I remember  popping down and viewing some of the end of year shows a few years back, as my father used to work in the industrial school in the late 60s and we continued to receive invites to the shows after he retired. Its always nice to see new work and ideas on show.

[Pinkspoons]

Oh, the vase is lovely - such a shame it's been disfigured with a lamp-holder!

The similarities are very apparent, though.

[chopin-liszt]

 
I very much appreciated the link too, Nic. I was interested to see a few bits by Phil Atrill. I have a small collection of his (big) work, but all contemporary.
I have been wondering if there is an H implicated in the monogram on the base of your piece, so have looked for names that include a H as well as a B and or W, but I'm not getting very far.
Nobody in the Labino book "Visual art in glass". Nobody from my list of folk who trained at IoWSG in my little black book.

There is a William Bernstein mentioned in my American Studio Glass book, as having a decanter selling in a gallery called Appalacian Spring in 1970, along with a vase by Mark Peiser, in washington CD. He's quite an important sort of chap - along with Fritz Dreisbach, the three of them formed the Glass Art Society (GAS) with Henry Halem as the first president. I don't know if he came over to the RCA, but  I will continue digging.
I can't find my copy of the little Shire book on Studio glass.

[Pinkspoons]

The Shire book was the first title I exhausted. I've also worked my way through my handful of books on American, European, Scandinavian and Japanese studio glass of the period, with any combination of letters I could plausibly make from the monogram.

No luck so far!