Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests > Resolved Paperweight Queries

Strathearn paperweight research

(1/2) > >>

Frank:
I would like to draw your attention to the ongoing developement of Richard More's galleries. Recently moved to a new location and including data. A great contribution to our knowledge.

LINK: http://strathearn.smugmug.com/

Well done Richard!

Anonymous:
Good morning Frank

Would you consider that between yours and Richards sites that you cover all of the different "styles" of Strathearn paperweight. The emphasis on styles is that I appreciate there may well be various other cane combinations. I am thinking of the overall shape of the piece...ie star, bullet. normal etc.
The reason for asking is that I have 3 Strathearn weights that are facetted but so far cannot find any reference to them.

Regards

Gareth


morgan48

Frank:
Hi,

My aim is to show a selection of the designs. Richard is working to a more comprehensive solution with over 600 weights so far. Many of the designs were faceted from time to time and of course faceting is another way of restoring damaged weights. I think Richard does have some facetted examples on display?

Identification is best achieved by cane matching but no-one has done that yet for Strathgearn. Original catalogues are few and far between and are probably not complete in any case. It is of course complicated as the only difference between Vasart and Strathearn was initially the location and that Strathearn had a propane fuelled kiln. Canes are thus found in both Strathearn and Vasart weights and these are usually classed as transitional. Strathearn later used other colours and as Vincent left early on there was no direct Ysart influence and there followed a divergence of design.

Separating the glassware is a lot easier as to accomodate the seal the glass had to be made thicker. Designs however remained largely unchanged and hence the catalogues make no distinction between Vasart and Strathearn until a new design philosophy emerged.

KevinH:
Gareth,

As Frank says, Richard does show some faceted weights in his Album.

And yes, catalogue (brochure) details are rather limited but what was available in 2000 was reproduced in John Simmonds book, Paperweights From Great Britain, 1930-2000, showing that several standard design weights were also produced in faceted versions. Sometimes the faceting was just a single cut to allow the weight to be stood on its side. Often there were five or six side cuts and a top facet. Some designs had all over "geometric" faceting.

Personally, I think that the best faceted Strathearn designs were the blue-over-white overlays which had to be faceted in order to view the internal structure - which was, I think, mostly a regular "cartwheel spoke" pattern.

If you would like to email images of your faceted weights to me, I will happily check them out for you.

On the point about nobody yet doing cane matching for Strathearn, that is true, but some work on this has been attempted. For my own part, I have started cane matching in order to understand the complications arising from Strathearn (and Vasart) canes being used in "later Scottish" work of as yet unknown attribution. I also suggested to Richard that he might like to follow my example of "Ysart cane tables" using his Strathearn weights. He said it would a great idea, but at the present time, an unachievable one.  :P

Anonymous:
Good morning  KevH

Many thanks...I will get around to photographing them soon and email them to you. I did find a few on Richards site but not of the type that I have. All 3 of mine have what would have been the dome facetted and then another facet on the side so they sit upright, so to speak. Cannot think of how else to describe them... all will come clear with the photographs
Busy decorating just at the moment so many things packed away....however very much appreciate your offer and will despatch asap.

Regards

Gareth

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page