Topic: E.Varnish mercury glass with embossed seal, circa 1849

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Black Country Museums collection have this ruby goblet as 'probably Richardson's' c. 1850
http://blackcountryhistory.org/collections/getrecord/DMUSE_ST116/

and this bowl as well - very dark red
http://blackcountryhistory.org/collections/getrecord/DMUSE_BH2136b/

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The vermicular pattern on this vase in the V&A - there is a 'Weinglas' in Das Bohmische Glas Band III page 144 plate III.187 that has I think (checked under magnifying glass) exactly the same pattern - glass is clear with gilded rim and pattern on it.  LIsted as 'Vermutlich Neuwelt1850-1860'
http://media.vam.ac.uk/collections/img/2006/AM/2006AM6845_2500.jpg

Interestingly when you enlarge the V&A picture you can see the very thick layer of clear glass over the red underlay especially at the base of the stem.  Bit like the neck in the Bacchus decanter which was also red underlay with clear layer and then white overlay.  Obviously this might just be because red required clear over it before the final white overlay in order to anneal without cracking.  I realise it doesn't indicate it would be by the same maker.

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This vermicular pattern can also be seen gilded onto two Hyalith red Feather holder pieces from 'probably Buquoy' dated 1822-1840 - source Das Bohmiches Glas Band II page 54

And also gilded onto an Agatinglas becher from Buquoy dated 'after 1834' on page 167 of the same book.

Important to note these items and that this pattern in gilded form appeared at early 1800s dates on Bohemian glass.

CH British Glass page 113 plate 85 shows a jug with a trefoil rim and twisted handle which has a vermicular pattern all over the surface (pattern created on a frosted surface etched through so it shows the clear glass underneath as the pattern). It appears from the way the paragraph was written that this might be an acid etched pattern although the sentence does not specifically refer to that jug as having been acid etched.
The book references this pattern engraved onto a trefoil lip jug as registered by Richardson's on 24 August 1854 number 96703.

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This vermicular pattern can also be seen gilded onto two Hyalith red Feather holder pieces from 'probably Buquoy' dated 1822-1840 - source Das Bohmiches Glas Band II page 54

And also gilded onto an Agatinglas becher from Buquoy dated 'after 1834' on page 167 of the same book.

Important to note these items and that this pattern in gilded form appeared at early 1800s dates on Bohemian glass.

CH British Glass page 113 plate 85 shows a jug with a trefoil rim and twisted handle which has a vermicular pattern all over the surface (pattern created on a frosted surface etched through so it shows the clear glass underneath as the pattern). It appears from the way the paragraph was written that this might be an acid etched pattern although the sentence does not specifically refer to that jug as having been acid etched.
The book references this pattern engraved onto a trefoil lip jug as registered by Richardson's on 24 August 1854 number 96703.

Example of the vermicular gilding on an Agatinglas Buquoy becher here:

https://www.kunstundglas.de/s/cc_images/cache_68786527.JPG?t=1523452729

https://www.kunstundglas.de/glas-19-jh/

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page 69 and 70 - a description in French of Drayton's process of silvering and other processes mentioning Liebig and Petitjean and showing an engraving picture of women silvering glass using Drayton's process:


https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=oqLJvbI3NAkC&pg=PA83&dq=cristallerie+de+clichy&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiexKmhvdTrAhXQCuwKHfdrB-EQ6AEwA3oECAQQAg#v=onepage&q=cristallerie%20de%20clichy&f=false

Source:  Les merveilles de l'industrie ou description des principales industries modernes ..., Volume 1
By Louis Figuier  (think late 19th century book)

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Still searching for where these pieces were made 
And have just bought a very unusual piece of silvered glass so am on the trail again.

I'm sure I've put this link to the 1848 Art Union Journal article on here before as it talks about Drayton's Process of silvering glass, however I can't find it so am adding it once more.

Just as a reminder to myself - I've re-read the article and there is specific reference there to a large quantity of glass being manufactured in Germany for Drayton, for him to use for the silvering process.

This might refer to mirror glass (flat glass) but it is not specific in the article and the way it's written implies it might actually be blown glass for Lamp bases, chandelier parts etc. (see left hand column of attached photographed at the bottom of the article)

I have just been reading a report from earlier than 1848 on how the mirror glass was blown and silvered in Germany and Bohemia and also blown then cut and flattened and polished to use as mirrored glass.  So they were clearly one of  'the' markets for making glass linked to the silvering process in some format, even if it might only have been for flat mirrors. It might also be why the tone of the article in the Frankfurter Zeitung about the Great Exhibition silvered glass from Varnish should have been something Germany would excel at.

From the reports of how the mirrored glass was made  I wonder if they might also have been making large silvered globes but using a process that was not healthy for workforce i.e. obviously not Drayton's process, even before 1848.  Again this would explain the tone of the Frankfurter Zeitung article, that an idea for silvered glass vases/articles had come from an English source but should have been an idea the German glassmakers could have come up with. 


:

See page 327 (photograph attached)

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=47XlAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA326&dq=silvered+glass+globe+bohemia&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1mLaR7ozsAhXxuXEKHRfOD3UQ6AEwB3oECAcQAg#v=onepage&q=silvered%20glass%20globe%20bohemia&f=false

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The vermicular pattern on this vase in the V&A - there is a 'Weinglas' in Das Bohmische Glas Band III page 144 plate III.187 that has I think (checked under magnifying glass) exactly the same pattern - glass is clear with gilded rim and pattern on it.  LIsted as 'Vermutlich Neuwelt1850-1860'
http://media.vam.ac.uk/collections/img/2006/AM/2006AM6845_2500.jpg

Interestingly when you enlarge the V&A picture you can see the very thick layer of clear glass over the red underlay especially at the base of the stem.  Bit like the neck in the Bacchus decanter which was also red underlay with clear layer and then white overlay.  Obviously this might just be because red required clear over it before the final white overlay in order to anneal without cracking.  I realise it doesn't indicate it would be by the same maker.

Example of the vermicular gilding on an Agatinglas Buquoy becher here:

https://www.kunstundglas.de/s/cc_images/cache_68786527.JPG?t=1523452729

https://www.kunstundglas.de/glas-19-jh/

Vase in V&A for reference :
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O6482/vase-hale-thomson-f/

See also this vase on ebay - 99.9% certain it's by the same maker as the V&A, same shape, same white over red with vermiculur gilding and also cut through to red but in a slightly different pattern.  Note the Knop/merese in the middle of the vase where the one in the V&A appears to have a collar added (perhaps where it was cut to by silvered on the inside of the foot?)
99.99% certain they are both Bohemian.

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/7oMAAOSwLGRfZ0vQ/s-l1600.jpg

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LARGE-VICTORIAN-ANTIQUE-BOHEMIAN-CRANBERRY-GLASS-VASE-VERMICELLI-GILDING-13-H/363111377066?_trkparms=aid%3D999002%26algo%3DURGENT.LUI%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140502134130%26meid%3Dbb363c850576426f9f3a93d2f5afdf92%26pid%3D100043%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26mehot%3Dpp%26so%3Dlastwatched%26itm%3D363111377066%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2508447&_trksid=p2508447.c100043.m2062

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Re: Reply #156 ...

I think the author of that 1851 Art Journal article was mistaken about the process of making the items. His description sounds more like he had seen the "Hawkes double-walled vase" (that we can't see online) and concluded it must have made in two parts and joined; then he decided that double-walled silvered items must have been made similarly.

As for "to the touch they are smooth on the outside" I cannot think which type of item he was considering. It sounds like a description of an undecorated (or plain outer with "gold wash" interior) item!

Kev, this is the Hawkes double walled bowl.  It was two pieces,  one fitted inside the other.  I'm now thinking the author may have been describing the E Varnish named Bohemian vase in the V&A which does indeed appear to have had a liner fitted possibly.
http://blackcountryhistory.org/collections/getrecord/DMUSE_BH3330/

http://cdn.collectionsbase.org.uk/dmuse/300_bh3330_1.jpg



And there is a Hawkes plate here described as 'double walled' also in the museum collection:

http://blackcountryhistory.org/collections/getrecord/DMUSE_BH1380/

http://cdn.collectionsbase.org.uk/dmuse/300_bh1380.jpg

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Further to the example links I gave just a few posts earlier to Richardson glass in the Black Country Museum collection, I came across this example:
http://blackcountryhistory.org/collections/getrecord/DMUSE_ST269/
Says it is c.1850, clear cased with ruby, Richardson.  I recognise that makers will have had variety of colours but on this goblet the ruby is so thin it's almost transparent.  Looks like a very different red to either of those I linked above and also quite different to the OP goblet at the start of this thread I think.

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Very interesting piece of 'double walled' (?) 'silvered' (?)glass in the Wallace Collection.  They have it dated to 1619-1709 and attributed to Bernard Perrot 'possibly'  (maker in France).
Say it was silvered with tin, made in three parts and bonded with adhesive putty.

So, the idea of silvering the inside of a form of 'double walled' glass could date back two centuries before Drayton attempted it.

https://wallacelive.wallacecollection.org/eMP/eMuseumPlus?service=direct/1/ResultListView/result.t1.collection_list.$TspTitleImageLink.link&sp=10&sp=Scollection&sp=SfieldValue&sp=0&sp=0&sp=2&sp=SdetailList&sp=42&sp=Sdetail&sp=0&sp=F&sp=T&sp=61