Topic: Info on James Powell Topaz glass - "The Queen Victoria Topaz bowl"

[flying free]

Thanks for the link to that catalogue.
Was just going to have a quick look through but on the front page - caught my eye 'Bartleet's '  which should have read 'Bartlett's' perhaps, and also 'shew' rooms, rather than show rooms?  Possibly it was spelled shew at that time but I hate a typo and it jars to see things written incorrectly. 

[flying free]

I've been through one of them but couldn't see any finger bowls with a foot or a splayed rim.
They mostly look to be rounded bottom bowls basically?

I'm just not sure these were finger bowls/cups/glasses.  The shape doesn't seem to be right somehow.

Page 8 here - finger cup with 'tube' - is it a flower trumpet?  Weird looking article but again, not a bowl on a foot.
https://www.cmog.org/sites/default/files/collections/EF/EF2ECA9A-682B-4C7D-A156-AF1B051A828F.pdf

Oh there is one on page 16 - small close set to body, flat circular foot.

[Ekimp]

I noticed ‘shew’ rooms but assumed that was posh for show  and I’m not the best person to comment on spelling or grammar!

Yes, I wasn’t looking for bowls with feet but saw most of their ‘finger cups’ were the shape with curved sides, yet there was one that was a cylinder and one more conical etc. Maybe there was a common shape but anything goes.

[flying free]

A complete aside possibly - but this is an,  ummm, interesting account of the possibility of uranium being mined in Cornwall (2 November 1889 report) Page 19:

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/St_Stephen_s_Review/7fknbCXEEfgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=uranium+glass+queen+victoria&pg=RA16-PA20&printsec=frontcover

[flying free]

1813  Pantologia
Cannot give page number as not numbered but see under URA -

Where there is a description of uranium in glass and how it makes a colour like Chrysoprase. Talks about Klaproth and the various colours obtained from uranium glass.  Also talks about it being found in Cornwall:

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Pantologia/Jco6AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=uranium+glass+finger+glass&pg=PP200&printsec=frontcover

[Ekimp]

I’m not sure if this is relevant as it’s not a yellow colour but there was a question mark over the date of use of uranium glass in Britain...or was it just topaz uranium glass. Anyway, I was looking in McConnells The Decanter for something and noticed an uranium-green body, silver mounted claret jug (page 312). It is dated 1839 (presumably from the silver hallmark) and is described as “glass by Richardson”. This is just a couple of years after the “Whitefriars” bowls so maybe of interest.

The picture credit is for Michael Sedler Antiques and it can be seen in their archives here: https://www.sedlerantiques.com/antique-silver/archive/antique-victorian-sterling-silver-glass-claret-jug-wine-decanter-1839/2579/ . Sedler doesn’t say it is uranium but McConnell does, in the picture description he even mentions the first known use of uranium in British Glass being the Whitefriars Topaz bowls in 1837.

[flying free]

Ok.  But now we have no source that says 'The Queen Victoria Topaz bowls' were made by Whitefriars in 1837. Currently it is listed on the 'new' V&A site as made by Davenport's
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O2170/finger-bowl-davenport--co/



I presume McConnell's tested the decanter for uranium glass then if it's not listed on the Sedler site as being uranium glass. 

Sedler doesn't say it's Richardson's glass but perhaps it's been linked via the silver attachment which does have a hallmark?

It's interesting cutting - the neck cutting in layers - quite similar design to the bowls in that aspect, but cut differently from what I could make out.

I wonder if it's in the Richardson pattern books then? 

I will have a trawl through Charles Hajdamach's British Glass tonight and see whether there is mention of uranium or uranium green amongst Richardson's 1830s output.

Thank you! 

[flying free]

there is some interesting information on this site if it's correct.  Apparently 'In 1842, Benjamin Richardson's letters report with pride of “his
experiments with new colors such as canary yellow and cornelian white.' 
I wonder what canary yellow was?  was it the yellow opaline vitreous enamel decanters they produced?
https://uig.printstoreonline.com/food-drink/vertical/pair-richardsons-yellow-glass-decanters-9554929.html

or was it uranium glass maybe?


Source:
https://storage.snappages.site/y3h077nvhv/assets/files/Richardson-Glass-History-The-Antiquarian-39.pdf


'In 1837, Johnathan Richardson took Thomas Webb’s place in the partnership. The new
partnership and new firm name of W.H., B. & J. Richardson did not become official until
1842 even though operational it was effective as of 1838 when Johnathan Richardson
took Thomas Webb’s place in the partnership.
In 1839, Richardson’s firm was described as manufacturers of “Plain & Rich Cut Glass
of Every Color.” In 1842, Benjamin Richardson’s letters report with pride of “his
experiments with new colors such as canary yellow and cornelian white.'

[flying free]

Interesting cut glass jugs that say they are from Richardson's here on Revolutionary Players. In particular the jug on the right has a very similar foot to the bowl:

https://www.revolutionaryplayers.org.uk/richardson-cut-glass-jugs/

[flying free]

Just wondering if the 'draped' effect on the body of that green decanter is mold blown or cut?

https://www.sedlerantiques.com/antique-silver/archive/antique-victorian-sterling-silver-glass-claret-jug-wine-decanter-1839/2579/

Does anyone know ?