Topic: Sowerby Opalescent (blanc de lat) small “gathering apples” 1882

[thewingedsphinx]

Ok, 1st picture is the gryphon vase ?? My father has more of these as this is an old photo none have a makers mark.
2nd picture, pair of smaller vases which are the ones I believe you mention in the advertisement come with a Sowerby peacock mark.

I’m fairly sure there are two sizes of the gryphon vase but there’s not not much difference in size. I think on this website site there was proof of a receipt from a purchase that lead them to be by Sowerby. But they are always referred to as Edward Moore, my father is open minded and thinks perhaps the original mould was a Sowerby mould perhaps used with the plain colours and perhaps Edward Moore acquired the moulds when he left Sowerby and started his own business but that’s our speculative answer.
Regards Mike

[flying free]

They're lovely.  The yellow and the opalescent with the serrated rim are the most beautiful colours   the best.

The V&A have the opalescent one in the collection (they date the design registered as 1879)



They also have quite a few pieces with this strange texture on:
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O4521/biscuit-jar-sowerby-ellison-glassworks/

Could this be the 'frosted' glass referred to maybe?

[flying free]

Something odd on this page - the jug with a mask on (left hand side orangey browny green mottled) referred to as Sowerby is I think Stevens and Williams Caerleon glass maybe?  Or at least it looks remarkably similar 
http://www.glass.co.nz/sowerby.htm

[thewingedsphinx]

I see what you mean as we have some of those bits in the collection as my mother collected the clear pieces, however. Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of the frosted “old king Cole” pieces which is solid frosted if you know what I mean rather than semi sand blasted.
Mike

[thewingedsphinx]

Yeah i don’t recognise that jug, but Sowerby  didn't just make pressed glass They made all sorts of things. But probably didn’t add a makers mark.
My folks only collected pressed glass from around 1874-85 ish for Sowerby.

[flying free]

I've always been curious about those pieces with an enamelled rim (Venetian style) and I think I would also definitely wonder where that mottled jug was made.  It really looks like Stevens and Williams Caerleon to me.

Apologies for all the questions (what seems like an inquisition! sorry ) but is this piece wrongly listed as 'Enamelled Blanc-de-Lait ' then?:

https://www.premierantiques.co.uk/rare-sowerby-enamelled-blanc-de-lait-vitro-porcelain-glass-bowl-c1879-4986-p.asp

And these also?  Are they actually the 'Opal' glass referred to on the resource website?:
https://www.davidlay.co.uk/auction/lot/lot-936---a-collection-of-sowerby-blanc-de-lait/?lot=70201&so=0&st=&sto=0&au=125&ef=&et=&ic=False&sd=1&pp=96&pn=5&g=1

'Opal an opaque white glass the first Vitro-Porcelain colour produced in 1876 followed by:'

There is some description of the above piece here but the caption refers to Blanc-de Lait but then shows white opaque glass. And last question, is that turquoise piece an example of the frosted you mentioned?:
Other Sowerby Colours and Surface Decoration
http://www.victorianpressedglass.com/sowerby_coloured_glass.htm

[thewingedsphinx]

Premier antiques and the auction house don’t tie up with Mike T’s website, I would have thought they are vitro porcelain with enamel decoration? , so I don’t have any more answer I’m afraid. The last piece I think you refer looks sand blasted 1885 ish which is after the nursery rhyme pieces. We need help for Mike T.
Cheers Mike

[chopin-liszt]

I very strongly suspect Caerleon for that jug too. Has somebody wrongly assumed the lion's head prunt indicated Sowerby?

[MHT]

I'll try to help out if I can.

My theory on the Opal/Blanc de Lait, white/opalescent debate.
If you look at the 1878 pattern book: http://www.victorianpressedglass.com/pdf/sowerby/sowerby_1878_colour.pdf
The first 3 or 4 pages show patterns in Turquoise, Jet and Opal. These were the first colours made in opaque Vitro Porcelain which was patented in 1876.
Opal must be opaque white because Blanc de Lait (opalescent) was not patented until 1880.
Slack agrees with this but Cottle does not. I think Slack is correct.

The pieces on the websites referred to by Flying Free are, as Mike said, Opal with enamel decoration. I think this is cold painted as it can be rubbed off.
So for me these websites have incorrect descriptions. Depends which book you are reading.

The Turquoise frosted piece is in the 1882 catalogue and is acid etched. Sowerby used both acid etching (possibly for smaller items) and sandblasting, if you look at the Sowerby Colours page:
http://www.victorianpressedglass.com/sowerby_coloured_glass.htm towards the bottom is an ice bucket which has been sand blasted.
In the pattern books Sowerby sometimes refers to this as 'obscured'.
The biscuit jar in the V&A is 'stippled', very fine dots in the mould. Sowerby used this decoration on a number of pieces.

Also, towards the bottom of the Coloured Glass page I try to explain the words 'Stained Blanc de Lait' on the front of the 1882 catalogue.
Stained Blank de Lait possibly refers to green tinted BdL and possibly the pink tinted BdL Gladstone Bags. Cottle uses the term 'Rose Opalescent' but I'm not sure where that came from.
Mike has a very nice pair of green tinted BdL swans on another thread.

I don't think the jug or Venetian piece on the NZ Glass Museum website are anything to do with Sowerby. The only prunts (raspberry) I have seen are on Sowerby Venetian glass.

Sowerby Venetian is interesting, I have a number of pieces and I am trying to put together a web page about this at the moment.

Mike

[flying free]

Mike thanks so much for your lengthy and really interesting detailed response. 

I think Richardson used the term 'opal' for their white opaline glass as well. I've also seen it referred to quite frequently when looking back at old documentation c. 1850s.  It seemed to me at the time to be a description of white opaline glass that was commonly used in England at that time.  Art critics also used it if I recall correctly so it seemed commonplace - a term that everyone knew meant white opaline glass kind of thing. 

Could I ask a question then please - when Blanc de Lait was patented was it stipulated, or did the recipe indicate, that it was an opalescent glass at all?

Also, I came across some old documentation referring to Sowerby manufacturing stained glass.  Is that true do we know?  I know there was a big interest in stained glass production in the late 19thc. 

Thank you again for all the really fascinating information.

m