Topic: Victorian Glass Frigger

[mhgcgolfclub]

I have a large victorian glass frigger, I like it, unfortunately my wife is not keen on it, I do do have no space for it and it lives in the loft, I am not sure if its on the original base as its a glass base and it would look better on a wooden one the dome is perfect, there is a little damage to one of the deer which could be retored if the glass dome could be removed and the water fountain is a little wobbly, it is a large item standing 17 inches tall by 14 inches wide, I would like to have the item restored, the Frigger could only be moved by car being very fragile, I do not know who made the item but have been told they were made in Bristol and Stourbridge , this one came from Stourbridge and was made from spun glass, and is it true the idea of fibre optics may have come from these old friggers, I also think such a nice item is wasted in the loft and I am trying to find out if there are any museum that would be interested in having on a long term loan

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Moderator:  Yobunny Gallery photos added
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-5146

http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-5145

http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-5144

http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-5143

roy
 

[Frank]

Perhaps Broadfield House would be interested, it is a splendid example.

My grandmother told me of one lampworker who travelled in a wagon early 1900's and sold door to door, making to order outside the house, in Cambidgshire or Norfolk? Her mother had a ship by him. I recall being enthralled at the complexity and size of the thing. Not as big as yours but it was splendid - no idea where it ended up though, her Mother died around 1960.

[KevinH]

Roy,

That is a superb example. Is it the one I saw in a Stourbridge auction a few years ago? ... One that I craved ... but could not justify bidding for, as I do not have the space to display it ... and I needed to save my pennies in any case.

I think you really should contact Broadfield House and have a chat with them. But bear in mind that they already seem to have at least two examples of this type of frigger. Here's a couple of photos I took, back in August 2004, of part of their "Frigger" display:
Bird Cage: http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-5025
Ships: http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-5024

Note that the Broadfield House ships example is set on a flat sheet of glass. I have seen the use of a sheet glass stand for a few other examples (although I have not actually seen many at all). My own example, which is a small version of Ships, also stands on a flat glass base and this even has a small additional piece of irregularly shaped flat glass stuck underneath in the centre - presumably to stop the main sheet becoming scratched.

My example, with a large ship, a small ship and a simplified lighthouse is here:
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-5023
This was from an auction (now closed down) in Stourbridge. It has one definite piece of damage - one of the sailors lost his head. I also wonder whether there may originally have been a fourth salior in the rigging as it seems a bit unbalanced with just the three, but I can see no obvious evidence of where he (or she??) may have been attached.

As for the history of Fibre Optics, I suspect that the type of glass threads and fine spun glass in these items was not the real precursor to fibre optics. The Wikipedia entry is interesting and the "History" section gives some details of where it came from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_fiber

I really do like these items. Anyone else have one?

Oh, and Roy, perhaps you might consider offering a photo of yours (but maybe against a plain background) for possible inclusion in the GMB 2008 Calendar?

[mhgcgolfclub]

hi there (this is Roys wife lol ) i dont really hate the frigger its just so delicate im worried about knocking it and honestly there is sooo much glass in our house i could charge admission , there is not one square inch really without a  glass thingy and if roy was into DIY it would go up the walls and round the ceilings too , anyway its very pretty

carol

[mhgcgolfclub]

KevH

It was the one you saw at Stourbridge a few years ago, I had only really gone there because of the pressed glass collection that was for sale, I noticed the Frigger and had not meant to bid on it, I think it was more of an impluse buy

I can see what you mean about the flat glass base they are the same so it must be the original, so I would think it would be quite possible to have the dome removed and repair the slight damage, one antler on the deer has dropped off and one of the peacock has a broken back , clean around the base and reseal the dome to base

I would be very happy to try and take some better pictures with a plain background

I  will contact Broadfield House and have a chat, its somewhere I have wanted to go for the last couple of years and have not yet made it as i live down in Sussex

Roy 

[David E]

Roy, ask for Roger Dodsworth (01384 812745):

http://www.dudley.gov.uk/glassmuseum

[Bernard C]

Roy — I knew I had seen it before.   As it turns out, not quite the same, the flowers are different, and the stags replaced by bulrushes, but definitely by the same glassmaker.

See Newby, Martine, From Palace to Parlour — A Celebration of 19th-Century British Glass, The Glass Circle, 2003.   Final item listed in the exhibition:-
  234.  Lampwork bird fountain under a glass dome
 Second half of the 19th century
 Height 40.2 cm;  Width of base 44.1 cm

This is on the oroginal wooden base;  the cover fits into a slot in the base, about ¼" inside the edge.

There you see one of the irritating aspects of this otherwise excellent book.   Of course it should read:-
 Height 16";  Width of base 17½"
or perhaps:-
 Height 16" (40.2 cm);  Width of base 17½" (44.1 cm)

Whatever next?   It will not too long before we read that "milestones were positioned along this road at intervals of 1609.34 metres."

Bernard C.