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61
Glass / Jacobite significance or not
« Last post by markhig62 on January 27, 2025, 10:03:52 PM »
Hi
I have recently acquired the DSOT wine glass shown in the pictures. It is a lovely little glass, very genuine but I am interested in finding out others' opinions on the engraving. There is a six petal stylised rose with a single closed bud to the right but there are 4 leaves whereas, Geoffery Seddon in The Jacobites and their drinking glasses, states that a single closed bud should be accompanied by 5 leaves (4 if there are 2 closed buds). There is also a jay bird in flight on the reverse. I assume that these are probably simply decorative features but what do others think. The engraving is fairly basic but similar to that on other mid-late 18th century glasses which I own. It is clearly nothing like the earlier identified (by letter) Jacobite glass engravers but I still wonder if it might have some significance. Any thought welcome, please!
Mark
62
Such a natural, complex texture, far removed from any geometry, is unusual for pressed glass.
The "MORAVA" series (Rosice -#1508, 1969) by Vladislav Urban continues to impress us.

Una textura tan natural, compleja, alejada de toda geometría resulta insólita para un cristal prensado.
La serie " MORAVA" (Rosice -#1508, 1969) de Vladislav Urban nos sigue impresionando.
63
Glass / Re: Info on James Powell Topaz glass - "The Queen Victoria Topaz bowl"
« Last post by flying free on January 27, 2025, 01:46:44 AM »
Thank you very much for the info on Bismuth :)

All I recall is that Apsley Pellatt said something had to be reduced to make the uranium glass not disintegrate at a later date so I just don't think it was simple to make initially. There really is very little info on the use of uranium in glass that I can find from that early period 1830s in the UK.
 
It seems from reading Neuwirth that there was not much information available from what is said in the Farbenglas book.  The book references various exhibitions in Vienna and a piece shown by Neuwelt in I think 1831 (?) and Neuwirth also had access to the pieces in the museum collection, so far more access to info than I could ever hope to find just searching the net.


The Perrin Geddes set is gorgeous isn't it? I agree, it's lovely.


I don't know the answer to your question about John Ford as to whether he was in competition with Bailey & co.
I'm a bit confused with what I've read about Caledonian being under the uncle Ford and then it (Caledonian) disappearing and becoming Mid-Lothian under Wm. Bailey  and then John Ford (nephew) taking it over and it being renamed Holyrood.  Bailey I think had a bottle works as well.
Also the Leighton Biography I linked to refers to a Samuel Ford, not John Ford (uncle).
It's all a bit confusing .  I don't have Goblets and Gaslights book unfortunately.

The recipe for uranium glass given by John Ford is interesting. Thanks so much! It looks as though there was discussion about it being modified as someone suggested a different quantity for the copper or using a different modification of copper?
Such a shame we don't know how old it is.  Again the reference in Goblets and Gaslights was a recipe in John Ford's recipes dated after 1837, I think it was dated 1841? although the Leighton letter was 1839.

I've searched for Holyrood agents and not been able to find anything in London at all so far.

Your help is very much appreciated!




64
Page 77 here describes the ladies working at Defries and Sons pinning the chandelier parts together. 
It also describes male workers cutting and finishing the droplets, so it seems chandelier droplets were at least cut to shape and polished at Defries & Sons:

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Family_friend_ed_by_R_K_Philp/zNsEAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=defries+%26+sons+glass&pg=RA1-PA77&printsec=frontcover
65
According to this contemporary report, the fireworks were by D'Ernst (the ones in Green Park seen from Buck House)  and Southby (in Hyde Park) for the Queen Victoria coronation:
Source: A Diary of Royal Movements
See page 104 (as typed on the left of the page in this link)
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/A_diary_of_royal_movements_and_of_person/-oUBAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=queen+victoria+coronation+fireworks+green+park&pg=PA104&printsec=frontcover

They cost £1,492. 8. 3

D'Ernst was maker to the King - see advertisement here from 1827
https://boroughphotos.org/lambeth/dernst-fireworks-advertisement-vauxhall-gardens/
66
Glass / Re: Linen Smoother 1840 or 16th / 17th century - Gribdae Farm Kirkudbright
« Last post by flying free on January 26, 2025, 09:09:22 PM »
going back to the info about it being found on Gribdae farm and that his dad used it to grind saltpetre and sugar, recent book called Chemistry of Fireworks by Michael S Russell (copyrighted) mention that in the Middle Ages the emerging gunpowder industry used mortars and pestles to 'do the mixing'.  Obviously not suggesting my pestle is Middle Ages, but the mention is interesting.
67
Is this information about Wells Fireworks, the same company as per the 'buttoned' badge you showed?
https://www.wellsfireworks.co.uk/history
68
Glass / Re: Kitchen Measure.
« Last post by flying free on January 26, 2025, 08:44:00 PM »
Pretty sure this is absolutely nothing to do with the P and other marks on your apothecary piece however , interesting nonetheless :)
.. in a court case from 1838, it seems that Apsley Pellatt had a 'private mould' for making square bottles (referred to as 'narrow mouth squares').  They were made for a customer by mistake  and they have a 'small P' on them according to the court case (they were stolen from Pellatt's I think, so the person in question was in court with Pellatt).
https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/record/t18380226

Can't link directly to the case note so you have to 'control find' and type Pellatt for it to come up.
69
Glass / Re: Info on James Powell Topaz glass - "The Queen Victoria Topaz bowl"
« Last post by cagney on January 26, 2025, 07:22:12 PM »
  The only other Ford recipe I could Find. This shows up in T. Howe's batch book given to W. Libby c. 1870? Almost impossible to know how old or new this recipe was at the time.
70
Glass / Re: Info on James Powell Topaz glass - "The Queen Victoria Topaz bowl"
« Last post by cagney on January 25, 2025, 11:22:16 AM »
  Well, I will start with the Bismuth stuff. Bismuth seems to impart the same or similar desirable qualities to the glass batch as lead.  Because of its lower melting point than lead it it a better flux. Flux is the melting of all your disparate ingredients together into one homogeneous mass. The better the flux the more integrated these ingredients become. In conjunction with lead you may have a super flux.

  I see no problem with adding uranium to a flint glass recipe. Of all the recipes I have looked at it seems it is as simple as dumping a certain amount in your flint glass recipe to get the desired effect you want. I would note that uranium oxides  seem to have a very high melting point, one number I came across was 2865 centigrade.

   Certainly Leighton has his preferred recipe for flint glass, in fact he has four or five. He still keeps a recipe that he says corrodes the pot. Gillinders treatise on glassmaking contains 14 different recipes for flint glass. Almost all batch books I have looked at contain a collection of other peoples recipes. Seems to be endemic to glassmakers.

  I am hardly an expert on glass engraving, usually my concern is, is it engraving of yesteryear or yesterday? Judgement in quality a whole different thing. For me, four different categories, poor, good, better and best. Offhand, one of the better if not best examples of early English engraving to come to my mind would be the Prince of Wales service by Perrin, Geddes & Co. Although fairly simple in design it is most delicately rendered and I think shows a high degree of craftsmanship. If I was to judge the engraving on the QV bowl it would be "good". If I knew it was a rush job, probably on the high end of the "good" scale.

   John Ford is Sole proprietor of Holyrood c. 1835. Is he still a partner in Bailey & Co. Midlothian or in direct competition?
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