Glass Message Board
Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => British & Irish Glass => Topic started by: Greg. on March 30, 2014, 04:47:24 PM
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Hi,
Just wanted double check the correct shape and size for this shallow Monart bowl, sits on a slightly raised base and also internally the bowl is slightly recessed. Would this be shape Y and size VI at 9.75 inches in diameter and 2.25 inches high...?
Many thanks
:)
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Sorry to disappoint, but your piece is not Monart it is either Vasart or Strathearn.
Gary
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Thanks Garry. That explains why I couldn't find the shape :)
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More likely Vasart, given the ground, flattened button over the pontil scar?
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Hi Sue :) - quite right it does have the button pontil mark. I'll take a look into Vasart, I presume there's quite a lot of commonality between them both.
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Which both? ;)
Vasart and Strathearn, or Vasart and Monart?
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I suppose technically between all three :) - However, I was referring to Vasart and Strathearn as suggested above.
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There is a huge difference between the colours used at Vasart and those used by Monart and Strathearn.
The colours used by Vasart were highly restricted because of lack of availabilty of enamels during the war, although many designs were similar - the use of the swirls, the inclusion of crushed canes at a join between two colours, aventurine (or mica from Woolie's, in winter).
They even scraped the enamels off old tiles to get hold of coloured glass, and found a resource in the celadon green glass used in bathrooms and kitchens. Were they did use bright colours, it was only because they had a few left over from Monart.
But by the time Strathearn got going, lovely bright colours were available again. (Strathearn is not known to have used mica chips)
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Thanks for enlightening a sassenach on the subtleties of colour and style between the three :), much appreciated.
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You are most welcome - but the Garys and Frank and others are far better than I am - anything they say over-rules me!
Moulds were used far more often at Strathearn, and it tends to have the "Leaping Salmon" mark pressed onto the pontil scar button. They also used far more clear bright colours (rather than opaque).
The "Vasart" script, often found on the base beside a button, was written using a match-stick dipped in acid - so it can be a bit thick and a little bit "amateur"-looking.
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Thank you. :) - Its one thing knowing about the progression of the three firms, but its interesting to see how the times and changes impacted stylistically on the glass.
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although a collector of mostly clear glass, I can appreciate and see the attraction of Monart pieces even though I know very little about them and don't have a single piece.
I mention this as I've just received Part 1 of the Christie's catalogue from 1997 covering the sale of the initial group of the Parkington collection, which included his Monart section of something like nearly 70 pieces, plus I think a couple of Vasart vases. The colours are stunning and beautiful.
As mentioned by Frank elsewhere, Michael Parkington's wife Peggy did donate the 500 pieces from the Broadfieled House exhibition to the museum, but since his Scottish material was in the auction catalogue, then obviously those all went back into private hands.
I've ordered the catalogue for Part 2 of the sale of his glass, so waiting to see exactly what this covers.
If you can get your hands on these catalogues they really are a treat, and cover many areas of British glass from the C18 to virtually the end of the C20.
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They even scraped the enamels off old tiles to get hold of coloured glass...
About time we killed this one....
The tiles were Vitrolite. This was coloured glass made by Pilkingtons for mostly architectural uses. The broken bits were gathered into tea-chest and sold as raw colour to other glass-makers. Both Vasart and Pirelli used this stuff. So the old scraping bit was just someones assumption when told that old tiles were used for colour. The main colours available were Black, white, light blue, grey, jade green, pastel green, and cream.
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Thank-you Frank. :-[
I will not promulgate that myth again - and will do my best to undo it when I encounter it.
The Vitriolite was the bathroom and kitchen stuff I meant though.
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Vasart it is :)
Same bowl in a slightly different colourway shown in the link below (photo 7), with Vasart label, which i gather dates between 1956-64.
http://www.20thcenturyforum.com/t7195-vasart-glass-scotland
Thanks for all your help, always appreciated.