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Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Topic started by: Heidimin on May 05, 2007, 01:27:01 PM

Title: UGB/ Sherdley kingfisher bowl and gazelle bowl by Harold Stabler
Post by: Heidimin on May 05, 2007, 01:27:01 PM
I finally cracked and bought one of the Sherdley kingfisher bowls discussed here previously (eg http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,1963.0.html (http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,1963.0.html)).

Haven't got round to photographing it yet, but here's the links Anne E B posted to her pics (hope you don't mind, Anne):

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y195/glassie/amber006.jpg (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y195/glassie/amber006.jpg)
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y195/glassie/amber002.jpg (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y195/glassie/amber002.jpg)
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y195/glassie/amber005.jpg (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y195/glassie/amber005.jpg)

I haven't been able to find out much about Sherdley's other pre-WWII production, other than some very undistinguished pseudo-cut glass and utilitarian kitchen items for Woolworths.

But I did come across a reference in the catalogue for the 1987 Broadfield House exhibition British Glass Between the Wars to two bowls exhibited by UGB/ Sherdley in the 1935 British Art in Industry exhibition at the Royal Academy, one depicting a gazelle and the other with a floral design. Both were designed by Harold Stabler (1873 –1945, Keswick School, Royal College of Art, Poole Pottery: http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/Cambridge/entries/061/Harold-Stabler.html (http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/Cambridge/entries/061/Harold-Stabler.html)), who also designed the Orlak heat-proof range for Chance (http://www.chanceglass.net/ (http://www.chanceglass.net/)).

I can't find any more detail on the floral bowl, but there is a picture of the gazelle bowl in the illustrated souvenir of the exhibition:

http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-7507
Mod: edited to include correct URL  

Three questions on which I'd welcome in-put from others:

  • did the gazelle bowl ever go into production, or was it designed solely for the RA exhibition? Has anyone ever come across an example?
  • I think there are some stylistic similarities with the kingfisher bowl - in particular, the rather naive quality of the design - which might suggest that Stabler designed the kingfisher bowl also - the timing is about right (kingfisher bowl registered in early 1936). Or is that just wild speculation?
  • has anyone ever come across the mysterious floral bowl?

    • Many thanks in advance,
    Title: Re: UGB/ Sherdley kingfisher bowl and gazelle bowl by Harold Stabler
    Post by: Heidimin on May 05, 2007, 03:41:33 PM
    On the principle of "in for a penny...", I'm now on the look-out for a flint kingfisher bowl. They seem to be much rarer - maybe because the bowls were often used as planters and the brown glass hides soil/ internal pot better?
    Title: Re: UGB/ Sherdley kingfisher bowl and gazelle bowl by Harold Stabler
    Post by: Lustrousstone on May 05, 2007, 07:03:32 PM
    I'll keep my eyes open for both. The gazelle one certainly looks nice
    Title: Re: UGB/ Sherdley kingfisher bowl and gazelle bowl by Harold Stabler
    Post by: Anne on May 10, 2007, 05:57:06 PM
    I saw one a while ago but cannot for the life of me remember where!  I was surprised by it and thought we'd mentioned it here on the board but I can't find an old topic about it. Perhaps it was the victim of the hosting problem a while ago?
    Title: Re: UGB/ Sherdley kingfisher bowl and gazelle bowl by Harold Stabler
    Post by: agincourt17 on May 29, 2013, 01:58:29 PM
    This may be rather late for Heidi now, but here are  a couple of photos of a flint kingfisher bowl, and for anyone not familiar with the much-more-common brown version I include of photo of that, too.

    (Permission for the re-use of the images of the flint kingfisher bowl granted by railwaychild007).
    Title: Re: UGB/ Sherdley kingfisher bowl and gazelle bowl by Harold Stabler
    Post by: Anne on May 29, 2013, 09:11:46 PM
    Ooooh thank you Fred! I mentioned above that I saw one of the flint ones some years ago and didn't really how few of them there are about - we see loads of the brown ones hereabouts - so it's good to have a photo on the board for permanent reference. The clear one isn't as effective so perhaps that's why there are less of them - maybe not as popular with the buying public?
    Title: Re: UGB/ Sherdley kingfisher bowl and gazelle bowl by Harold Stabler
    Post by: Lustrousstone on May 30, 2013, 06:07:47 AM
    Patricia reckons they are bulb bowls, so that's probably another reason
    Title: Re: UGB/ Sherdley kingfisher bowl and gazelle bowl by Harold Stabler
    Post by: Anne on May 30, 2013, 08:54:51 AM
    Ahhh that's a good thought Christine (and Patricia). :)
    Title: Re: UGB/ Sherdley kingfisher bowl and gazelle bowl by Harold Stabler
    Post by: Chris Harrison on May 30, 2013, 09:55:55 AM
    A month or two back, I saw a brown one was in my local antiques auction.  Upon closer examination, it had been lacquered and the lacquer was starting to peel off.

    I've never had my hands on a "real" brown kingfisher bowl.  I assume that they *are* made of brown (bottle?) glass and aren't just lacquered?  [evil, evil grin...]
    Title: Re: UGB/ Sherdley kingfisher bowl and gazelle bowl by Harold Stabler
    Post by: Lustrousstone on May 30, 2013, 11:16:25 AM
    I've never noticed that mine or any other I've seen wasn't brown glass. A fired on finish would be much more expensive than the brown glass readily available at a bottle plant
    Title: Re: UGB/ Sherdley kingfisher bowl and gazelle bowl by Harold Stabler
    Post by: Chris Harrison on May 30, 2013, 12:05:20 PM
    No, I don't think the one I saw was re-fired.  Just sprayed. 

    There's a lot of colour fakery in the bottle world, especially with blue and green poison bottles - or inks - or Codds - or soda syphons - or amber/brown if that's a rare colour for a particular bottle.  See BBR magazine for more info.

    It's usually done by spraying with lacquer.  I occasionally find it with pieces of pressed glass, too.  Bought a nice bright yellow Vizner piece at a car boot last year.  When I washed it, the colour came off in strips!
    Title: Re: UGB/ Sherdley kingfisher bowl and gazelle bowl by Harold Stabler
    Post by: Anne on May 30, 2013, 12:13:33 PM
    The brown ones I've seen are brown glass too Chris. The only painted glass I have found was a coronation plate with the remains of gold and red paint, which washed off too. (I've seen fully painted ones of these so presume they'd been goofus'd.)
    Title: Re: UGB/ Sherdley kingfisher bowl and gazelle bowl by Harold Stabler
    Post by: Chris Harrison on May 30, 2013, 01:47:48 PM
    I was only teasing, Anne.  Given the calibre and experience of the people commenting on this thread, I didn't really imagine that you'd all been taken in!

    However, I suspect that there's more colour doping around than people imagine.
    Title: Re: UGB/ Sherdley kingfisher bowl and gazelle bowl by Harold Stabler
    Post by: Lustrousstone on May 30, 2013, 02:48:44 PM
    It would be interesting to see such a piece of pressed glass, as the only thing I've ever found that was designed to deceive is this http://lustrousstone.co.uk/cpg/displayimage.php?pid=84.

    It's not uncommon to find pressed glass with an official sprayed on finish that doesn't last as well as it might, some of the Chance stuff for example.
    Title: Re: UGB/ Sherdley kingfisher bowl and gazelle bowl by Harold Stabler
    Post by: Anne on May 30, 2013, 03:05:49 PM
    Oooh Chris, you are naughty! You'll be creating a new internet glass myth if you're not careful! :P
    Title: Re: UGB/ Sherdley kingfisher bowl and gazelle bowl by Harold Stabler
    Post by: Chris Harrison on May 30, 2013, 05:33:40 PM
    Not a myth, I'm afraid.  Google "lacquer for glass" and you'll find plenty of products available for crafters, so that they can colour glass, mostly for stained glass effect and home decor.  These probably won't fool anyone who knows about glass and looks closely.

    However, there is a potential for colouring nano-lacquers, such as the clear coatings that are applied to your car bodywork and windscreen.  These adhere extremely well, can be applied thinly, and are very durable and scratch-resistant.  So long as the mixture is applied to a piece of glass in good nick, and coats both inside and out, it would be virtually invisible and require you to chip or break the item to detect the treatment

    New coatings are being developed all the time.  Some require curing in a kiln or kitchen oven.  Others do not.  It might not bother glassies too much, since values are relatively low, but some bottle collectors have collections worth thousands (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mj2y/features/poison (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mj2y/features/poison)), and they get quite twitchy when the subject comes up  ;D
    Title: Re: UGB/ Sherdley kingfisher bowl and gazelle bowl by Harold Stabler
    Post by: Chris Harrison on May 30, 2013, 05:37:17 PM
    I've just been reminded that I put Her Indoors's favourite purple vase in the dishwasher.  It came out clean and colourless.  Fortunately IKEA still had them in stock!
    Title: Re: UGB/ Sherdley kingfisher bowl and gazelle bowl by Harold Stabler
    Post by: Anne on May 30, 2013, 10:06:52 PM
    Heh heh heh I did that with some nice blue iridescence tumblers Chris, and they came out clear!  Some of the coated glass has a slightly plasticky feel so you can tell it's coated. Others are a bit trickier.
    Title: Re: UGB/ Sherdley kingfisher bowl and gazelle bowl by Harold Stabler
    Post by: Chris Harrison on June 26, 2013, 02:15:48 PM
    Here's one that someone seems to have been monkeying with.  A cheapo pressed vase that's commonly found in clear. I picked it up for 10p thinking that the purple was unusual.   It has an imitation star-cut base with a number 2 in the centre. 

    Once home, I realised that the colour had been added by dipping the vase in something.  One side is very dark, almost black, while the other is much paler.  The inside is coloured, too, and has a tide mark where the liquid was tipped out of it.

    It clearly has some kind of coating.  It's not a "cloud glass" effect.  I've tried attacking it with a screwdriver and sundry sharp objects, but with no effect.  It's certainly not at all plasticky.

    I wonder whether it has been baked on.  Or is just a very durable lacquer?

    Anyone know of anything similar?
    Title: Re: UGB/ Sherdley kingfisher bowl and gazelle bowl by Harold Stabler
    Post by: Anne on June 26, 2013, 06:24:08 PM
    Hmmm not seen one like that before Chris... you do find some curious things! ;)