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Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass Paperweights => Topic started by: SophieB on May 15, 2017, 04:27:27 PM

Title: PY weight
Post by: SophieB on May 15, 2017, 04:27:27 PM
Hi all,

I just acquired this lovely weight and wanted to share.

Any comment welcome ;)

SophieB

Title: Re: PY weight
Post by: KevinH on May 15, 2017, 06:15:46 PM
Nice one! I think it's a pattern I have not seen before. Perhaps a variation on "roundels", but maybe leaning towards "interlaced garland" patterns.

What's the size? Which period is it?

Profile and Base views please.
Title: Re: PY weight
Post by: SophieB on May 15, 2017, 07:54:50 PM
Hi Kevin,

Yes, my thought exactly.

It resembles the Monart weight pattern n. 13 (of Scotland glass coded labels), except that mine has an extra cane in the middle of the loops. And I think you are right, it is very close to the garland pattern. For the sake of completion, I saw a similar PY weight at the Perth museum last year.

In my opinion, the weight is from the Caithness period - the canes, the translucent dark (olive) green ground and the flat polished base are all indications of that period to me. The weight is 3 inches (width) by 2.3 inches (height).

I will try and take pictures of the side and base tomorrow.

SophieB

Title: Re: PY weight
Post by: SophieB on May 16, 2017, 08:29:14 AM
As promised, here are pictures of the base and side of the weight.

I am a bit puzzled as to why there are so few weights with this pattern (and also with the interlaced/looped garland pattern). I can think of many explanations but none really satisfy me (i.e. difficulty of production but PY made much more challenging weights; lack of commercial success but other factories/makers produced looped garlands/similar patterns and sold them well...). Any other suggestions?

Sophie

Title: Re: PY weight
Post by: KevinH on May 16, 2017, 08:08:51 PM
The one you saw at Perth Museum ... was it this one (shown in the SCRAN website?)

Looped Garland 000-000-591-491-C (https://www.scran.ac.uk/database/record.php?usi=000-000-591-491-C&scache=12a5feq97z&searchdb=scran)

Title: Re: PY weight
Post by: SophieB on May 16, 2017, 08:31:01 PM
Yes, this is the weight I saw in the Perth museum.

Sophie
Title: Re: PY weight
Post by: KevinH on May 16, 2017, 10:45:08 PM
Yes, with that base finish and colour - Caithness period is probably correct, but it could it be from the Harland years? You need a good UV light, Sophie - with longwave and shortwave bulbs.

The one in Perth Museum is Monart (checked by UV light). It shows that the same general pattern can look quite different depending on which parts of the design are filled with matched canes. It also shows that I have seen the general pattern before ... I was taking photos of the Museum's weights in the same week as the official photographer was taking shots for the SCRAN archives!

I guess there are not many of these weights around because of the difficulty in keeping the pattern balanced without slippage of canes.

Which are the rarest - PY or antique French versions?  ;D