Topic: RSW's Sherringham & Lütken's 357 / 358 Candlesticks

[Pinkspoons]

Was just flicking through Lütken's exhibition workbook, and spotted these two candlesticks, patterns 357 and 258, dated 1948. The descriptions describe flat round discs. The similarity to Stennett-Willson's 1967 design is pretty striking.

Just curious if there are any other incidents of similar designs pre- or post-dating Lütken's?

[Pip]

There's a Robert Welch designed cast-iron candlestick that's very similar in design to the RSW Sheringhams - but apart from that I can't think of any others (glass or otherwise).

[Max]

I think I remember Marcus saying that the Czechs had that design first.  Do you have his book?  Is there anything like that in there?

[Pinkspoons]

I've not yet had the free cash to buy Marcus' book - my wallet's been too busy book-buying for Danish / Scandi / English glass references to venture elsewhere. 

I think I've seen the Welch candlestick you mean, Pip. I was actually wondering if the design might have had its roots in a discipline un-glassy - like metals or ceramics.

[Sklounion]

oh dear, obviously "form followed fashion".... Roubicek's designs date to 1958..... but have seriously extended stems, and just three round disks.


Roubicek pre-dated RSW..... 

M

[Pip]

Robert Welch's cast-iron design dates from 1962...

[Pinkspoons]

I wonder if the designs arose independently or interdependently? I'm assuming the Czech design would be the latter - but RSW had a lot of access to Scandinavian glass, and his 1967 'Angular' vase (and similarly-shaped 1960 floorvase) bear more than a passing resemblance to a 1958 Jacob Bang vase for Kastrup (see McConnell, pg.144 for example).

It does seem that the closer you look at post-1950s British design, at least in glass, the more derivative it can seem. I keep hitting this same brick wall with much of Baxter's design for Whitefriars. It's aesthetically pleasing and very well-made, but often lacks a certain spark in an international/historical context because you can usually find similar, earlier and better designs by other people in other countries (predominantly in Scandinavia).