Topic: Hoots mon

[Max]

I saw a rather nice pressed glass owl jar in flint on eBay tonight.  Thought I'd have a bid on it, as it was only a couple of quid, and the Reg No. was for Matthew Turnbull (who I'd never heard of before that moment) anyway, I stuck a sniper bid on for about £8.50 and just had a look at the result.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170043766165

<koff> Maybe I should have bit a leetle bit more.   :oops:  :oops:  My bid didn't even get a mention!   :lol:

[Bernard C]

Max — That's supply and demand, or what happens when owls take off!   I am actually surprised it went for so little, as most examples look as if they have found their way into the family toy box.

To my knowledge there are only three British owls, all three traditional 'tu-whit tu-whoo-oo-oo-oo-hoo' tawnies, if you exclude modern more abstract pieces like those by Wedgwood.

The best known are the Bagley bookends, then the Turnbull lidded jar, and by far the most rare is the Hailwood & Ackroyd lighting panel, a wonderful Deco creation, with a Deco tawny on a Deco branch on a Deco tree in front of a giant Deco moon.

You don't need many enthusiastic owl fanciers (strigiphiles (UK spelling), strigifiles (US), as they are more correctly termed) to send prices for these scarce items rapidly into the tree tops.

Bernard C.  

[Max]

Bernard said:

Hailwood & Ackroyd lighting panel, a wonderful Deco creation, with a Deco tawny on a Deco branch on a Deco tree in front of a giant Deco moon.

That sounds fantastic!  I'll see if I can look it up somewhere in a moment.  Actually reminded me I have a couple of Art Deco style (unsure of age) small flat figurative panels somewhere that I bought about 10 years ago...

Yes, I guess it's an 'owl thing', they're curiously collectable (strigiphiles..great word) - but a pressed glass lidded jar over a hundred years old is more desirable than the motif in my eyes...  

Cheers Bernard. x

[stevetheb]

If I'd seen him in a Charity shop I would have been loathed to part with more than a £5.. there again I'm not a owl lover (Well they're very impressive birds - but not something I'd collect)

In future I'll look a lot more carefully....

[KevinH]

Fascinating stuff ....

Bernard says,

To my knowledge there are only three British owls, all three traditional 'tu-whit tu-whoo-oo-oo-oo-hoo' tawnies, if you exclude modern more abstract pieces like those by Wedgwood.

So, why, I wonder, were none of the British "more or less recognisable owls" modelled on any of the other British owls that do exist?

Maybe it is just a case of familiarity with the, "You twit, you fool" call of the well-known Tawny. But think how wonderful it would be to see a British glass piece modelled with the now-not-so-common Barn Owl, or the less-easy-to-spot Little Owl, with it's cocked-head attitude to people in its environement.

Of course, before I started standing around in woods and fields in the middle of the night, I didn't even know what how a Tawny really sounded let alone what it truly looked like  :!:

[Bernard C]

I knew I had seen a reference to another owl, and have just found it.

Jenny Thompson noted that John Walsh Walsh Registered Design No. 149468 of 14th May 1890 was for a Flower vase in the shape of an owl.   That's all we know about this one, unless there is an illustration in Gulliver.

KevH — I would be surprised if it wasn't a fourth Tawny.

Bernard C.  

[Glen]

We've had a pair of the Bagley owl bookends for some years - they're fabulous. The colour is a rich (light emerald) green, but they fluoresce under the UV light like a Halloween Horror. Vivid and then some! Stunning pieces of glass, that have (as an added charm) a moulded RD.

Glen

[KevinH]

John Walsh Walsh Registered Design No. 149468 of 14th May 1890 was for a Flower vase in the shape of an owl. That's all we know about this one, unless there is an illustration in Gulliver.

In Mervyn Gulliver's Victorian Decorative Glass British Designs 1850-1914 there is, indeed, a reproduction of the registered design pattern for the owl vase.

But it's not like any owl I know of. You really need to see the book to see what I mean. It's sort of ... well ... cartoon-like!

[Bernard C]

... But it's not like any owl I know of. You really need to see the book to see what I mean. It's sort of ... well ... cartoon-like!

KevH — I've been gazing in some amazement at the owl "cartoon" and can see exactly what you mean.

As you will surmise, on Sunday at Gaydon I bought my first and signed copy of Victorian Decorative Glass — British Designs, 1850–1914 directly from the author, Mervyn Gulliver, himself.

What a superb book.   Why did I not know about it until three weeks ago?   I'm horrified to realise that I've been without this brilliant reference work for four years!   Yesterday I read it from cover to cover three times, and this morning I've already been through it one more time.

It is absolutely stuffed with facts.    It is not an easy book, and it will take some time to learn intimately, but its attributions are rock solid.   I've only found two errors so far, one of which probably wasn't an error in 2002 when it was published, and the other a very obvious transposition of two first series registration numbers which doesn't affect the quality of information.

It is in a quality hardback binding in 16-page thread-sewn sections which lie flat.   Plenty of room for pencilled marginal notes.

If you want to buy a copy, please think carefully where the profits will go.    The book itself says "Please try your bookstore first".   If you don't support your local bookshop, don't be surprised if it goes out of business.

The UK distributor offers free delivery in the UK, postage at cost elsewhere in Europe.   Contact: bushwd@aol.com

Best, by far, buy it from Mervyn himself.    I have his email address, so would be delighted to pass on your requests for information on how to buy it from him.   Just send me an email, I will forward it to Mervyn.   I have no financial interest in this whatsoever; I just want to ensure that his superb work is as widely distributed as possible.    It will make life much easier for me and all of us if we are all talking the same language.

Bernard C.  

[mhgcgolfclub]

I have a nice pair of amber Bagley Owl bookends , I have searched quickly and cannot find any pictures of any . When I get a chance I will add some pictures in a new post which can be used by anyone if they would be of use.

Roy