In Focus: 10 Nov 2019

Whilst updating the Preview Gallery for our November 2019 National Glass Fair we have chosen to highlight a few significant pieces of glass that will be offered for sale on the day of the fair.

Roman Glass Cup

This small Roman glass cup features millefiori decoration and dates to the 1st century AD/CE.  This means, of course, that it shows iridescence and age related wear and tear consistent with some 2000 years of use and burial.

The cup is 4.6cm in height and has an everted lip which measures 10cm in diameter at the rim. There is also a small raised foot to the bowl, which measures 3.5cm in diameter. The cup is very light and only weighs 70g.

The decoration consists of small polychrome murrines embedded in black glass, which creates a millefiori effect. 

Black glass was used in Roman times from about 100 BC/BCE and was coloured using iron oxide. It is a rare colour for the period (see "Collins Archaeology - Glass" by Ruth Hurst Vose page 33).  The cup shows significant iridescence due to the time it spent underground and there is roughness to the edges. 

There are no chips, cracks, significant scratches or any obvious evidence of restoration.

A. Walter Nancy & H. Bergé

 

This stunning example of pate de verre takes the form of a dish, which is decorated with a snail and a shallow pond with water lilies.

This example is signed in the pate de verre 'A Walter Nancy and H Bergé' and was produced in France around 1920. The subtleties and distinctive colours of this shallow dish or vide poche are typical of the quality and workmanship of these two artists.

Amalric Walter was born in Sevres in 1870 and grew up in an area renowned for decorative and fine arts. Henri Cros, who was the great pioneer of Pate de Verre, worked in Sevres in 1891 and collaborated with Walter (who was know for his innovation and experimentation with glass).

Walter's training in the ceramics industry helped him to develop his skills as an artist and technician. This technical background was to prove useful when it came to the slow and complex process of making glass using the pate de verre method. He was particularly skilled in the process of keeping different colours of glass apart and preventing any bleed of colours.

Walter worked at Daum from 1904-1914 where he began working with Henri Bergé. The two worked together until the death of Bergé in 1937. The disruption caused by the first world war caused the Daum factory to cease production from 1914 to 1918. After 1918 Walter set up his own studio with Bergé and other famous sculptors and designers (1919 to 1935), producing around 500 different designs. Production numbers were always very limited due to the difficulties associated with glass kiln casting. Walter was a self-professed perfectionist and it is said that when he was unhappy with the quality of pieces that came out from the kiln, he would smash them against the outside wall of his studio.

Visit the 19th & 20th century glass gallery to view more examples of glass from this period that will be available to buy at our next glass fair.

18th Century Two Spout Oil Lamp

 

 

This rare piece of Georgian glass is believed to be an English gadrooned two-spout oil lamp, dating from the early 18th century.

An almost identical example can be seen on plates Q18 and Q26 of Keith Kelsall's book "Glass in 18th Century England: The Open-Flame Lamp". The lamp is in excellent condition for its age, but does have signs of age related wear to the rim of the foot (consistent with some 250 years of use).

The lamp has a rounded bucket-shaped bowl with a flattened top and a raised rim, measuring 4.3cm in diameter. The bowl is 7.8cm in diameter at its widest point, with the arms extending this dimension. The bowl features gadrooning to the base and two spouts and sits on a short plain stem, which leads to a conical folded foot that measures 8.6cm in diameter and has a rough pontil mark on the base.

The lamp is 14.2cm in height and has no chips, cracks, significant scratches or any evidence of restoration.

You can view more examples of glass from this period via the 17th, 18th, 19th & 20th Century Drinking Glasses & Tableware page, where you can view a selection of items that will be available to buy at our next glass fair.

Daum Cameo Vase – C. 1895

 

This impressive cameo vase features a winter landscape and applied clear glass icicles. The central scene depicts a woman carrying a bundle of sticks, which is surrounded by a decorative background of bramble leaves and thorns executed using vivid Autumn colours.

A similar piece was exhibited by Daum in Bordeaux in 1895.

Signed to the underside 'Daum Nancy', with the Cross of Lorraine.

Visit the 19th & 20th century glass gallery to view more examples of glass from this period that will be available to buy at our next glass fair.