British
British Art Glass - as with many other aspects of life in
these scepter’d isles - mirrors the fact that they were a melting pot of
influences and inspirations brought back home by explorers and adventurers who
travelled to the farthest reaches of the globe over the centuries, looking to
paint another part of the blank cartographic canvas with the red of Empire.
Trade, conquest, expansionism and simple curiosity saw Britain exposed albeit
somewhat vicariously to the cultures of other countries from the 16th century
onwards, and by the time it had become an industrial powerhouse, production
techniques from Europe, North Africa and far beyond had been assimilated in to
“British” crafts.
Hence there were aspects of Venetian and Bohemian glassmaking evident in pieces
made here from the late 1600’s onwards, and – having honed our own techniques
to the point that they at least matched the proficiency of their native
practices – it becomes hard to discern what can be categorised as a truly
British style.
Renowned in the 19th century as one of our foremost glass production companies,
James Powell & Sons – for instance – was turning out paperweights and vases
which were every bit as good as the Italian pieces after which they were
styled. The Scandinavian preoccupation with naturalistic textures was mirrored
years later by Wilson & Baxter – their moulded and hand-worked blown
glasswares approximating the Nordic oeuvre.
Other producers of paperweights and vases – Bacchus of Birmingham, for instance
– followed the Bohemian fancy for elaborately hand-worked rims, coloured
casings and intricate applique decorations which was itself an echo of the
Venetian originals.
Cameo glass, so perfectly executed by the French – also made in Stourbridge,
West Midlands – perhaps lacking the artisan caché of Nancy and the Moselle ?
And ultimately Mdina Glass, once based in Malta in the Mediterranean, moved
lock, stock and barrel to that bastion of British indefatigability in the face
of the driving rain of our traditional high summer, the Isle of Wight.
Perhaps the best known “British” Art Glass manufacturers, based in various locations across Scotland throughout the 20th century, were wholly founded on the endeavours of Spaniards – the Ysart family – whose machinations gave us Monart, Ysart, Vasart and ultimately Strathearn amongst the litany of “home grown” talents. Their abstract designs with their distinctive swirling, fluidic and sometimes almost fluorescent colour schemes are some of the most striking and recognisable Art Glass pieces you may come across – but unequivocally British in the truest sense of the word – that’s another matter…
Bob Crook Large Decorative Incalmo Flask with Trailed Decoration
Bob Crook Large Decorative Incalmo Flask with Trailed Decoration
£275.00
Rare Thomas Webb Iridescent Bronze Glass Amphora Vase c1880
Rare Thomas Webb Iridescent Bronze Glass Amphora Vase c1880
£425.00
A Glass Bowl Engraved By Josephine Harris RA 1997
A Glass Bowl Engraved By Josephine Harris RA 1997
£220.00
A Franco Toffolo John Deacons Silhouette Millefiori Vase c1995
A Franco Toffolo John Deacons silhouette paperweight vase from the 1990's. Available from Scottish Antiques online store.
£145.00
Siddy Langley Spring Garden Ginger Jar Scent Bottle
Siddy Langley Spring Garden Ginger Jar Scent Bottle
£85.00
Green and Grey Sommerso Winged Scent Bottle By Siddy Langley
Green and Grey Sommerso Winged Scent Bottle By Siddy Langley
£110.00
Siddy Langley Limited Edition 'Celadon' Pattern Vase - 2003
Siddy Langley Limited Edition 'Celadon' Pattern Vase
£240.00
Royal Brierley Stevens and Williams Rainbow Glass Bowl
Royal Brierley Stevens and Williams Rainbow Glass Bowl
£90.00
A Documented Thomas Webb Cameo Glass Vase Carved by Frank Wilkinson Completed 1928
A Documented Thomas Webb Cameo Glass Vase carved by Frank Wilkinson Completed 1928
£8,750.00
Michael Harris Designed Royal Brierley Studio Iridescent Glass Bowl c1990
Michael Harris Designed Royal Brierley Studio Iridescent glass Bowl c1990
£75.00
An Egg-shaped 'Harvest Moon' Vase by Siddy Langley
An Egg-shaped Harvest Moon Vase by Siddy Langley
£275.00
A Spherical Pheasant Feather Vase by Siddy Langley
A Sperical Pheasant Feather Vase by Siddy Langley
£195.00
An Aubergine and Turquioise Journey Bowl by Siddy Langley
An Aubergine and Turquioise Journey Bowl by Siddy Langley
£340.00
A large Triform Storm Clouds Vase By Siddy Langley
A large Triform Storm Clouds Vase By Siddy Langley
£260.00
A Large Pheasant Feather Spherical Vase by Siddy Langley
A Large Pheasant Feather Spherical Vase by Siddy Langley
£220.00