Matthew Turnbull - another Carnival Glass Discovery
Original research by G & S Thistlewood in 2009.
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For many years, the maker of the May baskets has been a mystery - who made Maple Leaf, Duchesse (aka Fleur de Lys), George VI, and others? Some have speculated that they were made by Brockwitz. Others have suggested it might have been the English glassmaker, Davidson. We have always believed that an English maker was responsible – our belief being strengthened by the fact that one of the baskets commemorates the Coronation of King George VI. We also investigated if Sowerby or Greener/Jobling could be the maker. But our research in 2009 discovered pages from a 1930s Matthew Turnbull catalogue provided the evidence to finally solve the mystery. |
There on the catalogue page was Basket No. 480 - shown below, top left. It is a May basket, the design being Duchesse (aka Fleur de Lys) - pictured below, centre. The unusual pattern detail on the handle is the clue - it is identical to that on the other May baskets - as shown in the subsequent pictures. Also, in all cases, the handles are pressed with the basket itself, not applied later.
Another eureka moment indeed!
Another eureka moment indeed!
George VI May basket (above) and exterior (below)
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Duchesse May basket, courtesy Ian Williams
Maple Leaf May basket (above) and exterior (below)
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Duchesse exterior, courtesy Ian Williams
Diamond Point May basket (above) and exterior (below), courtesy Lesley Smith. Confusingly - and like Duchesse - it has also been called Fleur de Lys
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UPDATE on Diamond Point Basket: Our research in November 2022 shows that the original Turnbull name for this pattern line was HANNOVER.
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More on the George VI basket
We heard of this commemorative basket when it was first reported in 1990, and we were able to buy it in 2004. They are found occasionally in clear flint glass (crystal) but in Carnival they are very scarce items, and only a few are known, all in marigold. The date of manufacture is clear - it is shown on the basket: 1937, the Coronation of King George VI. As the second son of King George V, he did not expect to inherit the throne, and it was his elder brother who was crowned Edward VIII when George V died in 1936. However, less than a year later Edward abdicated in order to marry Wallis Simpson; George VI ascended the throne and his daughter succeeded him as the current Queen Elizabeth II, and the rest is history…. The pattern is all exterior - but is cleverly executed in reverse so that it can be viewed (and reads correctly) from the top or inside of the basket. The design features a crown in the very centre, and the words CORONATION OF H.M. KING GEORGE VI 1937. Around the lettering are the stylized floral emblems of roses, shamrocks and thistles. The design is cameo - raised up off the surface of the glass - and has been made with a "punch" to cut the design in reverse into the metal mould. This feature also adds to Turnbull being the maker - it was a technique they used on other Royal and commemorative bowls and baskets. |
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More Turnbull patterns discovered
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Star and Grooves Carol Sumpter sent us pictures of another basket that has the same handle and the same characteristics as the other baskets shown above - most likely another Turnbull item. She has named it Star and Grooves - pictured right courtesy of Carol. |
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Forty Five
Another lesser known item can also be attributed to Turnbull from the catalogue page we found. It is a seldom seen, footed bowl in a pattern known as Forty Five. It resembles a hybrid of the Moonprint and Jacobean designs. A sugar bowl and a flared bowl were made by Turnbull in this pattern - Turnbull’s No. 121, shown on the right. |
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UPDATE on Forty Five: Our research in November 2022 shows that the original Turnbull name for this pattern line was STEWART 121 Range.
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Hobstar Reversed (aka Oval Star and Fan) and Variations In the same catalogue was another mystery piece that has been variously attributed to Jenkins, Davidson, Sowerby and others. This flower bowl or rose bowl was clearly shown in the Matthew Turnbull catalogue - Rose Bowl, Flower Block, Plinth No. 495. The rose bowl is the bowl itself, the flower block is the “frog” or flower holder inside and the plinth is of course, the black glass base on which it stands. Most likely, the other items in this pattern - celery vases, butterdish and so on - were also made by Turnbull – but these shapes are not in the catalogue pages that we have, and also there are some pattern differences. |
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The Variations
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Although also named Hobstar Reversed, the celery vase on the immediate right, and the butter base and creamer shown alongside it, all have a slightly different design from the well known Hobstar Reversed rosebowl that we now know was made by Turnbull. The star is not the same shape, there are three stars not one and the fans are slightly different too. It is very possible, however, that it was an adaption of the same pattern, designed for these specific shapes but without catalogue proof we cannot be totally certain. UPDATE: Our research in November 2022 confirms that Hobstar Reversed is a Turnbull item. Their Original Maker’s Name was GRANVILLE (their 495 Range). |
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On the right is a celery and a butter base that show a further variation of the pattern without the star - this pattern has been called Shield. All images of the variations shown here courtesy and copyright Carol Sumpter. |
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Turnbull Teasers! and Turnbull Revelations! We identify even more patterns made by Matthew Turnbull.
Read all about them here: