NetworK ezine Issue 18. November 2016
by Glen and Stephen Thistlewood
Totally Devoted to Carnival Glass
Totally Devoted to Carnival Glass
Fireworks!
A warm welcome to our readers and to all our many new subscribers.
A warm welcome to our readers and to all our many new subscribers.
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There’s an autumn chill in the air in our neck of the woods – it took us back to when we were children and we would look forward with growing excitement to the start of November. You see, the 5th of the month is Bonfire Night (aka Guy Fawkes Day) which is celebrated in the UK with huge firework displays. The tradition began many centuries ago when Guy Fawkes led a plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament. It failed spectacularly – and ended up going very badly indeed for Fawkes! Since that day, the event has been commemorated by lighting bonfires and enjoying fireworks; with baked potatoes and chestnuts roasting in the embers, while parkin (a kind of ginger cake), treacle toffee and ginger beer are traditional treats enjoyed by many. |
Above, left to right: "Iris" vase by Thomas Webb & Sons, c. 1878 (WEBB'S IRIS GLASS is acid etched on the base); golden iridescent pedestal footed vase, possibly by Stevens & Williams; tiny, golden iridescent vase with prunts and moulded, threaded top, maker unknown; "Daisy and Drape" vase in aqua opal by Northwood and a marigold "Question Marks" comport by Dugan.
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WARNING - from our latest research (September 2017) we now know this story was in fact Fake News! See our research update below!
The original Lobmeyr Fake News Story: if it hadn’t been for fireworks there wouldn’t be any Carnival Glass - and the discovery took place by pure accident one hundred and sixty years ago! It would have been wonderful if today’s technology had been around back then so that someone could have posted a You Tube video of the event – but instead we’ll make do with a contemporary written account that appeared in a journal called “Glass and Glassware” back in 1878, and reproduced on the right. And that was it … so simple and yet so completely ground breaking for glass makers. The furnace where the fireworks were being used belonged to the Lobmeyrs in Bohemia, and they went on to produce amazing iridescent glass, and were soon followed by makers in England and the USA. |
"Glass and Glassware", 1878
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UPDATE (September 2017) and WARNING! The Lobmeyr story retold above was the perceived wisdom about how the Lobmeyrs made the accidental discovery of creating iridescence on glass. But ... and it is a big but ... the Lobmeyrs' "discovery" was hype - FAKE NEWS! In reality the discovery was no accident, and it had been made a few year's earlier (in 1856) by Leo Valentin Pantocsek. The Lobmeyrs (being astute businessmen) saw the opportunity and used the size and influence of their own glassmakeing business in Vienna to take the credit for the discovery.
In our latest groundbreaking research we discovered that the actual discovery was made by Leo Valentin Pantocsek and it was unveiled at the 1862 World's Fair in London. We tell the amazing story for the first time: The Father of Carnival Glass.
Peacock Tales
Right from the start, the peacock, with its magnificent plumage, went hand-in-hand with iridescent glass. Tiffany set the bar. Northwood, Fenton, Millersburg, Imperial and others followed and shared the beauty with millions around the world.
Right from the start, the peacock, with its magnificent plumage, went hand-in-hand with iridescent glass. Tiffany set the bar. Northwood, Fenton, Millersburg, Imperial and others followed and shared the beauty with millions around the world.
Above, left to right; details from Tiffany Peacock window, Northwood Peacocks (on the Fence) and Imperial Scroll Embossed.
Interestingly, of the so-called "big five" US Carnival makers, Imperial did not make a Classic pattern depicting a Peacock as such. But they did make a pattern showing a stylised peacock tail feather - Scroll Embossed (later copied by Sowerby in England).
Below: A Pride of Peacocks. Clockwise from top left - Peacocks (on the Fence) plate, pastel marigold, Northwood; Peacock and Urn bowl, green, Fenton; Scroll Embossed plate, purple, Imperial; Peacock and Urn sauce, amethyst, Millersburg.
Below: A Pride of Peacocks. Clockwise from top left - Peacocks (on the Fence) plate, pastel marigold, Northwood; Peacock and Urn bowl, green, Fenton; Scroll Embossed plate, purple, Imperial; Peacock and Urn sauce, amethyst, Millersburg.
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The peacock and its feather have been portrayed on Carnival Glass in many forms and guises around the world. In the USA, Europe, South America and India, we see the motifs in abundant variety, spanning the years and crossing the globe. On the right are two exotic and unusual examples: on the immediate right is the Jewelled Peacock Tail vase from Cristalerias Piccardo in Argentina (c. 1930s) and, n the far right, a detail from the beautiful Indian Mirrored Peacocks tumbler, shown courtesy Gio Sabino Lopez. |
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The title above are Japanese characters for Peacock Tales, which is where our story now heads.
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The peacock has been a favourite motif in Japanese art for centuries; it helped inspire the use of the peacock as a much-loved design element in the art movements of the 19th century and subsequently in Carnival Glass too. And now we turn full circle. This fascinating 14 inch low dish (left) features a peacock tail motif moulded on its exterior. Found by Rebecca Niekamp, this iridised piece holds a secret in its golden label – it was Made in Japan by the Kamei Glass Company. Read the fully illustrated feature on this fascinating item here: Kamei Glass Company. |
Meet Gloria!
Meet Gloria!
You can see more amazing contemporary ads for Melon Rib, and read more remarkable new revelations, here: More Melon Rib Revelations.
If you haven't already read the full story of how we discovered the proof that Crown Crystal made Melon Rib, be sure to follow the page links to the "Melon Rib Proof" page. And don’t miss our special Collectors Facts feature on Melon Ribs, which includes illustrations of the amazing Ali Baba vase that stands two and a half feet high! |
This startling ad was featured in a 1941 edition of the “Hobart Mercury (Tasmania, Australia). The items illustrated are what we call Melon Rib vases today, and both are in “Sunset Glass”, a term they used for marigold Carnival Glass. This is the very first sales ad we have found for these amazing vases. The store selling them was Edments, which also had branches in Perth and Adelaide that ran newspaper ads for the Melon Rib vases too. The prices are shown in shillings and pence (the old monetary system used in the UK and Australia). The amounts shown roughly equate to $35 Australian today for the Gloria bowl / vase and $19 for the Sunset vase (around $27 and $14 US respectively). Melon Rib vases are also in the news regarding “finds”, as Lesley Smith reports two splendid examples, one of which is in smoke Carnival – the colour described as “grey dawn lustre” by the Sydney press in 1938. 
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Is it Chunky or Not? In 1907, Sowerby brought out a new pattern that they simply called their “Service 2266” (they used consecutive pattern numbers for their designs). In the 1920s Sowerby made some of those #2266 pieces in Carnival Glass – mainly in marigold, but also some very scarce blue and amethyst examples too. In the 1950s Sowerby started to make Carnival Glass again, primarily using their #2266 moulds. |
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Collectors call this pattern a variety of names – “Chunky”, “English Hob and Button” or simply #2266.
Then, in the 1970s, Indiana Glass decided to copy Sowerby’s #2266 pattern and issued it as their “#1263 Crimped Hostess Plate”.
The big question is … how can you tell the difference between the two? Discover the answer here - our Collectors Facts page on Chunky - and you won’t be puzzled again.
STOP PRESS STOP PRESS STOP PRESS - Carnival Glass NetworK now has its own Facebook Group page!
Then, in the 1970s, Indiana Glass decided to copy Sowerby’s #2266 pattern and issued it as their “#1263 Crimped Hostess Plate”.
The big question is … how can you tell the difference between the two? Discover the answer here - our Collectors Facts page on Chunky - and you won’t be puzzled again.
STOP PRESS STOP PRESS STOP PRESS - Carnival Glass NetworK now has its own Facebook Group page!
Our Carnival Glass NetworK has just launched on Facebook!
It's a Public Group - everyone in the group can post their pictures and comments, start new topics, or just generally "chew the fat" about Carnival Glass. We invite you all, and your friends too.
Share your questions, your “finds”, your funny stories, your photos, your grouches and your triumphs. Your NetworK ezine will continue to appear every month (with the occasional "Special") as before, but now you can also feed your Carnival Glass obsession 24 / 7, 365 days of the year!
Naturally, it's totally free! So why not join us and fellow Carnival Glass friends all around the world. Here's the link: Carnival Glass NetworK
Share your questions, your “finds”, your funny stories, your photos, your grouches and your triumphs. Your NetworK ezine will continue to appear every month (with the occasional "Special") as before, but now you can also feed your Carnival Glass obsession 24 / 7, 365 days of the year!
Naturally, it's totally free! So why not join us and fellow Carnival Glass friends all around the world. Here's the link: Carnival Glass NetworK
