Victorian Decorative Glass: British Designs, 1850-1914

This attractive and useful book presents thousands of beautiful hand-formed decorative glassware designs from British manufacturers, for export and domestic use, from 1850 to 1914. Detailed analysis and more than 850 color photographs and hundreds of carefully hand-drawn illustrations provide a visual feast to study and enjoy. Special sections present the remarkable range of profiles and patterns for rims, bodies (including applied motifs), and feet of glass items that can be used as an aid in the attribution of designs. The techniques used to decorate these glass items are described and illustrated. Wherever possible, designs are attributed to specific manufacturers. Clear illustrations show the Registered Designs for glassware recorded between 1850 and 1914 by seven major British glass manufacturers: Richardsons, Stevens & Williams, Stuart & Sons, Thomas Webb & Sons, Boulton & Mills, Burtles-Tate, and John Walsh. Classical influences of the 1840s and 1850s and concurrent designs, including free-flowing and naturalistic forms of the Art Nouveau period, are all present, reflecting the brilliant skills of these Victorian glass manufacturers.