In many ways, Barry Cullen was an archetypal ‘true’ studio glassmaker, particularly if you compare him to a studio potter. He fulfilled the roles of both the designer and the maker, perhaps with assistance from time to time. But Cullen did more than that as he also marketed, exhibited, sold, and fulfilled sales of his […]
By the time you get some experience out there in the wild under your belt, if you see something that you haven’t seen it before, it’s worth considering. The longer and broader that experience becomes, the more it’s worth buying something that you haven’t seen before – if you like it and can afford it. […]
There are some things in my collection that I don’t really know about. In fact, it’s these things I’m drawn to – and buy – the most. The world has enough experts and dealers in Royal Worcester, Meissen, and such things that have been heavily researched for decades, even centuries. If it’s highly unusual and […]
I’ve long been a fan of studio glass – glass made from the mid-1960s onwards when the studio glass movement finally freed the medium of glass from factories to be used by individual artists. Glass could finally become a medium for art. It’s a seriously major turning point in 20th century design, art and decorative […]
We all know that feeling, that frisson of excitement as you enter an antiques shop that you haven’t been in before. What will I find? Will I come out empty-handed, or is there treasure within? The thrill of the hunt! Walking along a London street last weekend, I popped into an antiques shop that I […]
Size matters! And I’d never seen one this small before. Well, this tiny, in fact. Wandering around an antiques centre in the North of England recently, I spotted this Scandinavian glass miniature bowl or pin dish made by Sweden’s celebrated glass company Orrefors. Measuring only 9cm wide and 4.5cm high, it was truly tiny and […]
Antiques and modern design expert Mark Hill examines the incredible life and work of artist and sculptor Ron Hitchins.
Antiques expert Mark Hill examines a rare 19th century German or Bohemian enamelled glass painter’s advertising or promotional goblet.
In 2013, I wrote a blog post on the origins of iridescent glass. Despite credit usually going to the hugely successful Art Nouveau iridescent glass produced by Tiffany and Loetz from the 1890s onwards, the origins of iridescent glass actually date back to 1856 and a Hungarian chemist and technician called Leo Valentin Pantocek. You […]
You’ll no doubt know that I’m a more of 20th century boy in terms of my personal collecting habits. My tastes are much broader, however, but even I was a little surprised when I bought the piece below from my friends the top French and Bohemian art glass dealers M&D Moir at the always-amazing Battersea […]
Antiques & modern design expert Mark Hill looks at the life and work of studio glassmaker William Warehall.
Fake Tiffany glass? Real Tiffany glass? A little while ago, I picked up this delightful small iridescent art glass vase in an antiques store in Atlanta, Georgia. I’ve always been a fan of American Arts & Crafts iridescent glass and, at $70 (£52), it was within my budget. Turning it over, I was delighted to […]