Sam Herman – An Early Work – Vase No.73

Sam Herman Glass Vase

BBC antiques and design expert Mark Hill looks at the work of the internationally renowned pioneer studio glass artist Sam Herman in light of a recent discovery.

An Art Deco Glass Vase – But Who Made It?

Stevens Williams Art Deco Glass Vase English Made Fleur de lis

Sometimes we don’t know what it is. Well, actually, it’s obvious what it is – a glass vase. With an Art Deco pattern. The more astute of you will know that it was firstly mould blown, with hot-worked green swirls being then applied. It was then acid-etched with an Art Deco floral and foliate pattern […]

Michael Harris’ ‘Fish’ – The Earliest Example Yet?

Michael Harris Fish Vase Mdina Glass

An examination of an early Fish vase designed and made by Michael Harris and made at the Royal College Of Art, London, therefore before those made at Mdina Glass.

Who Made My Victorian Epergne?

I can’t resist a bargain, so when I saw this small epergne on a market stand in Hampstead for £10, I reached for my wallet. The detail of the pewter base is wonderful, being made up of three swans with outstretched wings on a base of lily leaves and branches evoking a pond. A group […]

My First ‘Design At Home’ Auction with Dawson’s

Saturday 2nd December 2017 saw my first ‘Design At Home’ midcentury modern and contemporary design auction with Dawson’s Auctions, and my return to the auction world (other than as a buyer!) after 16 years. And I loved it – every single bit of it! It was great to connect with new clients, and reconnect to […]

Glass Artist Sam Herman Interviewed By Graham Cooley

Sam Herman Glass

Sam Herman (b.1936) is undoubtedly one of the most important and influential living glass artists and makers in the world today. After studying and helping to develop the new studio glass techniques directly under their inventors, Harvey Littleton and Dominick Labino, at the University of Wisconsin, he brought them to the UK in 1965. He […]

Mark Hill, Elvis Presley & Jonathan Harris Studio Glass

Jonathan Harris Elvis Presley Cameo Graal Vase designed by Mark Hill

Me, Elvis Presley and Jonathan Harris? An unlikely combination, I hear you say. Well, I’d agree, it’s funny how seemingly disparate things can come together for some reason. But, quite often, when they do, amazing things happen. And that’s what happened here. In this instance, it was The British Glass Foundation charity that brought us […]

Death, Hype & Collapse?

When an artist or designer dies, or a factory or studio closes, it causes ripples to go through the collecting world and the fairs, shops and auctions of the ‘secondary market’. A form of hysteria often sets in, causing prices to rise rapidly before, as often happens, they crash back down again.It can take some […]

Frank Thrower’s Rare Dartington Glass Jar

Just because something is rare, it doesn’t have to be expensive. High values come from a mercurial combination of condition, age, rarity and the ever-present law of supply and demand. So I was delighted to stumble across this curvaceous Dartington storage jar for £22 at last week’s National Glass Fair in Birmingham. It was designed […]

Victorian Glass & Who Made The Autumnal Range?

As I was typing this post about this range, I realised what an appropriate time of year it was to be doing so considering the name of the range! Regular readers of my blog or Twitter account will know that I believe that much Victorian glass is both under-rated and under-valued for what it is. […]

Image Three Design – Michael Harris & Metalware

When you’re researching a book, you invariably come across fascinating information which isn’t strictly related to the subject of the book, but really ought to be recorded anyway. When I was researching for my book on Michael Harris and his work at Mdina Glass and Isle of Wight Studio Glass (now out of print), my […]