Lot Essay
For similarly decorated works of variant form, see C. Woodall Perry, The Cameo Glass of Thomas & George Woodall, 2000, p. 81.
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CAMEO GLASS AND CERAMICS FROM A DISTINGUISHED NEW YORK COLLECTION (LOTS 1-33)
The ‘Gem’ Cameo Workshop of Thomas Webb & Sons
(Lots 1-33)
On the 7th of February 1845, William ‘Lloyd’ Mulcahm entered the Hamilton Gallery in the British Museum and, in a drunken act of vandalism, shattered a treasured cameo glass vase from Antiquity. This tragic event sparked an international uproar. The shattered Roman vase, named for its then owner the Duke of Portland, became the catalyst for renewed research into glass-making techniques and a cameo glass revival. In Stourbridge, the heartland of the British glass district, Benjamin Richardson staked a £1,000 prize to the first artisan who could accurately produce a replica of ‘The Portland Vase’. Charles Pargeter Glass Works and John Northwood’s team of engravers accepted the challenge. Both the glass techniques used to develop the overlaid blanks and the acid-etched, wheel-engraved and hand-carved techniques used to recreate the decoration proved to be highly complex.
In February 1861, Thomas Woodall began an apprenticeship with John Northwood and was soon joined by his younger brother George. Encouraged by their uncle Thomas Bott, both young men also attended Stourbridge Art School. Mentored by Northwood and encouraged to challenge themselves both as draughtsman and as experimenters, they quickly became highly skilled artists. Thomas became well known for his intricately detailed patterns, while George excelled at figural studies.
As work on their recreation of the ‘Portland Vase’ was concluding, the Woodall’s sought employment with Messrs. Thomas Webb & Sons, Dennis Hall Works. In 1876, Webb hired both brothers as draughtsman and engravers and encouraged them to pursue the work of John Northwood in preparation of the forthcoming Paris Exhibition of 1878. These highly competitive international events set the stage for what was to come. At Webb, innovation was encouraged. The ‘secret’ Woodall workshop --known as the ‘Gem’ cameo team for its ability to engrave-- was the driving force of its production. The Woodall team was commercially successful and was rewarded for their achievements. At the 1878 Exhibition, Thomas Webb & Sons was the only glassworks to receive a Grand Prix and Wilkes Webb received a Legion of Honor. Accolades followed both at home and abroad with another Paris Grand Prix (1889) and First Awards and Gold Medals in Sydney (1880) and Melbourne (1881 and 1889), among others.
Formed with a deep appreciation of both the technical skill required to make these works and a studied admiration of their artistic merit, the present connoisseur collection includes superb examples from the ‘Gem’ workshop, as well as allegorical works signed by George Woodall (lots 7 and 31). In general, signed works are very scarce. Eventually the departmental director at Thomas Webb & Sons, Thomas Woodall rarely signed, preferring instead for the anonymous work to reflect the joint effort of all the artisans involved. George, by contrast, was a perfectionist and later in his career sought personal recognition for his meticulous work. Represented in the collection are a wide variety of ‘Gem’ cameo vessels including two masterworks exhibited by Tiffany & Co. at the Paris Exhibition of 1889 (lots 22 and 23). Many of the vases in the collection are also well documented in the leading texts on the subject. Recorded in the workmen’s ledgers, in the period production photos of George Woodall, and in the design sketch books, the collection serves as a brilliant document of their late 19th century award winning production.
AN ENGLISH CAMEO GLASS VASE
CIRCA 1890, ATTRIBUTED TO THOMAS WEBB & SONS
Details
AN ENGLISH CAMEO GLASS VASE
CIRCA 1890, ATTRIBUTED TO THOMAS WEBB & SONS
Of carafe form, the translucent-yellow glass wall overlaid in red and finely wheel-engraved in the Chinoiserie taste with foliate lappets above flowering chrysanthemum and bamboo, the opaque white interior lined in cream
8 in. (20.3 cm.) high
CIRCA 1890, ATTRIBUTED TO THOMAS WEBB & SONS
Of carafe form, the translucent-yellow glass wall overlaid in red and finely wheel-engraved in the Chinoiserie taste with foliate lappets above flowering chrysanthemum and bamboo, the opaque white interior lined in cream
8 in. (20.3 cm.) high
Provenance
The Late Dr. Ernest Rieger Collection; Part 2, Woody Auction, Wichita, Kansas, 29 May 2014, lot 343.
Brought to you by
Elizabeth Brauer
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