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| 1. Introduction | 5. Basal Features |
| 2. Items Discussed | 6. Individual Canes |
| 3. UV Tests | 7. Cane Matching |
| 4. Main Glass Colour | 8. Conclusions |
This article provides, in isolation, consideration of paperweights and other items probably made at the Ysart Brothers Glass company (circa 1946 to 1956) or by Salvador Ysart in earlier years. However, these pages also form an extension (backwards through time!) of the details for "Probable Later Vasart" and Strathearn weights. A basic table of early Scottish paperweight production is contained within the Vasart / Strathearn article.
The information provided here is set out in a range of discreet sections, some of which focus on textual discussion and others on images of actual paperweights or individual millefiori canes. The pages are designed for online display and are optimized for 800x600 resolution. There are various links within the text as well as the more usual structural formatting of the Index etc. Also, from main images, links are often available to a more detailed level, either as a new page in the main window or as secondary window. With user-controlled sizing of the windows, useful examination of, say, an enlarged view of a millefiori cane can be made whilst also retaining the main text.
Although there is a final section headed, "Conclusions", please do not expect definitive statements of attribution. As will be shown throughout the article, the truth is usually, "We don't know for sure". But I hope that this article may promote further investigation, research or commentary from anyone who has an interest in the subject.
To contact me directly by email: click here.
Click any individual image (or use the
links below the main image)
to view an enlargement of the item and
additional details.
| Item 5 | Item 10 | Item 16 | ||
| Item 1 | Item 6 | Item 11 | Item 17 | Item 21 |
| Item 2 | Item 7 | Item 12 | Item 18 | Item 22 |
| Item 3 | Item 8 | Item 13 | Item 19 | Item 23 |
| Item 4 | Item 9 | Item 14 | Item 20 | Item 24 |
| Item 15 |
All items shown here have been personally examined and photographed by me. The Spoke Patterned weights were also included in the earlier discussion on Later Vasart / Strathearn paperweights for comparative purposes.
Research and comments by others (authors, collectors, dealers etc.) has been invaluable to my basic understanding of Scottish paperweights and my comments and conclusions owe much to those sources. In particular, photographs and information in the books listed below have been studied and these have helped me to keep an open mind on the problems of attributions.
In other sections of this article, references and comparisons are made to the entries and photographs in the books listed above. For reasons of copyright, no images from those sources are used here. However, if I am able to personally photograph any of those items at some time in the future, then the relevant details may be included.
The items in the main image above all have one thing in common. Under Ultra Violet light, they fluoresce in a similar way. As with many other "Ysart" weights and related items, using Long Wave UV, all the pieces used for this article show a variation of Green fluorescence. Using Short Wave UV they show a Grey colour rather than the Blue seen in other Vasart and all of the Strathearn pieces.
It is this distinction of Short Wave fluorescence that is a possible definitive clue to separating early and later Vasart work. It may be a bold assumption on my part, but perhaps the death of Salvador in 1955 and Augustine in 1956, brought a second main change in addition to the renaming of Ysart Brothers Glass to Vasart. Maybe there was also a change in the main glass batch ingredients and, if so, this could account for the differences found through UV tests.
As yet, no firm conclusions have been drawn about the variations of Greens seen under Long Wave UV. It may one day be found that there is a definite shading (or set of shadings) that will help to define "Moncrieff" items and those from "Ysart Brothers Glass". And if that could be done, it may be a significant step towards accurately attributing specific items to Salvador Ysart. Until then, we can only use existing knowledge, beliefs and assumptions when suggesting who may have actually made a particular item or even which period it is from.
For Paul Ysart paperweights, there are three glass colour groupings used by collectors as an aid to the likely period of manufacture. Dark glass (of various shades) indicates the 1930s period, yellow-tinted glass suggests the 1940s and clear glass is seen as 1950s and later. When considering later Vasart and Strathearn items, distinct colours of glass are not so obvious. But what about the Ysart Brothers period?
Examination of the details for glass colouring shows that, amongst the items used for this article, "dark", "yellowed" and "clear" glass can be seen. Does this mean that some items (those with "dark" glass) could be 1930s period and therefore not Ysart Brothers at all? Perhaps this is so. But it is also feasible that the basic glass batch used in the Ysart Brothers period was of the same (or similar) formula to that used at the Moncrieff works. If that was true, then we may well expect to also see variations of "dark" colouring, as is known for many of Paul Ysart's items believed to be from the 1930s.
The fact that "yellowed" and "clear" domes are also seen could be a further problem in apparent dating. However, the "clear" items are not in the same league as the crystal domes of Scottish weights from the 1950s and later. Even the later Vasart weights have a clarity that exceeds that seen in these probable Ysart Brothers pieces. And as for the "yellow" colouring, this could very easily be the result of slightly differing chemical mixes at various times.
Turning now to the dome shapes, it is quite clear that a variety of profiles were formed. For instance, compare the first three images shown in the details for glass colouring. These are all of similarly sized weights, two of which are 3D butterfly items and the other an upright Flower. The profiles of these three show differences, with the first Butterfly weight having an almost top-heavy ovoid shape.
Although many of the weights have a regular dome shape that is in proportion to the size of the item, several have distinctly flattened profiles. When considering this point, we could wonder whether the flattened items were made only by a particular person, or perhaps only during a specific period. Unfortunately, the truth may never be known and, indeed, it may be that such variations were produced every so often, just for the sake of it!
As intimated in the previous paragraph, it is tempting to consider the idea of items with particular shapes (or other features) as being made by the same hand. Perhaps it is true that all the larger pieces, such as most of the Butterfly and Upright Flower weights, were made by Salvador. However, for the other regularly sized and shaped items, perhaps Vincent and Augustine made their fair share? And what about other workers at Ysart Brothers Glass - were they only ever allowed to be assistants or did one or two produce finished work?
Basal
FeaturesIn the article on Later Vasart and Strathearn, the study of basal features provided categories that were described as, "Button Base", Wide Grinding", Fire Polished" and "Rough Base". For this article, the items more readily fall into the following groups:
For this part of the analysis, images have been produced with a common width in order to give equal highlight to all basal features. The results can be viewed in the page - base.htm.
Within the first group, some weights show evidence of only one particular feature while others have evidence of both the rough grinding and a button mark. The second group are fairly consistent in that the ground out central areas indicate a "quick and simple" working. For the third category, all items display a distinct circular grinding area demonstrating that greater care has been taken with the finishing.
In the "Apparent Tidiness" group are a set of weights that, from a distance, appear to have bases that are very well finished. However, on close inspection, they all show a small area that has been finished in a manner consistent with one of the first three categories. What is clear from this particular group is that the main base area is quite smooth and one item is even fully ground across all of the base, apart from its indented circular ground out central portion. Given that this latter weight is one of only a few known to me to have a fully ground base, in addition to the ground central indentation, I wonder whether the major grinding may have been a later action. This could make sense if the weight originally had the uneven and pitted surface seen in the 3D butterfly weights and some of the concentrics. Flat grinding could have been applied at any time, simply to make the weight sit properly on a flat surface.
For the items discussed here, perhaps the most noticeable point about the bases is that none have a Fire Polished finish. In every case, there is evidence of grinding, even if it is only a tiny central area.
Another basal feature, although not part of the initial making, is the addition of an etched identification mark, such as, "Ysart Bros, Handmade in Scotland". This form of identification was apparently reserved for export items, but how many pieces were marked in this way is not known. Any item with a genuine Vasart paper label will confirm the piece to be from 1956 or later. In Ysart Glass, it is stated that the first form of label was circular, but that this was superseded by the "shaped" version (a semi-circle over a wider, straight "foot"). Unfortunately I have no personal experience of any item with the round label - it would be useful to check the UV fluorescence of several such pieces to see if any do not fluoresce Blue under the Short Wave light.
Individual CanesAll canes in the items discussed here have been examined individually and a separate photo of one example of each was prepared. Two sizes of photo were produced, one as an enlarged image with a maximum dimension of approximately 1/2 inch (100 pixels for screen viewing), and another being a reduced size for tabulated screen display.
Early (and later, for that matter) Scottish millefiori canes tend to fall into a variety of particular design groups. In fact, several groupings could be devised by analyzing the internal structure of canes, or by studying the many colour schemes. However, for simplicity, the general groupings for this article are based on the most prevalent visual feature of the canes:
Internal daisy or star, formed from
clear glass, usually with a central rod or small complex cane and with a simple
white or coloured outer sleeve.
External daisy, star or cog, often
with a simple or complex central element. This group includes quatrefoil (or
cruciform) canes.
External "Tubular" coatings or
"Rings", usually with complex central elements.
External surrounds of rods or
canes, mostly as a double layer of canes around a complex central
element.Another group could be defined for special canes such as "Roses" and "Cherries", both of which are occasionally seen within "Vasart" weights. For this article, only one example of a Rose cane is currently available and this has been included with Group 4, even though it has no surrounding canes, as such.
The tabled results can be seen in a separate page - canetable.htm.
Note that, within the cane details page, the
final table is actually a set of Group 4 and Group 2 canes but they are all
examples used as wings for butterfly motifs. It is believed that all of the
"Vasart" (or Moncrieff?) butterflies with pointed extensions to the end of the
upper wings are the work of Salvador Ysart. The feature is not known for any
Paul Ysart butterfly wings, apart from an occasional, and very minor extension
which was probably the result of simple movement during the working as opposed
to a deliberate design concept.
The observation about pointed wings (which may just be my own personal view) is in addition to the generally accepted view that weights with butterflies hovering in 3D are by Salvador. There may also be a belief that Salvador butterflies were always 3D. However, as indicated elsewhere in this article, a few examples of Salvador butterflies (having pointed wings) have the insect set flush with the ground, in a manner more usually associated with Paul Ysart. As with other attribution clues, even butterfly styles have their complications.
uses
found in 
From the twenty four items used for this article, there are two with canes showing close similarity to those in the signed concentric weight. There are several groups of two items that can be linked by one or two exact cane matches. There are only two weights which contain three exact cane matches. No items show a link of four or more canes.
A separate page is available showing details of the cane matches - canematch.htm. Comments are included on matches with canes from paperweights and related objects illustrated in the books listed in the section, Items Used For Discussion. However, as stated in the Introduction, those items from the books are not illustrated here.
For any "antique", "vintage" or "old" items, without specific provenance or signed work, it can be difficult to determine what was made when, and by whom. Using design features and other visual clues is often the only way to make distinctions. This seems to be as true of the earlier (pre-1956) years of paperweight output from the Ysart family as it is of the later Vasart / Strathearn pieces. The designs of the items used for this article show that concentric and spoke patterns account for the majority. This really only serves to confirm what is quite clear from any study of Scottish paperweights and related items, from the early 1930s through to Strathearn and later.
Clues to identifying work by Salvador Ysart or from Ysart Brothers Glass are given below. But please use this information cautiously - very little has been confirmed beyond doubt!
Very probably work by Salvador Ysart:
Possible (tentative) indication of work by Salvador Ysart
Confirmation of work from Ysart Brothers Glass
Possible indication of work from Ysart Brothers Glass (may also be an earlier period)
UV Long Wave fluorescence (shades of Green) does not yet conclusively indicate a separation for the 1930s / 1940s / 1950s. Even with evidence such as a "Y" cane and various items that would probably have required Salvador's greater degree of experience to make, it is extremely difficult to separate pre- and post-WWII items. If an item is found with a Monart label but the overall working and the canes do not imply Paul Ysart's hand, then it may be reasonable to assume that Salvador made it at the Moncrieff factory. For example, see World Paperweights, page 128, where a Doorstop having a Monart Ware label is illustrated. Unfortunately, clues such as this are rare, to say the least.
If any reader has an item, or any details, that can specifically confirm attribution to Salvador Ysart or to Ysart Bothers Glass, please contact me - I would be very grateful for any information, even if a viewing is not possible.