Antique London Glass Piece

[Doug Bernhardt]

While in London a few weeks ago found a small treasure in a place now called Inn 1888. Have included a few details which shows the depth of the etching....enjoy!!

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oh...it is a Morris and Son advertising mirror and you can see by the layout of the place there must have been a half dozen or so at one time. This sole survivor is in a corner rather than the larger room. When I arrived the place was actually closed after some refurbishing and would have opened last week.

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e-pocock glass detail2.jpg (159 KiB) Viewed 3680 times

[MILES M CULLINANE]

so many questions spring to mind about the gilded lettering, like how the heck did they get all those shades and layers??

does it really say 'the nurses brand of bottled beers'?

[Anthony Bennett]

Cool, where abouts in London please?

[Doug Bernhardt]

http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/ ... Marylebone

will take you to the place and yes.....it does say nurses brand. Pretty interesting Huh? Have asked Smitty to jump in here (as he has the most experience) but the long and short is there are several depths of acid etching in here (Hey!! Morris was a master) and you can see them clearly in the letters. How long exposures etc to the acid and the strengths, I have no idea. The old masters were the best me thinks.

[DAVE SMITH]

Miles. The shades in the centre of the lettering were first white acid etched .The entire panel would have been covered with Brunswick black and then lead foil placed over the black for a second coat of protection against acid leakage and pinholes from the process. The brunswick was removed with spirits and then it looks like only one treatment of acid was used to knock back the centre letters probably one hour 4 to 1 and at the same time the top would of been cut and the brunswick removed and this area looks like two tonnes were used, it's all down to the pencil sketch that was produced first. They would have drawn this out full size and shaded it all to see what they were looking for in effects. In the centre of the letters the white acid finish has been either left untouched and that is why it is looking dark ,or a wash of acid was flooded over to take off a layer just to help the gold leaf stick well to this surface ,a bit like when you try to gild sandblasted glass it does not stay on well enough...
the time used for this treatment would of been less than two minutes..... hope that might help.


Dave