above: Monart glass,
Moncrieff Glassworks
Monart Glass - from
The Glass Encyclopedia
A short explanation of Monart Glass:Monart Glass was made at the Moncrieff glassworks in Scotland between 1924 and 1961, by Salvador Ysart, a Spanish glassworker, and his four sons.
Salvador Ysart had worked at several French glassworks including the renowned Schneider company near Paris. He was recruited from France in 1915 to work on the British war effort in Scotland producing much-needed items like laboratory glass. After the war (in 1922) John Moncrieff recruited Salvador and his son Paul to make laboratory glass in his glassworks in Perth, Scotland. His other sons, Vincent, Augustine, and Antoine joined their father's team when they were old enough.
In 1923/24 Salvador made a beautiful vase using colours he had brought from France and Mrs Isabel Moncrieff saw it and encouraged him to develop a range of art glass which they called Monart, combining the first part of Moncrieff with the second part of Ysart.
Monart glass was a great success, and continued in production until 1939 when the Second World War disrupted glass production.
After the War, Monart production was not re-started until 1947. It was then continued for another 14 years, but on a much smaller scale than before the War.
The colours were paler after 1945 because it was difficult to obtain the bold pre-war colours and because fashion tastes had changed.
When the company closed its art glass workshop in 1961 they agreed to allow Paul Ysart to continue producing his paperweights, for which he had become renowned, but he left shortly afterwards to work for Caithness Glass.
Salvador and his other two surviving sons had left Moncrieff in 1946 and set up their own glassworks, which they originally called Ysart Brothers Glass but soon changed this to Vasart Glass. They made a competing line of very similar glass to the pieces they had made at Moncrieff Glassworks.
