above:Glass skunk
by Pirelli Glass.
above:Glass heron
by Pirelli Glass.
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Pirelli Glass: A short explanation
Pirelli Glass Ltd. were located in Potters Bar, London and are best known for their imaginative and humorous glass animals. The company was formed by George Dunlop in 1945 and operated for forty years, finally going into liquidation in 1985.
From 1949 onwards George Dunlop's Pirelli Glass was an agent for Vasart glass (made by the Ysart family in Scotland) and a black and silver label was applied to some Vasart pieces, which read "Pirelli Glass Hand Made in Scotland".
Salvador and Augustine Ysart died in the mid-50s leaving only Vincent Ysart at Vasart (Paul Ysart was still working for the Moncrieff Glassworks). Vincent seemed to lose heart in the business, which was struggling to make a profit and remain viable.
George Dunlop was regarded as "well heeled" coming up from London in his Lanchester limousine to collect Vasart vases and paperweights. Sometimes things were so bad at Vasart that he had to write a cheque for the wages to keep them going. In 1956 he stepped in as a partner in the restructured Vasart Glass, and the traditional etched "Vasart" signature was replaced with a black and silver label very similar to the Pirelli glass label referred to above.
The advertisement below appeared in the magazine "Pottery and Glass" in April 1958. It shows seven glass figures as well as some glassware decorated with flowers and birds. In 1957 Pirelli Glass made a set of five glass figures commissioned by the Guiness company and featuring glasses and bottles of Guiness. You can see pictures of these and read more about Pirelli Glass on Frank Andrew's website listed in the references below.
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