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Pyramid Form: C.99-1997

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Object information

Current Location: Gallery 27 (Glaisher)

Titles

Pyramid Form

Maker(s)

Glassmaker: Reid, Colin

Entities

Categories

Description

Clear, lost-wax cast glass, with white inclusions, the base partly coloured Prussian blue. The upper part of the pyramid is smooth and regular; the lower edge of each side is irregularly wavy; and the underside is deeply and irregularly concave. When the pyramid is the right way up, it appears as if the viewer is looking at clouds over a bluish mountainous landscape within the pyramid.

Notes

History note: Contemporary Applied Arts, 2 Percy Street, London, W1P 9FA

Legal notes

Given by of Nicholas and Judith Goodison through the National Art Collections Fund

Measurements and weight

Height: 20.5 cm
Width: 24.5 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1997-12-05) by Goodison, Nicholas and Judith

Dating

20th Century, Late#
Elizabeth II
Production date: AD 1997

Note

Text from object entry in A. Game (2016) ‘Contemporary British Crafts: The Goodison Gift to the Fitzwilliam Museum’. London: Philip Wilson Publishers: Colin Reid studied at Saint Martin’s School of Art, London followed by a two-year industrial apprenticeship as a scientific glassblower. He subsequently graduated from Stourbridge College of Art in 1981 and established his now internationally recognised independent glass studio in Gloucestershire. His mastery of the techniques of kiln-casting and polishing glass leads to forms that command attention through the play of optical illusion and intriguing reflections. Reid has always encouraged apprenticeships and has trained many studio assistants who work alongside him. Thanks to his tutelage, many of his students have gone on to enjoy successful independent careers. These include other glassmakers represented in the Goodison collection: Sally Fawkes (48), Angela Jarman (79) and Bruno Romanelli (18). In 2014, Reid was winner of the prestigious Coburg Glass Prize Alexander Tutsek Award and in the same year was the subject of a major retrospective exhibition with accompanying catalogue, Casting Brilliance, at Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum. Colin Reid: ‘When the piece comes out of the kiln, that is only the start of the making process. Pieces evolve and change at this stage as I respond to the cast form and begin the cold working processes. Chance plays its part. The tension between the planned and the controlled is always there: the quality I am after is elusive, but I know it when I see it.’ A life history interview with Colin Reid is available at http://sounds.bl.uk/Oral-history/Crafts.

School or Style

Contemporary Craft
studio glass

Materials used in production

Lead-glass

Techniques used in production

Casting (process) : Clear, lost-wax cast glass, with white inclusions, the base partly coloured Prussian blue
Polishing

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: Colin Reid 1997 R796
  • Location: Down one ridge, near the bottom
  • Type: Signature

Inscription present: dealer's rectangular sticky label, inscribed in black biro, removed on accession

  • Text: 2470=/CRO15
  • Method of creation: Inscribed in black biro
  • Type: Label

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.99-1997
Primary reference Number: 27258
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Monday 18 December 2023 Last processed: Monday 18 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Pyramid Form" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/27258 Accessed: 2024-12-23 00:21:23

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/27258 |title=Pyramid Form |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-23 00:21:23|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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