Ysart Brothers or Vasart Paneled Millefiori Paperweight – Many Annealing Cracks. Late Ysart Brothers or Early Vasart Paneled Millefiori Paperweight – Many Annealing Cracks. This colorful paperweight consists of a paneled millefiori pattern with eight sections with 1 green +2 brown millefiori canes each separated by a red and blue twist cane. There is a central cluster of two rings of canes, 15 blue and 5 orange canes, around a central cross cane. The design is set on a clear ground. The glass is slightly gray. Unfortunately this paperweight is filled with many internal annealing fractures / cracks. See the note below for more information on the cause. An interesting historical addition to any collection of Scottish paperweights. Note on annealing fractures / cracks : According to David Moir, who was an apprentice at the Ysart Brothers Shore Road works in 1954, the glass works had a lot of annealing problems at the Shore Road factory because it was fired with poor quality coke. It was difficult to maintain a level annealing temperature and sometimes would get too hot or too cold. Temperature was judged by putting your arm inside the oven to feel the heat. The problem was solved when George Dunlop (owner of Pirelli Glass in London) brought in fresh capital, equipment, and orders. This included an electrically controlled second-hand kiln from Rolls Royce which was a vast improvement on the old one and had electric temperature gauges. Please Note: The stand shown in the pictures is not included with the paperweight. It is shown for illustration only. Note on white glare : Please ignore the white areas, they are glare from the light. The birth of Scottish paperweight making is credited to the glass making family of Salvador Ysart, who moved to Crieff, Scotland in 1922. They worked first at John Moncrieff Ltd and made the earliest Scottish paperweights during that period. In 1946 Salvadore and his sons Augustine and Vincent founded Ysart Brothers Glass and produced glass wares under the Vasart label. Salvador Ysart died in 1955. Shortly later, George Dunlop, the owner of Pirelli Glass in London, brought in fresh capital, equipment, and orders. Vincent Ysart and George Dunlop formed a new company in 1956, Vasart Glass Ltd. Strathearn Glass was formed in a reorganization of Vasart glass in 1963. The new company was owned by Teachers Whiskey. The factory was taken over by Stuart Glass in 1980, and renamed Stuart Strathearn Ltd. Production ceased in 1992. Size: Just under 3″ diameter by 1 15/16″ high. The base is fire finished. The surface is free from defects but the paperweight is filled with many annealing cracks / fractures due to improper temperature control during the annealing process. Signature: Unsigned, but I guarantee this to be an Ysart Brothers or early Vasart paperweight from Scotland made prior to the installation of new annealing oven in the mid 1950s. Allan’s Paperweights is owned by Allan Port. If in doubt, please check with me first. Please do not ask me to declare this a gift.
