Fan-shaped vase ca. 1890 Attributed to Harry Powell British This object is a very fine example of the series of vases designed by Harry Powell (grandson of the wine-merchant, James Powell, who had purchased the Whitefriars Glassworks in 1834). Harry Powells designs of the 1880s and ‘90s created a whole group of decorative vessels characterized by delicately irregular wavy-rimmed bowls and subtly tinted glass. The fineness of the glass, accentuated by the ruffles of the bowl, is inspired by Venetian cristallo. The fluid design of the delicately irregular, fan-shaped bowl is testament to the skill of the Whitefriars glassmakers and to Powells confidence in their craftsmanship, achieved by holding the partially-shaped molten glass upside down on the blowpipe and swinging it out to create the natural form rather than by more conventionally manually manipulating the glass with a crimping tool. In this, this piece exemplifies the core philosophy of James Powell & Sons to prize glassmakers