A very painstaking technique that produced beautiful items like this - a 19th century bottle vase by Stevens & Williams from glass making centre Stourbridge. The same technique was used by Emile Gallé and Daum in Nancy. At The Glass Heart exhibition at Two Temple Place - the last of four exhibitions I visited in a marathon day of art and culture.
Having worked out that we have barely any time left in April to visit some soon-closing exhibitions, I set off to tick some off - luckily all relatively small.
The day started off inauspiciously when I somehow slipped and fell into the gap between the bus I was boarding and the kerb - fell flat over in front of the driver. Kind people helped me up and only my dignity was badly damaged.
First up, Unforgotten Lives at the London Metropolitan Archives: stories of Londoners of African, Caribbean, Asian and Indigenous heritage who lived and worked here between 1560 and 1860 found in records of births, baptisms and so on. Fascinating and sensitively told accounts.
Bus to Oxford Street and a short walk to the Cartoon Museum. Found a nice looking restaurant next door - Rovi - which turned out to be an Ottolenghi outlet doing a very good set menu from Plenty More - broccoli spears and root vegetable pie. The exhibition after celebrating the 30th anniversary of Nick Park's The Wrong Trousers was sweet and entertaining.
Walked to the Wallace Collection for a tiny one-room exhibition of watercolours by JMW Turner and Richard Bonington - delightful. And finally the glass exhibition which was superb - stained glass, vases and other glassware, and glass art - including some very interesting modern pieces.
Got home to find Dave enjoying his delivery of interesting stuff plus a new Guernsey jumper from Arthur Beale. A huge bruise was emerging where I'd hit the edge of the bus platform with my shin earlier.
Beautiful vase such gorgeous colours