On September 24, his comprehensive collection of vases, bowls, dressing table sets, scent bottles, lamps and paperweights will be auctioned in a 142-lot single-owner sale expected to fetch £150,000. The collection spans the years of Monart production from 1924 to 1961 and estimates range from £250 to £6000.
“He feels he has reached the end of the collection and has gleaned the knowledge he has wanted. He is now moving on to ceramics,” explained CSK specialist Joy McCall.
Monart was only ever produced by one Spanish family of glass blowers, the Ysarts, at Perth-based North British Glassworks factory. The company was founded by John Moncrieff in 1865 and Monart takes its name from the amalgamation of the Spanish family and founder’s names.
Retailed in Scotland, England and the US, the demand for Monart glass continues to be focused in these countries. Despite offering such a large collection in one sale, Joy McCall is confident there will be buyers aplenty for a holding of this calibre, provenance and good overall condition.
“There is strong Scottish interest but beyond that Monart’s appeal is quite broad with a fair split between trade and collectors,” she said. “It attracts the academics but people also buy Monart for its visual appeal.”
Monart glass began life almost by accident after the founder’s wife, Mrs Moncrieff, chanced upon a decorative vase Salvador Ysart had made in his spare time as a raffle prize for a local man. The Ysarts had initially been employed by the Scottish firm to make laboratory glass, but Mrs Moncrieff quickly realised the commercial potential of art glass.
While Monart may not hold the same cachet as Lalique or Tiffany, Salvador Ysart served his Paris apprenticeship under Charles Schneider who in turn had studied under Emile Gallé.
He and his son, Paul, were accomplished craftsmen and one of the highlights is a blackground paperweight, shown here, incorporating a blue Monart vase with flowers, with the paper label PY, from Paul Ysart’s collection. The paperweight was not designed for retail and anecdotally only five examples are known. CSK hope its provenance together with its scarcity value should see it sell for £2500-3000.
Elsewhere, buyers are expected to pay a premium for the perfect condition of an unusual brown, orange and white lamp, shown here. Its simple, pleasing outline and colourful decoration typifies Monart’s production and it comes with hopes of £4000-6000. Other notable entries includes a pink, green and black cylindrical vase with pulled-up glass decoration, 1945. It is thought to be a unique piece and has a £2500-3000 estimate.
Monart of the glen – Scottish glass goes south for sale
Monart glass specialist and collector Ian Turner is a familiar name to many in the trade, having devoted the last two decades to buying and researching this vividly coloured 20th century Scottish art glass. In addition to building a 260-piece collection, he has also contributed to several books including Ysart Glass, edited by Frank Andrews, 1990.
