British Manufacturers - Apsley Pellatt

Apsley Pellatt (1791-1863) 1857 Black and white photo The Royal Institution, London, UK Bridgeman Art Library REPRODUCTION PERMISSION IS REQUIRED FOR THE PICTURE ABOVE. The Bridgeman Art Library will contact the collection on your behalf.

Pellat and Green of London

Pellatt and Green, a London glassworks, of Blackfriar's and St. Paul's Churchyard, was owned by Apsley Pellatt's father. The son joined the firm in 1811. Young Pellatt's interest lay in the chemistry of glass. In 1819 he patented a procedure for making sulphides. From the 1820s to 1850s, Pellatt made many kinds of glass objects with sulphide images, including bottles, paperweights, and mugs.

Apsley Pellatt Sulphide Obelisk Apsley Pellatt (attributed) circa 1830

Sulphides became very popular during the Classical Revival period of decorative arts. The famous Portland Vase was an inspiration for this style, as were the many ancient Roman medallions. Wedgwood made a ceramic copy of the Vase in 1790. Pellatt's sulphide process allowed glassmakers to encase cameos in glass, in stead of performing the much more difficult task of cutting thin layers of glass as in the original Vase. When, after 1850 it was no longer fashionable to buy cut class, Pellatt made engraved glass items when he was not attending to his duties as Member of Parliament. After his death in 1863, the company went into decline despite the management efforts of his brother.