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The Chrysler Acquires English Cameo Glass

George and Thomas Woodall's magnificent cameo glass plaque Intruders recently entered the Permanent Collection through the generosity of Mrs. Rebecca W. Hitt and Mr. and Mrs. John S. Shannon. On loan to the Chrysler since 1997, it is unequivocally one of the greatest cameo glass masterpieces of the 19th century. George Woodall succeeded in creating the illusion of perspective in an amazingly shallow space (the distance between the rim and the back is less than inch). Although this work has been illustrated in several of the major books dealing with English cameo under the title The Attack, the Chrysler's Glass Curator, Gary E. Baker, has recently discovered that this work was originally called Intruders. The name Intruders is written on a 19th-century sketch of the work preserved in Dudley, England and referenced in the Thomas Webb price book. The dimension noted - 16 1/2" - corresponds closely to the actual size of the plaque. Knowing the original name enables us to date the plaque with greater accuracy. Intruders was mentioned by name in an article published in the Brierley Hill Advertiser on January 21, 1893 that listed works being sent to Chicago for exhibition - suggesting that Intruders predates George Woodall's Moorish Bathers by at least six years.

Mrs. Hitt, who celebrated her 80th birthday on October 12 by visiting the Chrysler, also donated Dragon Vase, an elegant Thomas Webb blue and white cameo glass in Chinese taste, to the Museum. The two dragons that encircle the vase are in unusually high relief, their overall shapes having been blown-molded before the vase was carved. Mrs. Hitt and her late husband, Billy, acquired these cameo treasures and John Northwood's acclaimed Milton Vase (now also at the Chrysler) in the 1970s. Mrs. Hitts's son and his family have recently placed The Muses Vase (a cameo glass attributed to William Northwood) on long term loan at the Chrysler in memory of Billy and in honor of Rebecca W. Hitt.

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