Thomas Webb & Sons

Mr. Nett, 1887
Ray and Lee Grover, 1979

Geoffrey W. Beard, Nineteenth Century Cameo Glass, Newport, Monmouthshire, 1956, p. 118, no. 46 (for a related ''Origin of the Painting'' circular plaque)
Ray and Lee Grover, Carved & Decorated European Art Glass, Rutland, VT, 1980, p. 47, pl. 33
Ray and Lee Grover, English Cameo Glass, New York, 1980, p. 103, pl. 79; p. 112, pl. 118; and p. 262, pl. C203
Christopher Woodall Perry, The Cameo Glass of Thomas and George Woodall, Somerset, 2000, p. 31

In the last quarter of the 19th Century there was a widespread vogue for paintings that evoked the origins of art. The subject of this vase, extraordinarily popular during the last third of the century, concerned the legend of a young woman from Corinth, who outlined the shadow cast on a wall by her beloved. It was held to be a valid illustration of the origins of art, combined with an amorous motivation required by a sentimental age.

The “Origin of the Painting” vase in the Triestman Collection was the first example of the model produced, commissioned by a Mr. Nett in 1887.  Subsequently, three additional examples were produced, including one still owned by the descendents of George Woodall.  Both the Triestman and the Woodall family examples have lost their lids, and it is unknown if in fact an example with a lid has survived.