Golden Era Antiques Art Glass Information Page
Collectible Art glass by Petra (on going project)
This page is developed for general information about collecting glass. Styles and periods, designers and makers, glass care and a listing of interesting Art Glass books will be mentioned (some might be out of print). Every collectible type of art glass, Carnival glass, Art Deco glass, Art Nouveau glass, Italian Murano glass, Bohemian glass etc...will be covered in short. This page is especially put together to give an overview and to aid anybody starting a collection.
One of my first pieces of Art glass were from Italy, where I used to go on holiday in my teens. A Murano glass clown, still alive, but a bit damaged here and there and a heart-shaped Sommerso bowl. Never should have bought that one as it was from that moment that I truly lost my heart to Art Glass. My collection does have an enormous amount of Italian Murano glass, but once you start your eyes open for many more styles and makers. My kitchen is full of Art Deco glassware, even the lighting. I themed the different rooms in my house as I like so many different types of glass, but they do not always mix well in style. It has spiralled a bit out of control over the years, but once you're hooked ...you're hooked. As an artist myself I just marvel at the creativity of the glass designers and the enormous skill involved, just making one vase or bowl as a centrepiece to grace our tables.
I hope you will enjoy our web side whether you are a beginner or an old veteran in collecting Art Glass.
Classical - Circa 1500 BC (Egypt) 1st Century (Roman)
Baroque - Circa late 17th to early 18th Century
Georgian - Circa.1730 - 1800
Regency - Circa.1805 - 1830
Victorian - 1830 - circa.1900
Art Nouveau - Circa 1880 - 1814
Art Deco - Circa 1920s - 1930s
Post War - From 1945 onwards
There are many different types of collectible art glass. Carnival glass,
engraved and cut crystal glass, hand blown glass, mould blown and cased glass,
enamelled and painted glass, iridescent and opalescent glass, pressed glass,
cameo glass, vaseline glass and pate-de-verre.
Then there are especially in Murano glass many different techniques used, e.g.
Millefiori, Zanfirico, Murrine, Sommerso, Pezzato, Millefili, Pulegoso,
Aventurine, Filigrana, Latticino, a Canne and Inciso.
Carnival glass is pressed glass with an iridescent surface
Engraved glass is glass which is cut with a wheel and an abrasive or
scratched with a diamond tipped tool.
Cut glass is glass which is done with either a rotating stone, wood or a
metal wheel and an abrasive suspended in liquid..
Hand-blown glass is made by blowing air through a blowpipe and shaping a
gather of molten glass and is free-blown.
Mould-blown glass is made the same way, but is blown into a mould to form
a uniform shape.
Cased glass or overlay glass, used a lot by Bohemian glassmakers is made
by covering the glass with an extra layer, often of a different colour. This can
be cut or etched to reveal the layer underneath.
Enamelled glass is painted with a mixture of powdered coloured glass and
metal oxides bound in an oil medium, The glass item is them reheated to fuse the
design.
Painted glass was decorated using enamel paint. Lacquered or oil paint
was used as well, but on pieces that were too big for the kiln.
Iridescent glass has a rainbow effect which is caused by the refraction
of light. Most of the time it is made by spraying metallic salts on the hot
glass item.
Opalescent glass has a milky blue appearance by reflecting the light and
an amber tint by transmitting light.
Pressed glass developed in the US and is formed by pouring molten glass
in a metal mould and then pressing it with a plunger. These items will have a
smooth inner an patterned outer surface. Sometimes they are refined by hand.
Cameo glass is made up of two or more separate coloured glass layers from
which the top layer is carved or acid etched to create the relief and reveal the
different coloured layers.
Valseline glass is opalescent glass with a greasy appearance and made by
adding uranium and metal oxides to the glass.
Pate-de-verre is made by mixing ground glass with liquid into a paste and
then pressed into a mould to be reheated slowly to form the shape.
Collectible Italian blown and cased glass: designers and makers.
Italian glass from the island of Murano in the Venetian lagoon has strong family traditions of glass making and produced highly skilled glassmakers. They also employed architects, artist and sculptors to bring new and exciting designs which were then interpreted and created by the glass masters.
Venini: Paolo Venini ,designing himself, also employed, Vittorio Zecchin , a painter, Napoleone Martinuzzi, a sculptor and Tommaso Buzzi, architect and painter to contribute to many designs. From very thinly blown glass to cased organic forms. Carlo Scarpa introduced many new techniques, including the Sommerso technique and so did Fulvio Bianconi and Gio Ponti. Tyra Lundgren, a Swedish designer also contributed to the range.
Salviati: Antonio Salviati teamed up with painters Gino Severino, Dino Martens and Luciano Gaspari. But also German fashion designer Heinz Oestergaard in the 80s.
AVEM: Emilio Nasson and Giulio Radi designed and made sculptural figures and patterned glass in asymmetrical shapes. Also Dino Martens worked as one of the designers there as did Anzola Fuga, a graphic artist turned glassmaker.
Barovier & Toso: Ercole Barovier experimented constantly with new textures and colours and created many many designs. He merged with Ferro Tosso and the brightly coloured Oriente series (Dino Martens design), was reissued in the 70s. Barovier used complex patterns, raw textured surfaces, stripes, patchwork, squares, spirals, you name it.
Seguso Vetri d'Arte: Archimedes Seguso had exceptional skills as a glass blower and he worked with artists like Flavio Poli, best known for his beautiful sommerso glass.
Fratelli Tosso: Ermanno Toso and painter Pollio Peralda designed modern brightly coloured interpretations of filligrana and murrine techniques. His son Renato continued the tradition but also explored the use of clear glass.
Some more murano designers: Antonio da Ros, Gino Cenedese, Allesandro Pianon, Luciano Gaspari, Mario Pinzoni, Alfredo Barbini and Carlo Moretti.
Special techniques from the Murano Glass makers:
Millefiore A thousand flowers. Mosaic made of flowers
Murrine Mosaic made of star shapes
Filligrana. Collective word of glass decorated with white or coloured glass canes to create a lace pattern.
Mezza filigrana Consists of fine parallel, coloured, preformed, extremely stretched threads between layers of glass.
Zanfirico Type of Filligrana decoration, the pattern consists of canes with coloured glass thread decorations twisted in one direction.
Millefili A thousand threads, glass made up out of very fine canes.
Pezzato Patch work type glass, made up of coloured squares and developed by Fulvio Bianconi for Venini
Tessuto Meaning woven, dense, fine vertical canes cased in clear glass and developed by Carlo Scarpa for Venini
Merletto Meaning lace. A term for various type of lace type designs, developed by Archimedes Seguso.
Latticino From the Italian word for milk (latte). White long threads for decorating clear glass.
A Canne A glass body made out of canes laid next to each other and fused.
Sommerso Means submerged and consist of several layers of glass (cased). Sometimes several colours and inclusions of bubbles or metal foil would be used.
Pulegoso Glass with a rough foam like, bubble surface. (developed by Napoleone Martinuzzii)
Aventurine Opaque or semi opaque glass incorporating sparkling gold or copper flecks of oxidized metal
Inciso Incised or engraved texture formed by parallel lines, often with a matte or semi polished finish.
Incalmo Two or more bubbles of glass applied to each other to form defined bands
Iridato Meaning iridescent. The usually matte iridescent is created by steaming or spraying the hot glass with mixtures of metal compounds.
Collectible Scandinavian blown and cased glass: makers and designers.
Scandinavian glass designers took their landscape as their
inspiration and integral to their designs were textures like ice, bark and
frost.
The colours were restrained and they exploited the refractive and reflective
qualities of glass. Thick wall glass and organic forms became their trademark.
Kosta Boda designers are Vicke Lindstrand, Erik Hoglund, Mona
Morales-Schild and Bertil Vallien.
Orrefors main designers are Ingeborg Lundin and Sven Palmqvist
Holmgaard designers are Jacob Bang, Per Lutken and Otto Brauer
Riihimaki designers are Helena Tynell, Nanny Still and Tamara Aladin
Karhula-Iittala designers are Tapio Wirkkala and Timo Sarpaneva
Collectible British blown and cased glass: designers and makers.
Powell & Whitefriars Wiliam Wilson and main designer Geoffrey Baxter, who was influenced by Scandinavian glass introduced textured glass. In 1963 Powell becomes Whitefriars Glassworks.
Monart, Vasart & Stathearn Spanish glass blower Salvador Ysart and his sons join John Moncrieff and in !924 The Monart art glass range is launched, in 1956 the Ysart Bros company becomes Vasart Glass and Strathhearn glass in 1965
King's Lynn & Wedgewood Ronald Stennett-Wilson from King's Lynn Glass employed Swedish and Austrian glassmakers to produce a new range and style. In 1969 it becomes Wedgewood Glass. Frank Thrower starts designing for King's Lynn in1982.
Chance Robert Lucas Chance produced inexpensive glassware and his Fiesta range became well known.
Isle of Wight and Mdina Michael Harris started his own glasswork in Malta in 1969 and produced studio glass. He returns to the UKand sets up Isle of Wight glass in 1972. He and William Walker designed the Azurene art glass, becoming the hallmark of the company.
Collectible European blown and cased glass: makers and designers.
German - W.M.F. Known for their art nouveau glass. main designer Karl Wiedmann was behind the Myra Kristal range, which was thinly blown and Ikora Kristal glass range which was thick cased glass and mass produced.
Austria - At the Wiener Keramik studio, employing designers from the Wiener Werkstatte, leading designer of ceramics and sculpture Michael Powolny produced designs for Lobmeyer, Loetz and Moser The Wiener Werkstatte was established by Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser The Bimini Werkstatte was set up in Vienna by Fritz Lampl, creating thinly blown glass often with animals and figures incorporated in the designs.
Dutch - Leerdam glassworks was joined by designer Andries Dirk Copier, best known for the Unica and Serica range. Max Verboeket designed for the Maastricht glassworks
Bohemian The Harrachov glassworks produced with the designs of Pavel Hlava the Harttil art glass range. Heinrich Loffelhardt designed for Zwiesel in the 70s, often heavy glass with internal bubbles. Bauhaus designer Wilhelm Wagenfeld designed for the United Lausitz Glass Manufacturers. Lausha glassworks is famous for its glass marble designs and lampwork.
French The Cristalleries Schneider, Daum Freres produced art deco designs with etched, bubbled and frosted styles. The Master of his time and most original designer was painter, turned glassmaker Maurice Marinot. He made about 2500 pieces and all of them are very expensive. Inspired by him Henri Navarre made similar work.
American William John Blenko starts his glassworrks in Virginia, stained glass his speciality. They developed brightly coloured glass, which became their hallmark. Designers Winslow Andersson, Wayne Husted and Joel Myers shaped Blenko's style.
Collectible Cameo glass: makers and designers.
During the art nouveau period the cameo technique became very popular, hanging the two tone technique into multi layered combinations. The French became most famous, but also the English (Thomas Webb & Sons), the Swedish (Kosta and Orrefors) and the Austro-Bohemians (Loetz, Harrach and the Haida glassworks) created beautiful items.
Galle produced pieces using the technique which was used in antiquity, but using many more coloured layers. After his death very few items were hand finished.
Daum Freres The glassworks in Nancy, where the art nouveau style was their trademark, was taken over by Jean Daum. He started to experiment with the art deco style, which became their major output.
Baccarat and the Saint Louis Glassworks, followed them with more modest priced items.
Collectible Pressed and moulded glass: designers and makers.
In the United States the first machine for pressing glass was made in 1820. By 1830 it had crossed the ocean to Europe. Inexpensive glassware for around the house and novelties were produced especially during the art deco era.
Rene Lalique was the leading designer, but also French manufacturers Etling, Verlys and Sabino, British glassworks Jobling, George Davidson and Bagley Crystal, all produced beautiful glass ware. German and Austro-Bohemian glassmakers like Walther and Sohne also made their name during this time.
Depression glass Fenton, Northwood, Federal Glass Co and Hocking Glass Co in Ohio, Indiana and Jeanette Glass Co in Pennsylvania and Hazel Atlas Glass Co in West Virginia were among the leading manufacturers.
Collectible Pate-de Verre glass: makers and designers.
Pate-de-Verre French glassmakers revived this ancient technique during the art nouveau period. Almaric Walter and Henri Berge designed for Daum.in Nancy Francois-Emile Decorchemont and Joseph-Gabriel Argy-Rousseau were also well known. The work of Walter is very expensive and signed AWalter Nancy or AWalter Nancy HBerge Sc. They often incorporated insects and reptiles in their designs.
Collectible Iridescent glass: makers and designers
Loetz Lotz was the original name. They produced Art nouveau glass inspired by Tiffany, with often an oil on water effect. After 1905 the forms became more regular and with less controlled decorations. Export glass was usually marked, but most pieces weren't, causing identification problems as it was often copied by other makers.
Harrach The harrach glassworks often produced glass with metal mounts.
Wilhelm Kralik and Sohn Their work was mostly unsigned. The use of Art nouveau styled metal mounts were often incorporated in the designs.
Palme-Konig The style was similar to Loetz, but less refined. Their trademark was the trailed decoration.
Glassfabrik Elisabeth Similar as Palme-Konig, but more rare. They merged in 1889.
W.M.F. Karl Wiedmann developed the Myra-Kristall range in 1925, with a silky matt gold iridescent surface. The demand was huge. The production stopped in 1939,started up again in1948 and in 1954 it was discontinued.
Tiffany Started in1879. Designer Louis Comfort Tiffany created and produced, with the glassmaker Arthur J. Nash, over 5000 types of glass, but is best know for his Favrile iridescent glassware. Decoration was used on the in and outside of the glass. He created unusual organic shapes, like the Jack in the Pulpit vase, the gooseneck vase and the tall Floriform vases. Tiffany's glass is most of the time signed or labelled,
Steuben In1904 Frederick Carder created a range called Aurene, made in gold and blue iridescent. It was their major output. The most valuable pieces are the ones with special decoration and colour combination.
Quezal Thomas Johnson and Martin Bach were former employees at Tiffany and set up Quezal glassworks. they copied the style of Tiffany's Favrile range. their lack of originality was well compensated by their technical quality. From 1902 most pieces most had their engraved name, but before that some will have been passed as Tiffany's.
Durand The Vineland glass co, was better known as Durand, which was started by former workers at Quezal. First they produced glass in the style of Tiffany, but soon created their own simple forms with an iridescent called Ambergris. Their patterns like spiderwebs and peacock and King Tut swirls, distinguished them from their rivals. Most early glass in not signed, but later it was signed Durand with the name sometimes across the letter V.
The Union Glass co Employee William S.Blake produced a range called Kew Blas, which was an anagram of his name. It was influenced by Quezal glass and has strong defined feathered shapes and colours. the glass is signed Kew Blas.
Collectible Carnival glass: designers and makers
Although the Americans have been the forerunners, Carnival glass was also made in England, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Czechoslovakia, Holland, Mexico, France, Germany, Argentina and Australia.
Fenton Started in1907 by brothers John and Frank Fenton. Fenton produced about 150 different patterns and kept going strong.
Millersburg In 1908 John Fenton went on his own to start the the Millersburg plant, creating beautiful glass, which is much sought after and expensive. His bad business sense forced a take over by Samual Fair, renaming it The Radium Glass company, but he couldn't turn the business around and it closed in 1919.
Imperial Top quality glass was made at the Imperial glass company, equalling Northwood and Fenton and only second to Millersburg. In1929 they also produced depression glass. In 1960 they reproduced many of their old patterns.
Northwood Harry Northwood, a genius in his time, started the company in1896. His famous custard glass was produced in this period. In 1908 he entered the field of Iridized glass. Much of his pieces were marked.
Other American companies were: The Cambridge Glass company, the Diamond Glass company, the Jenkins Glass company, Westmoreland, Fostoria, Heisey, McKee-Jeannette company and the U.S. glass company.
Be aware of marked pieces, as some are made to look like the real deal, but slight variations can be spotted.
Collectible Enamelled, painted and stained glass: designers and makers.
Marcel Goupy Designed for George Rouard and most were created by August Heiligenstein. He was also a designer, but not allowed to sign his work.. Figural and floral patterns in the Art Deco style on clear glass. Most pieces are signed M. Goupy in enamel.
Legras & Cie Auguste-Jean-Francois Legras created enamelled, acid etched and cut glass in the Art Nouveau style. In the 20s Art Deco acid etched intaglio design took off and the production of vases and lamps with hand painted landscapes. Most glass is signed Legras.
Daum Freres They specialized in decoration inspired by the countryside. Their intercalaire decoration, whereby the painting is covered by another layer of glass and also the use of frosted and etched backgrounds, gave the items a special dept. Often gilding was used to highlight the the designs. Most pieces were signed Daum Nancy.
German and Bohemian enamelling started in the mid16th century . First using the transparent enamels on Biedermeier vessels, it became frequently used in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods. Moser, J & L.Lobmeyer, Meyr's neffe, Theresienthal, Steinschonua, Haida glassworks and members of the Wiener Werkstatte used it in their ranges.Otto Prutscher and Fritz Heckert were well known designers from that time.
Reversed painted lamps
As electricity started to spread in the late 19th century The American glassmakers started to produce lamps using the reversed painting technique. Philip Julius Handel leading the trend used a wide range of designs, from landscapes to birds, flowers and Egyptian inspired patterns. The use of differently textured surfaces of the shades diffused the light. Miller and Jefferson, the Phoenix Glassworks and the Pairpoint Corporation also jumped on the bandwagon.
Stained glass lamps
Louis Comfort Tiffany Tiffany's stained glass lamps first came out in 1890 and stopped when the company closed in the1930s. The range had about 5000 colours and the designs varied from the geometrical to the floral. Duffner & Kimberly, Handel and Pairpoint followed soon with their own ranges.
Tiffany, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Alphonso Mucha also designed stained glass panels, which became part of design in many buildings.
Collectible Engraved and cut glass: designers and makers
Wheel engraving was revived in the 16th century and flourished in Bohemia, using intaglio (deep cut) and relief (high cut) designs in hard brilliant potash glass, and in Britain in the soft brilliant lead glass.
Diamond point and stippled engraving were developed for the Dutch Facon de Venice glass and Venetian Cristallo glass. With diamond point engraving the design is made using lots of small shallow scratches, while stipple engraving is made up from lots of small dots.
Val Saint-Lambert One of the leading glassmakers in cut crystal started in the early 1900s in Belgium. Initially they collaborated with members of the Belgium Art Nouveau movement, like Victor Horta. Later they specialized in deeply cut designs from Henry van de Velde, instead of the more fluid Art Nouveau style, which prepared them well for the Art Deco period. Main designers of that time were Leon Ledru and Joseph Simon who designed dramatic intaglio designs in clear glass. In between the wars the main designer was Charles Graffart, master engraver also creating abstract, deep cut designs.
Stuart
Thomas Webb
Webb corbet
Royal Brierley
John Walsh Walsh
Whitefriars
Stevens and Williams
H.G. Richardson
William Wilson
Stourbridge
Bohemian
Haida
Zwiesel
Otto Prutscher
Bruno Mauder
Orrefors
Kosta boda
Steuben
Holmgaard
Riihimaki
Flygfors
Collectible Art Glass care.
Most glass can be cleaned just with soapy water. Use a soft sponge or a bottle brush. For wine stains you can use bleach, and also vinegar can be used to remove some water staining and general build up of dirt. If the clouding or staining can't be removed this way then it needs to be cleaned by a specialist.
On enamelled glass you should not use bleach or a detergent as the paint can be damaged this way. Any abrasive cleaners can leave fine scratches on the surface. Don't put your Antique or Art glass in the dishwasher as the phosphates in the detergents can cause clouding in lead glass and in soda glass it could leave spots and rings.
Never use very hot water as it can weaken the glass if it cools to quickly (thermal shock). Rinse well and use a soft cloth to dry thoroughly. Vases, bottles, jugs and decanters can be left up side down in a warm atmosphere. Do take care to support the glass while standing in this way. If it is very hard to get the inside dried properly, I always use a long silk scarf or several tied together and a thin stick to get all the moisture out.
Store your glass in a dry place and leave enough space between items to avoid damage. If you display your items in a cabinet, make sure you use low voltage halogen lights, so not to raise the glass temperature as it makes it more prone to breakage.
Always have your glass restored by a good restorer, don't try this yourself. It is a specialist job and you would like the piece to keep its value if possible. Some times it is better to leave it alone all together if it isn't too obvious and on very old glass it is acceptable for most collectors.
Some reference books on collectible antique and art glass:
Collecting Glass The facts at your fingertips - Miller's
Collector's Guide 20th- Century Glass - Judith miller
Standard Encyclopedia of Carnival Glass - Bill Edwards and mike Carwile
Venini Cateloque Raisonne 1921-1986
Italian Glass Murano Milan 1930-1970 - Helmut Ricke and Eva Schmitt
Dino Martens Muranese Glass designer - Marc Heiremans
Murano Glass Themes and Variations 1910-1970 - Marc Heiremans
Art Glass Nouveaau - Ray & Lee Grover
The Art of Rene Lalique - Patricia Bayer & Mark Waller
The Colours of Murano in the XIX Century - Aldo Bova, Rossella Junck, Puccio Migliaccio
Murano a History of Glass - Gianfranco Toso
The Observer's Book of Glass - Mary & Geoffrey Payton
Popular collectables Glass - Muriel M. Miller
The Arthur Negus Guide to British Glass - John Brooks
The country life library of Antiques - Decanters and Glasses - Therle Hughes
Glass Art nouveau and Art Deco - Christi's Collectors Guide - Albrecht Bangert
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