• L\'( I •
No. 2S Marc.h 1 c, 4
JI D£ LA CREME”
E~graved Glass in Britain Today
This super~ exhibition, mount£
year or two he married, the cera mies factory with all its facilities were brou 11ht
O\’er from Saint Cl:e m ent and his father put him in charge of the business aff~s~
His nrtistic flair, bncked by what for the time was a formidable technology. took
France and the world by storm at the Paris foternational Exhibition in 1878 when he
took an entire pavillioi1 for his exhibits and was awarded four gold medals.
Over the next ten years he established himself as a (the!) supreme ·master in every
aspect of the art.. Hydrofluoric acid, originally d esp:i.sed in favour of enamel ·.:as
progressively exploited in the search for new effects on coloured glass, rather than
the previously preferred colourless glass, with
all sorts of intercaJ.2.ted
decorations.
In the 1889 exhibition he was awnrded a Grand Prix and a gold medal
to add to an·
ever growing &1: of a.,,,ards and he was created an office:- of the French
Legion of Honour. But,
it must be remembered, th.is triurn ph was built on at lem:·.t
fifteen years apprenticeship of an already talented young man. His craftsmen, who
brought
his ideas into being, were themselves supreme and demanding nasters, ond hy
1889 his total workforce numbered. around 300. He died in 1904 of 1.eukae mi.a but the
last fifteen years of his life saw some of his greatest work and universal
recognition
in a continuous strea: m of com missions from the highest ranks of public
life. His death left a void in artistic glass making which, by the nature of its
creation,
is never likely to be filled a gain.
The
glass of Galle has attracted many admirers but it does suffer from the
deficiency that such com pl.ex creat:i.ons are equally demanding in their appreciation.
Dull lighting and unimagin;Stive presentation can make a second glance no more
rewarding than the first! A piece needs .to be held in the hand and explored …,ith a
diversity . of
illumination – a priv:ilage available to fe”• But-one such is Tom
Beuchner, president of the
Corning Museum of Glass and Chairman of Stuben Glass.
Aided by Bill Warm.us, curator of 20th century glass at the Corrring H useu rr. • he has
sought worldwide for 3-9 outstanding pieces spanning the scope and artistry of Gaile’s
productions. These will be displayed at the Corning Museum under near ideal
conditinns with ea<:h piece on a rotating stand -with both transmitted and reflected
light
offering opportunities for appreciation by the glass lover unlikely to occur
again for many years to come. "Emile Galle - Dreams into Glass" will run from April
28 through October 21, 1984.
Tom
Beuchner was in London in February and the Glass Circle was privilaged to enjoy
Ids first hand account of the collection backed by a slide show that took one. right
inside the
glas9 itself to understand the heart and soul of Gaile's creations.
MEETltfGS REPORTS
.,,
CORNIHG'S 1984 EXHIBmON OF EMILE GALLE By Tom Beuchner
The speaker said he would d:iscuss Galle not as a symbolist, manufacturer or
naturalist but as an
artist. In his search to capture the full expression of
Gall~•s art he and Bill Warmus had tracked down and f.tudied more than 140 pieces from
which 40 were finally chosen. The lecture was
vere II plain rims to the trumpets· ( wavy ,tj’P.S came l.t:Jter, in •the 1870s), close-t·w:i.sted
“rope supports and the restrained use of prunts – possibly coloured. The firm:
multiple han&ing l>~eu,. were_
register~4L by, 8ayl.Qr; • & .. Co. in 1866 and “‘·ere
1nanufactured by R:ichardso11$. The use of .a, mu:ror base for fl.over stands came later.
ii’,1 •• •
:At ihe !862 Extilbit:i.on the dealers turned out: in force·= . while the manufacturers
were haJ1D:J’ .re~esented. Jam·es Powell of Whitefriars : as there but only to promote
atained ~ Of the dealeT’s John Millar .of -~dinbuigh .. is,,: noteworthy fo~ the
introducttoW ot eleaantl:r enpivea patterns incorp·orating (etns ··and the hum an figure.
In 187 ; rid:hig the scope for engraVlllg, ·ve.· fn:st. encouhter the thinly-blown,
ta11 deeaat.er with- oval body and ball stopper .. ‘oc:curing: ·alongside the hea,tier
.. -,c-aoa:iiaa decent•~ that continued in f~:v~ur· :·_for cutting. Most of the best
_. tbi 115~1810 period are thought to ha–:e b~rt London based but by 1875
•·-1~ of aldlled engravers _in the mullands _shifted the centre of initiative
e an,$ at the Pans Extiibition the manufacturers were once again the main
_ ……. Webb took the premier award with th~ rock crystal. Green &
the only tht-1.er present. • • I ••
The period represents a rewarding area for the collector Rin~e the ~ent
features of the v~ permit easy recognition and fairly accurate doting. F unhc,r
atudY could relete decorative design to part:k.ular dealers and enhanc~ our
uaderstancUng of -thcfr ~ontribution to glass history when the industry was seeking to
• rt :tt,se1f followina emancipation from the hated Excise act.The meeting was held M’
• the Museum of London th~ugb the courtesy of Miss Wendy Evans; the hostS were c ~:
Coppen-Ctu”dncr, ~rs J. ~arsh:ill nnd Mr and ~!rs Sbck. D • • •
From “CLASS IN MURN 1l0” to “ST’JDIO CLASS SI CE 1945” in Bri~~
The Murano exhibition was bri flv t,ctd a .. the Italian Trade Centre, Piccadilly
in support of the “Geni\J.5 of Venice”” exhibition running concurrently at th
e 0Y· 1
Academy. It proved beyond doubt that, while the excellence of the latter may re 5t
in the past, that of the Muranese glassblowers.is firmly established in the prcsenc.
Nevertheless. the tradjtions and skills reflect ~;heir ancestry. The snake- 5lcmmo2d
glasses or dra,.,.,u tlutcs supported on tiers of delicate hollow wrythcn knops emb~ll
ished with extravaganzas of pincer-work would have drawn nods of approval from th e·r
forefathers,
for oni’y the quality of Lhe metp.l – .an up-dated version of the _oda
based crystal invented by Angelo· Barovier in ca. 1450 -indicated their contempor ry
origins. A