The concept of ‘art glass’ was conceived in the mid-19th century during the aesthetic movement and was founded on the idea of ‘art for art’s sake’, challenging previous beliefs that appearance followed function. During this period, cameo and art glass techniques were refined and perfected by acclaimed glass artists, achieving great prominence particularly in France and England.
The centre of the English cameo glass industry was the town of Stourbridge in the West Midlands. Among the artists working there, Thomas Webb & Sons stood out for their exceptional cameo glass creations. By the late 19th century, the company had expanded its repertoire to include decorative glass types such as Burmese, alexandrite, cameo, and satin glass. Cameo glass became extremely fashionable, and the demand taxed even the resources of the prominent company. Every available engraver was hired to work overtime and on Saturdays, and the team expanded until it included about 70 engravers. Some pieces used two layers of etched glass to create a three-colour effect, which remains the more desirable cameo from the factory. By 1889, Thomas Webb & Sons had patented their process, and later that year received a prestigious award for their exquisite coloured glass at the Paris Exposition.
In France, Lorraine is the area synonymous with glass. French glass making traditions can be dated to a special edict issued by the Duke of Anjou in the 15th century to allow four glassmaking workshops in Lorraine. By the 16th century, the region was acquiring a reputation for artistry and skill both locally and abroad, with requests to send workmen to England to teach their skills.
The Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 led to an influx of artists, industrialists, and patrons into Nancy, the capital of Lorraine, as they fled the German-occupied regions. This migration contributed to the founding of the ‘Ecole de Nancy’ in 1901, also known as the ‘Alliance Provinciale des Industries d’Art.’ The school aimed to organise exhibitions and workshops, promote reforms in artistic education, and adapt arts to industrial production methods. Its manifesto stressed that utility should be a primary consideration and that designs should draw inspiration from Lorraine’s natural flora. Key figures in this movement included Émile Gallé and the Daum brothers, who were instrumental in shaping the Art Nouveau movement, particularly in glass.
The Daum family were known for their adventurous approach to glassmaking, combining techniques such as acid etching with carving, enamelling, and engraving to create innovative pieces. Another notable technique was ‘martelé,’ or hammered glass, which involved creating a textured finish by cutting small pieces of glass to resemble a beaten surface.
Although techniques and glass types vary between the English and French, and from artist to artist, by the late 19th century the decoration of art glass was predominately predictable as botanical studies typical of the Art Nouveau movement. Naturalism was the main influence, the main characteristics being floriate ornamentation with sinuous lines.
Within our forthcoming November Decorative Arts auction, we feature a small private collection of art glass collected over 40 years, which includes examples by notable makers from England and France.
19th century. Sold for $14,640
Highlights from the collection include a three-colour Thomas Webb cameo glass stem vase with flowering design carved and overlaid in translucent red and opaque white on a yellow glass ground, a Burgun & Schverer cameo glass vase by Désiré Christian, acid-etched, wheel-chiselled and gilded with a design of purple wisteria against a marbled blue and brown glass ground with martelé areas, the rim with a silver mount cast with fruiting vine, Schneider (Le Verre Francais) cameo glass vases in designs of stylised snails (escargots), stylised primrose flowers and foliage (primerolles) and stylised bell flowers and foliage (digitales), and lastly examples of Frères Daum glass in various shapes and techniques; a slender opalescent cameo glass vase, acid-etched, cut and gilded with a Plane tree design on matt-etched ground, and the ‘Arnica’ pattern vase, etched and enameled, decorated with flowering arnica on cased colourless glass ground with white, yellow, green, and pink powder inclusions.
Chiara Curcio, Head of Decorative Arts, Design & Interiors
Top Image: Examples of cameo and art glass from a private collection to be offered in our forthcoming Decorative Arts auction on 25 November 2024
October 2024