The term “Murano glass”, widely used to describe the colourful, intricate pieces that flow out of Italy into the eager hands of collectors even today, does not refer to a specific glass manufacturer; instead, this label is born of location. The Murano islands, a small cluster of land masses that dot the turquoise waters of […]
Murano Glass Blowing Continue Reading »
Coloured glass ornaments are created using a variety of metal oxides. For those with ‘boffin leanings’ here are some of the metals that are used to create colourful art glass. Cadmium Sulfide Cadmium sulfide is used in the making of coloured glass to turn the glass into a beautiful shade of yellow. Gold Chloride Gold
Metals Used To Create Coloured Glass Ornaments Continue Reading »
Glass is a bit of a conundrum… It is made with sand, yet is opaque It is strong and durable yet smashes easily It behaves like a solid but is actually a liquid. Glass is made from liquid sand and will always remain an extremely thick liquid. That is why antique window panes are
How is Glass made? Continue Reading »
The Modern Masterpieces of Sarah Hall: Art Glass For the Planet There is no doubt that Sarah Hall’s work holds its own against the best of Canadian art glass; from the shimmering, twisting blues of her panels at B.C.’s Regent College, to the vivid golden-umber autumn scene placed outside York University in Toronto, to the
Canadian Art Glass Artist: Sarah Hall Continue Reading »
The historic glass factories located on the Italian island of Murano (which has been a centre of glass-making since the Middle Ages) represent one of the last thriving bastions of Old World art glass, having survived both the ravages of World War 2 and the recent global recession. Brands like De Biasi, Gabbiani, Venini,
Italian Art Glass: Recognising and Appreciating the Authentic Continue Reading »
During a prior retrospective on the life and art of Canadian glass sculptor James Houston published here at Boha, the subject of Steuben glass naturally arose; namely, that the firm, once reputed to produce the clearest crystal on Earth, had closed its doors—presumably forever—in 2011. However, what appeared to be yet another sad end to
Steuben Glass – A Phoenix Rising? Continue Reading »
Bauhaus was an artistic movement that embraced design in many of its multifarious forms. Although today closely associated with architecture, it was an attempt to connect all forms of art and design through the social fusion of art with life. The movement was founded by German architect Walter Gropius in 1919 in Weimar with the
Bauhaus: An Everlasting Design Legacy Continue Reading »
A few decades before the world-renowned Steuben glassworks closed its doors forever in 2011, it was dominating the world of glass art sculpture thanks to its impossibly clear, intricately detailed pieces depicting life in the far northern reaches of Canada. These glass art sculptures—which at their zenith commanded prices of nearly $20,000 U.S. dollars—were not
From Fire to Ice: James Houston’s Mesmerising Glass Art Sculptures Continue Reading »
While we have previously discussed the safety and basic history of that most enticingly eerie of fin de siecle and early 20th century glass varieties—Uranium or “Vaseline” glass—in our piece Uranium Glass: Haunting Green Beauty, there is much more that remains to be said about this unique and controversial form of art glass. The science
Coloured Glass: The Mysterious Glow of Vaseline Glass Continue Reading »
When studying antique art glass, it’s easy to get caught up in the grandiosity of it all—towering stained glass windows shattering the sun into a thousand colours, tall vases which swirl with galactic patterns, and great bowls and platters adorned with intricate scenes and figures that hold all the grace of the classical age. There
Antique Art Glass: Bohemian Buttons Continue Reading »