A potted history of some of the greatest art glass makers from right across the globe. From Roman right up to 21-century artists.
No series on the Ysart family would be complete without a chapter on their contribution to the history of Scottish paperweights. While the Vasart team and Paul Ysart (who by this era was estranged from his father and brothers, having remained at Moncrieff Glassworks) had vastly different outlooks on paperweights, each branch of the Ysart […]
Decorative Glass: Ysart Family Paperweights Continue Reading »
The small but passionate segment of the antique art glass community who become devoted collectors of Monart glass soon run into a perplexing phenomenon: Many of the “lookalikes” that pass for Monart glass are not in fact modern fakes, but are instead the work of the same family responsible for creating the pieces Moncrieff glassworks
Hand Crafted Glass: Ysart’s Vasart Years Continue Reading »
Monart Glass: Designs and Production Techniques The designs used for Monart glass pieces are, by and large, typical of the handmade art glass of the era; what truly sets Monart apart from its contemporaries is its use of colour. Monart glass is, for example, much loved by collectors for the distinctive iridising of the white
Handmade Art Glass: Monart Glass Continue Reading »
Monart glass has, in recent years, finally begun to garner some much-deserved attention on the antique market, with rare pieces fetching as much as £2000 at auction. While this trend reflects an overall growth of interest in, and appreciation for, Scotland’s plentiful contribution to modern glass art, many Scottish glassworks still remain shrouded in great
Modern Glass Art: Ysart’s Monart Years Continue Reading »
Salvador Ysart, patriarch of the famous Ysart clan of Scottish art glass makers, was born Salvador Isart in Barcelona, Spain, on the 30th of January in 1875. While Salvador was the son of a glassmaker (it was actually his mother, not his father, who worked with glass—she was employed in finishing glass pieces), he did
Ysart Glass: The Ysart Family’s Early Years Continue Reading »
Today, glass is ubiquitous; we see it everywhere we go, bottling items at the supermarket, filling window frames, tumbling from careless hands into ditches, and eventually showing up as polished, colourful pebbles that shimmer across our beaches. Prior to the Romans, however, glass was as rare as gold and precious gemstones owing to the limited
Roman Glass: The Art of Glass Blowing in the Roman Empire Continue Reading »
The Art Nouveau and Art Deco Eras After the Napoleonic Wars drew to a close in 1815, Bohemia was once again free to begin a steady ascent towards the pinnacle of glassmaking, and retake the crown that had by then been passed to England. It would take some time before the Bohemian glass artists caught
Czech Art Glass Continue Reading »
The term “Bohemian glass” is one that frequently leads to confusion for those just entering the world of art glass collecting; the word “Bohemian” is, after all, most strongly associated today with the romantic 19th century French movement that championed embracing a state of artistic poverty. Yet, upon delving into the realm of Victorian glassware,
Bohemian Glass: The Enduring Legacy of Czech Art Glass Continue Reading »
The phrase ‘Depression Glass’ is often treated as an umbrella term, a catch-all definition used by collectors somewhat indiscriminately to describe a type of inexpensive glass (either clear or coloured) that was manufactured in large quantities; primarily during the 1920s and early 1930s (though various forms were made over the decades that followed as well).
Depression Glass: Vintage Americana Continue Reading »
Far too many of the great glass houses of yore have been lost to us (or exist now only in a much reduced capacity), with even giants like Waterford Wedgwood stumbling into receivership, owing to the global recession that occurred in the early 2000s. As such, the existence of an enduring success story within the
Dartington Glass: A Cinderella Story Continue Reading »