Carnival Glass, A Unique American Art Form
In the early part of the twentieth century a number of glass makers in the United States began making carnival glass, prominent among them, Fenton Art Glass Company. These collectors gems were hand made, and, even commanded high prices when first introduced. While there have been many reproductions made over the years, vintage pieces are still treasured and bring very high prices at auction. There's a very interesting piece of Americana history here that is well worth reading.
Vintage Fenton Carnival Glass
Carnival Glass has become a popular collectors item in recent years. Contemporary pieces are readily available at cheap prices. However, the vintage Carnival Glass is really what is popular with collectors. To give you some additional information on this American art form, I will discuss the history, manufacture, and values of this beautiful glassware.
Carnival Glass History
Early in the 20th century, Tiffany & Co. and the Steuben Glass Co. produced a hand-blown iridized glass that was very popular with their wealthy clientele. These items, were hand made and commanded extremely high prices. In 1907, the Fenton Art Glass Company began mass-production of a high-quality and low-cost iridized glass, similar to the items crafted by Tiffany and Steuben. The Fenton iridized glass which was available in numerous colors, including a unique red. Fenton was not the only manufacturer of iridized glass, but it was the largest producing the colorful glass in over 150 patterns.
With entry into Great Depression, iridized glass lost its popularity. The inventory of this glassware was subsequently deeply discounted and commonly given away in supermarket and cereal promotions. In addition, the glassware was given away in carnival games, hence, the subsequent name Carnival Glass.
Popularity of iridized glass resurged in the 1950s with dealers and collectors and it was during this period that this glassware gained the name Carnival Glass. Today, the glass is still manufactured by Fenton, and several other companies.
Other Carnival Glass Manufacturers
Fenton, Northwood, Imperial Glass, Westmoreland and Dugan are just a few companies that manufactured carnival glass. Some of these manufacturers stamped their pieces with a distinctive mark. However, most other manufacturers did not mark their goods leaving some vintage pieces impossible to authenticate. Today, because of competition, and high labor costs, few of these manufacturers still remain.
Carnival Glass Values
The vintage Carnival Glass manufactured early in the 20th century is, by far, the most valuable, and sought after pieces. Color and condition play a large role in determining value. Chips, cracks, manufacturing defects and repairs reduce the value. If an item is a rare color like aqua it is of more value than an item in marigold that is common. The Red Carnival Glass manufactured by Fenton is very rare, and popular with collectors. Punch bowl sets, because they consist of multiple items, command high prices if complete with all pieces.
Contemporary Carnival Glass can be acquired at very reasonable prices. Many of these contemporary pieces are reproductions of their vintage counterparts. Because of the low cost, contemporary pieces are more suitable for the wear and tear of everyday use. Traditionally, venues such as antique shops and flea markets have been the primary source for vintage Carnival Glass. Today, take a look at eBay for thousands of listings of both vintage and carnival glass at great prices. Remember, one persons trash is another persons treasure.
It is so ironic that at one point in time Fenton Carnival Glass was so common, it could hardly be given away. Today, some vintage pieces sell for thousands of dollars.
Ross Bassette is an experienced eBay merchant and collector of vintage Carnival Glass. If you enjoyed reading this article, please feel free to visit our website and find some great deals on Fenton Carnival Glass.
Vintage Fenton Carnival Glass
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The Appeal of Hand Blown Artglass
It should be obvious that hand blown artglass can yield an infinite variety of shapes, colors, sizes and so on. Actually, there are a number of types of hand blown pieces, and they are worth considering, since you can come closer to matching your office or home decor needs with something that's been customized for you. This article delves into the hand blown phenomenon in considerable detail and is worth the read.
Hand Blown Art Glass
Elegant and "look at me" glass blowing
These types of art glass are indeed very popular home decor items and include glass pumpkins, bowls, goblets, vases, garden adornments, ring holders, perfume bottles, paperweights and glass paintings. They come in a huge range in terms of colors and design. You can also get custom installations in order to match the ambiance and space requirements of your room.
Types of hand blown art glass:
Painting in Glass: Hand blown glass paintings are marvelous pieces of art that are full of sophisticated beauty, enrichment of colors, magical brilliance and diligence. Until recently these stylish and classy glass paintings adored only the interiors of the royal and elites families. These hand blown glass paintings are distinguished for their eye-catching clarity, absolute brilliance and use of rich and bold colors and add an extra life to your living room.
Glass Bowls: ou can use your decorative hand blown glass bowls for flowers or just keep them in the room as a decorative accent. The base colors are mostly bright and bold that capture and refract rays of light and create a great ambience. Apart from using these marvelous hand blown art glasses as a pedestal or coffee table piece, you can also use them as wall hangings.
Paperweights: The hand blown paperweights come in rich and bold colors as well as in many shapes and designs. They add eye catching colors to your working desk, study table, window sill of your living room, or anywhere else you like to. You can even personalize these paperweights and give them as gifts.
Glass Pumpkins: The hand blown glass pumpkins make a great gift during Halloweens. They are usually bright orange in color and have a nice ribbed side with curly or twisted jade green stems. The best part of these hand blown glass pumpkins are that they are exclusive and hence no chance of two pumpkin being alike.
Cleaning and maintaining hand blown art glasses:
Keep these hand blown art glasses out of direct sunlight as that can fade their colors over time.
Use small and soft bristled brush while cleaning dust from your hand blown art glasses.
Use warm water and a mild dishwashing detergent along with a soft cloth to wash these delicate art glasses.
A bold and colorful hand blown art glass can change the ambience of your room and adds a sophisticated look.
Tags: art glass lighting, artglass, blown glass lighting, colored glass pendant lighting, glass lighting, Home DecorRelated posts
Tiffany Glass, Marvelous Collectibles
When you think of Tiffany art glass, you might think of words like "beautiful", "exquisite" and "expensive." However, did you know there was a time when Tiffany glass was thrown away. By WWII, many people had thrown away their Tiffany glassware.
Between 1878 and 1933, Louis Comfort Tiffany was so popular that at least one of his vases or glass lampshades appeared in every American home that could afford them. However, tastes change, and what was once a beautiful status symbol became junk. It's ironic that what we now consider marvelous collectibles, and what taught Americans they could by great native-produced art objects, was briefly so out of fashion that it was thrown away.
The high point of Tiffany's career probably occurred in 1883, when he was asked by President Chester Arthur to decorate the White House itself. Tiffany had bronze ceilings, new curtains and carpets, mosaic fireplaces and a hall screen of opalescent glass put in.
Tiffany Lamps
While Tiffany glass is no longer used to decorate the White House, we do understand its value again. One of the most classic and recognizable types of Tiffany glass is his series of lamps. Usually made with naturalistic bronze bases and floral and insect-patterned stained glass, they've caught the imaginations of many. They're highly collectible, and depending on the lamp and its age, can bring a high price, too.
For instance, a single tulip table lamp, with a green and blue shade decorated in red and purple tulips, sold for nearly fifty thousand dollars. A red peony floor lamp sold for sixty-three thousand dollars, and a bronze poppy lamp for twenty thousand. The current market is extremely good for Tiffany lamps, but there are some important criteria for figuring out how much to pay for one, or what price to ask.
The condition of the lamp is important, since each shade is made out of several thousand pieces of glass. The rarity of the lamp and the pattern it's made in will also affect price, and some lamps have better coloration than others. That's an artifact of how they were made - the process of hand making Tiffany glass necessarily produces some pieces that are better.
Tiffany lamp shades have a delightful, warm look when turned on, so most collectors also use their Tiffany glass lamps. They have strong potential to be a good investment, too. Not just rich people can buy Tiffany lamps. For an investment of a few thousand dollars, you could own a basic Tiffany lamp that will only appreciate in value.
Watch Out for Fakes
The important thing to be aware of when collecting Tiffany glass is that there are many reproductions and fakes on the market. Learn all the hallmarks of real Tiffany glass and know that the lamp or other art glass piece you're buying the the real deal. Otherwise, your investment might turn out to be wasted. The good news is that Tiffany produced a lot of glass, so there are still plenty of pieces out there, waiting for the right collector.
Tags: Art Glass, glass, louis comfort tiffany, tiffany art glass, tiffany glass, tiffany glasswareRelated posts
Steuben Glass, Truly American Works of Art
Steuben Glass Works was founded in 1903 in Corning, New York, and was to become one of the most famous American art glass manufacturers, imitated by many others. Experimentation at Steuben produced a large number of interesting colored art glasses, starting with Gold Aurene, a type of iridescent glass similar to that produced by the famous Tiffany glass works.
Gold Aurene was only the first of these magnificent colored glasses, however. It was followed quickly by a large number of other colors and types. Eventually the Steuben Glass Works' range was produced in more than seven thousand different shapes and a hundred and forty colors. From 1903 until WWI, this manufacturer produced amazing glass types.
You can find a large selection of Steuben Glass works of art - Just visit our Steuben Glass Store.
Restrictions during wartime meant that it became hard to acquire materials needed for glass manufacture, resulting in the company being sold to Corning Glass Works, where it became the Steuben Division. However, the company's operation didn't change much, except that Corning attempted to limit articles made by the company only to the most popular lines. However, this was mostly unsuccessful, and production continued as usual until the early 1930s.
Phase Out of Colored Glass
A major management change occurred in 1932. Because of the Great Depression, Steuben glass sales had been limited. The general public was also becoming a lot less interested in colored glass. The management change resulted in the existing Steuben lines being replaced by primarily clear art glass. These lines continue to the present. While colored glass was still being produced to fill special orders, not many new colors were added. The last known colored art glass sale by Steuben was in the early 1940s.
New Glass Formula
In addition to the removal of colored glass from the Steuben production line, the direction forms were taking changed, as well. A new formula of glass that had been developed by Corning was more transparent and had a higher refraction index than just about any other type on the market. It resulted in designs that created a new look. Modernist and Art Deco themes were incorporated into the new pieces, and the transparency and glittering beauty of the new formula were capitalized on.
In the 1950s, a change occurred in the method of making Steuben art glass. Items were no longer cut and engraved, but formed into sculptural shapes. One of a kind decorative items were produced from the 1960s onward, increasing the demand for fine Steuben glass.
One Hundred Years of Operation
Steuben is still producing art glass, and celebrated its hundredth year of operation only a few years ago. It's the premiere manufacturer of art glass in the U.S. In July of 2008, the company was sold by Corning. The buyer was the Schottenstein Stores Corporation. However, production is slated to continue in the old factories, with the same staff. All that's changing is the management. That means that Steuben glass collectors won't have any problem getting their old favorites.
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The Richness of Bohemian Glass
Bohemian glass, also called Bohemian crystal, since the word is the same for both in Czech, is a type of glass made in the regions of Silesia and Bohemia. It's been made there since the thirteenth century - the oldest excavations of glass making sites in Bohemia date to about 1250. They're located in Northern Bohemia, in the Lusatian mountains.
There are a number of notable glassmaking sites, both historical and recent. Bohemia manufactured a lot of outstanding high Baroque glass in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century. Bohemia has also been the home of some glass innovations. It was Caspar Lehmann, Emperor Rudolf II's gem cutter, who invented the technique of engraving glass with bronze and copper wheels, much the same as it had been done on gems.
Abundant natural materials, used to make pristine glass, were discovered in the Renaissance in Bohemia. It's been produced since, and you'll find hand cut glassware for sale everywhere in Bohemia. However, you should be careful to check that the glass you're buying is the real thing. Even in the region where Bohemian glass is produced, imports from China and other locations are sold at inflated prices, and aren't as high quality as real Czech glass.
If you pay attention, however, you'll be able to find real, high quality Bohemian glass, from cut glass goblets and bowls to hand decorated ornaments. Most Bohemian glass is decorated intricately, and may be hand-cut and painted, decorated with rhinestones, wheel engraved or plated with gold. You may see these techniques used alone, or in combination. They're the result of a lot of study and skill, since it takes four years of training merely to become glass painter.
The reason that Bohemia is so famous for its glass is due to the natural resources found there. Early on, glassmakers in Bohemia discovered that using local potash and chalk made a completely clear, colorless product that was a great deal more stable than Italian glass of the time. That's when Bohemian glass first was noticed by the European market. Much of this Bohemian glass was lead free, and could be easily cut with a wheel.
Bohemian crystal has been famous for its amazing quality and the delicacy of its ornamentation. By the mid-19th century, Bohemia had a system of glass making training that attracted foreign glassmakers, and began exporting large quantities of colored glass across the globe.
Most of these pieces were mass produced. Commonly, pairs of vases made in one or two colors of opaque glass and decorated in enameled floral patterns were exported. Some were also decorated with lithographs. People in Europe and America mail ordered these inexpensive art pieces for their homes, adding a little touch of beauty.
Even in the Communist period, glassworking remained high quality. That's because the governments considered this art innocuous. Bohemian traditional glassmaking continues into the present day. The area has one of the most respected glassworking school systems there is, and many pieces are exported to other countries. As with most types of art glass that are still being produced, this means that collectors should pay careful attention to what they're buying.
New pieces can closely resemble old ones. While new Bohemian glass is beautiful and collectible in its own right, antique buyers should know what they're paying for. However, that's just one more reason to learn all you can about this beautiful form of glasswork.
Tags: Art Glass, bohemian crystal, bohemian glass, Crystal, cut glass, czech glass, glass, glassmakers, opaque glass
