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Definitions of: satin glass - slag glass - spangled glass - spatter glass - Steuben glass
GLOSSARY OF GLASS TERMS
Sa - Ste
A - B Ca - Cz D - E F - L M - Op Ov - Pe Pi - Pz Q - R Str - Z
The purpose of this guide is to help buyers understand terms
commonly used by E-Bay sellers to describe old American glass (1850-1930).
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Many thanks to all the E-Bayers who
have contributed photos to this glossary!
A Victorian satin glass vase
photo courtesy of suziescorner
Northwood's Inverted Fan & Feather pattern
on a pink slag glass sauce bowl, circa 1889-1901;
and a detail photo showing marbled streaks in green slag.
left photo courtesy of horsewoman141
Slag Glass: a category of glass. "Slag glass" is defined by An Illustrated Dictionary of Glass as “a type of glass that is streaky like marble.” The streaks in slag glass are caused by the inclusion of waste slag, such as silicate skimmed off molten steel, in the material mixed together during the formation of glass. Slag glassware is at least several centuries old: according to The Corning Museum of Glass, “glass decorated with streaks of two or more colors, resembling marble” and known as calcedonio was made in
A cobalt spangled or mica glass pitcher
made by Hobbs, Brockunier, circa 1880's
with a detail of the vase's surface.
photo by *treasurehunter*
Spangled glass: this term refers to a glass-making technique. "Spangled glass," also known as "mica glass," is defined by An Illustrated Dictionary of Glass as "A type of art glass with an overlay of glass of variously tinted colors, covering an inner layer of clear glass embedded with flakes of mica." Spangled glass was developed by William Leighton, Jr. at Hobbs, Brockunier in 1883. An example of a Hobbs, Brockunier mica glass pitcher is shown above.
Close-up of a spatter glass vase, circa 1890's
photo courtesy of millcovetreasures
Spatter glass: this term refers to a glass-making technique. Shuman's Encyclopedia of American Art Glass defines spatter glass as "a spotted or multicolored glass usually having a white inner casing and a clear outer casing, often in a mold blown pattern." Spatter glass looks as if it has been spotted or splashed with colored glass. According to glassencylopedia.com, spatter glass is "hand-blown glass which had been rolled over a hot marver (usually a heated steel or iron plate) to pick up small chips of crushed glass or powdered glass on the outside of the molten gather of glass. The glass is rolled smooth and shaped by blowing (often by blowing into a mold to shape the final piece). Sometimes another layer of translucent glass is added to coat the layer of colored spatters." This is an old technique, first used in classic Rome. During the Victorian Era, spatter glass achieved great popularity in Bohemia. Spatter ware known as "Nailsea" was made in Great Britain from 1788-1873, and spatter glass appeared in Victorian America in the 1880's. According to the Glass Encyclopedia, the name "Spatterglass" was patented by J.S. Irwin of Salsburg, Pennsylvania in 1893. In the 1890's, Spatter glassware was produced by a number of American companies, among them Hobbs, Brockunier; Dugan; Jefferson; and Northwood. According to William Heacock's Harry Northwood, The Early Years 1881-1900, (pp. 30, 36-37, 58-72), Northwood issued spatter ware of exceptional quality in such patterns as Leaf Mold, Leaf Umbrella, Parian Swirl, Ribbed Pillar and Royal Ivy. Such spatter ware often featured combinations of white/red and of red/yellow over cased clear and opalescent white glass. Spatter glass is also called "splashed glass," "mottled overlay glass" and "end-of-day glass".
Staining: see "ruby-stained glass" in this glossary.
Examples of Steuben Glass: Gold Aurene candlesticks,
a blue Aurene salt dip, and a Rosaline vase with Alabaster glass foot.
photos by *treasurehunter*
Steuben glass. Frederick Carder (1863-1963) was a British glass designer, first employed from 1881 to 1903 by the English glass company Stevens & Williams. In 1903, Carder, together with Thomas Hawkes, founded the Steuben Glass Works in the town of Corning, located in Steuben County, New York. From 1904 to 1933, Carder pioneered the development of glass-iridizing techniques that rivaled Louis Tiffany's. According to Judith Miller's Twentieth Century Glass (pp. 184-185), from 1904 to 1933, Steuben's major output was Aurene, a thick iridescent glass patented in 1904, often compared to Tiffany's Favrile ware and sometimes decorated in Art Nouveau style, with peacock-feather designs, intertwining lines and floral motifs. Steuben developed Aurene glass in a variety of colors, including gold, blue, red, opaline, brown and green. Examples of blue and gold Aurene are shown above. In 1905, Steuben produced a clear glass with a silvery iridescence known as Verre Soie; and in the 1920's, a new iridescent glass called Ivrene. Through 1933, under Carder's direction, Steuben developed many other kinds of innovative glassware, among them varieties of mica glass known as Moss Agate, Silverina and Cintra; cameo glass; glassware imitative of white marble called Alabaster glass; a pink glass called Rosaline, often used as a casing for Alabaster glass; and unevenly shaped bowls christened Grotesque glass. Steuben also first popularized the term "ruby glass" in America. (See "ruby glass" in this glossary.) In 1918, Steuben Glass Works was purchased by Corning Glass, where Frederick Carder continued to be employed as head of the Steuben Division until 1932. He thereafter worked as the Artistic Design Director of Corning Glass until his retirement in 1959. According to An Illustrated Dictionary of Glass, after 1932, Steuben Glass reinvented its image and began producing crystal exclusively. Characterized by imaginative design and skilled engraved decoration, Steuben's crystal proved to be of exceptional quality and garnered the company international recognition. Among crystal pieces produced in the thirties was the famous 1935 Gazelle Bowl, which features a circlet of engraved gazelles, and which is currently part of the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Reproductions and Forgeries. Buyers should be aware that a lot of glass sold as "Steuben glass" is unfortunately not Steuben glass; pieces bearing forged Steuben signatures and imitations of the Steuben fleur-de-lis maker's mark are quite common. According to Mark Chervenka's Guide to Fakes & Reproductions (2007), Aurene glass reproductions sometimes can be recognized by any of the following; (1) rough, pitted or wavy surfaces, instead of the smooth surface that characterizes originals; (2) inconsistent iridescence, or a lack iridescence on the base; (3) internal flaws in the glass visible when pieces are held up to the light; and (4) rough pontils, while originals have polished pontils. (See "pontil" in this glossary). Chervenka also shows forged Steuben signatures and fleur-de-lis marks in his guide. Recommended Resources: Steuben Glass is still in operation in Corning, New York and maintains a website at steuben.com, where buyers and sellers may send inquiries and arrange for paid appraisals to determine the authenticity and value of Steuben pieces. Steuben's famous Gazelle Bowl is also viewable at that site. If you are interested in learning more about Steuben glass and Frederick Carder, we recommend the website of the Frederick Carder Steuben Gallery of the Corning Museum of Glass (cmog.org/index.asp?pageId=527). By far the best written text on Steuben and Carder is the stupendous and comprehensive work, The Glass of Frederick Carder, written by Paul V. Gardner, a curator of the Smithsonian Museum and a former assistant and close friend of Carder's. Please Note: Listings advertised in the right-hand margin of this glossary under the heading "Items from E-Bay Sellers" are posted automatically by E-Bay, are not part of this glossary, and are not necessarily endorsed by us; such listings may or may not offer genuine Steuben glass.
Click here to continue on to Str - Z.
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Many thanks to E-Bayers horsewoman141, millcovetreasures, suziescorner, and *treasurehunter* for generously contributing their expertise and photographs to this page of the glossary. Rights to all photos belong to the photographers, and pictures should not be used without their permission. Text is (c) 2007 curculiosglass, all rights reserved. To locate any E-Bay seller mentioned here, just click on "Site Map" at the bottom of your E-Bay screen, and then click on "Feedback Forum" at the right top corner of the large menu that pops up. Type or copy the seller's name into the Feedback Forum's search blank.
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