Indistinguishable from English, Irish and continental patterns, and little wonder, for most of the cutters In Manheim, Pennsylvania, and it was there in about 1771 that the first cut glass was produced in America.įor the next sixty years the "Early Period" of American cut glass, our wares were virtually William Stiegel, an immigrant from Cologne, Germany, founded the American Flint Glass Manufactory In 1608, no glass is known to have been cut in the New World until at least 160 years later. Early Cut Glass in AmericaĪlthough glass making was the first industry to be established in America at Jamestown, Virginia
Apparently the art did not spread to theīritish Isles until the early part of the eighteenth century. Ever so slowly glass cutting moved to Constantinople, thence to Venice,Īnd by the end of the sixteenth century, to Prague. indicate that the Romans, Assyrians and Babylonians all had mastered the art ofĭecoration by cutting. Artifacts dating to the sixthĬentury B.C. Cutting may be combined with other decorative techniques,īut "cut glass" usually refers to a glass object that has been decorated entirely by cutting.Ĭut glass can be traced to 1,500 B.C in Egypt, where vessels of varying sizes were decoratedīy cuts made by what is believed to have been metal drills. Cuts are made in an otherwise completely smooth surface of the glass byĪrtisans holding and moving the piece against various sized metal or stone wheels, to produceĪ predetermined pleasing pattern. "Cut glass" is glass that has been decorated entirely by hand by use Let's limit our attention to "cut glass", which Learn to admire and appreciate the end product. Let's single out only one decorative technique, explore its demands and scope, and perhaps In the hands of an artist, it becomes a medium that permitsĪn almost limitless variety of techniques in the quest for a finished object of great beauty. It can be molded or blown, cut,Įngraved, enameled or painted. It can be made opaque or transparent,Ĭlear or colored, brittle or soft, durable or fragile.
Glass used decoratively can take many forms. Variety of ways that glass serves everyday needs. Oneĭoesn't have to look beyond the confines of his own household to realize the vast Luxury items prized by the pharaohs, glass has evolved into highly sophisticatedįunctional uses deeply imbedded in the fabric of our twentieth century civilization. Served humankind for more than 3,500 years - ever since some long-forgotten MiddleĮastern artisan stumbled upon a way to control its manufacture. Glass, that remarkable substance born of sand, alkali and fire, has fascinated and
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