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Glass Vases from the 19th Century

Glass vases grew more varied and colorful as the 19th century progressed. The use of natural gas and electricity impacted glassmaking. Electricity, for one thing, sped up the cutter's lathe and made deeper cuts in the glass possible. Many of the new glasswares were inspired by Art Nouveau, a form that was popular during the latter part of the 19th century, and the Arts and Crafts movement. Inspired by these movements, shapes of glassware became more flowing, sinuous, personal and organic. At the same time, glassware also began to be mass produced.

United States
- Starting around 1820, the United States became the main world producer of mold blown glass as they tried to imitate Anglo-Irish cut glass. Pressed glass was first made by Enoch Robinson in 1827 at the New England Glass Company in East Cambridge near Boston and then by Deming Jarves at the Boston &Sandwich Glass company, where the name "Sandwich glass" originated. Pressed glass spread to England and the rest of Europe soon after. America also entered its Brilliant period after 1880, and there are many examples from the period of sparkling, cut-glass vases, tall, straight or stemmed. Tiffany patented his Favrile glass in 1894 and created vases in glowing, metallic jewel-like colors.
England
- A vase of topaz glass made by Thomas Woodall in 1890 has a classical shape, and a classical subject -- a young girl in Grecian looking draperies conferring with a bird -- but has a modern layer of enamel and is engraved. The effect is one of a large cameo. Another pedestalled vase from Sowerby's Ellison Glassworks is made of pressed, violet marbled glass. It was made at the end of the 1870s. Vases and other glasswork like this were pressed into relief molds with plungers and not by blowing.
France
- Art nouveau vases were also being produced in France. Three examples of layered, etched and cut class vases show almost abstract designs of exotic flowers. These vases are from Nancy, France, made around 1890 by Emile Gallé. Another vase, layered, etched, cut and engraved, sports eerie dark red orchids, and is also out from Nancy by Daum Fréres. These layered glass vases were made of two or more layers of different colored glass. The technique was developed mainly in Bohemia then spread throughout Europe.
Bohemia
- The Bohemian glass makers had been famous for their glassware since the 13th century. In the 19th century, they were making vases in jewel-like colors of gold, ruby red, emerald green and sapphire blue. By the end of the century, they were creating completely Art Nouveau style, museum worthy vases, including still molten-looking iridescent pieces from Johann Loetz-Witwe.

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