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Home , Cameo glass, Glassblowing, Hardstone carving, Studio glass

During the 19th century, casting, and - . Chinese its cut geometric patterns, chinoiserie patterns on glass making enjoy a long history opaque white glass from this which were reminiscent endured, and enjoyed a and are noteworthy for their period resembles porcelain of English and American resurgence of popularity widespread influence. By and also shows the tradition “cut .” Japanese during the contrast, the East-Asian of decorating vessels with manufacturers also explored of the 1810s to 1830s. tradition of glassmaking, enamel colors presenting the possibilities of pressed Increased cultural exchange which dates back at least landscapes, flora, and glass, and imitated their own also led Europeans to collect to the Warring States fauna adopted from scroll cutting by pressing more curiosities such as vessels Period (475–227 BC), was . economically produced and carved from , rock less inventive and more thinly executed domestic crystal, bamboo, and ivory. dependent on Western Carved pieces of glass objects with floral and Consequently, glasshouses, techniques and styles. incorporated the highly patterns. such as Baccarat (founded developed Eastern traditions in 1764), Escalier de In the 18th and 19th of stone and lacquer carving, Technological exchange Cristal (founded in 1802), centuries, East-Asian glass as as the translucent and stylistic influences and Thomas Webb and imitated indigenous stone- and multicolored overlay continued into the 20th Sons (founded in 1837), carvings and porcelain, but techniques used in Europe. century, with ongoing and designers, including began to use European glass, for instance, led global influences in glass François-Eugène Rousseau and cutting in the East to an array of and the emergence (1827–1890), emulated, in methods. European finely executed objects using of an international scene color and form, the carved Christian missionaries the deeply colored and yet of glass artists who skillfully naturalia imported from brought to Asia glassmaking translucent material and employed traditional East Asia. formulas and skills that employing the meticulous techniques and newly revolutionized the local cutting, grinding, and interpreted historic Following ’s political practices in carving methods long traditions. opening to the Western China. One such missionary practiced on stone. world during the Meiji(?) and scientist, Kilian Stumpf, Members-only tours will period (1853–1867), a organized a glassworks in Influenced by imported take place Saturday, Western Japonisme style Beijing in the 1680s. Western brilliant November 20, at 10:00 a.m. introduced elegant and , Japanese and 11:00 a.m. The tours ornamentation that was Glass produced during glasshouses adopted will be provided by less playful and more the Qing dynasty in China Western practices during curator Florian Knothe. sober than the theatrical (1644–1911) and Edo dynasty the second half of the RSVP at 607.974.8442 or chinoiserie . in Japan (1603–1868) shows 19th century. High-quality [email protected]. unique characteristics tableware from the Satsuma West Influences East reminiscent of the cultural Clan factory, for example, In East Asia, the of influence the Western gained a reputation for its carving, bronze Jesuits had on East Asian high-content and

Bowl with cover, Francesco Vezzi, Sakazuki cup set, made by Satsuma Hyalith beaker, glassworks of the Tray, made by Harrach Glasshouse, , Italy, 1720 – 1724. Clan Factory, Shuseikan Kyushu, Count of Buquoy, southern Bohemia, Neuwelt, Bohemia, 1780 – 1790. Japan, about 1857. Gift of the Asahi about 1825 – 1840. Bequest of Glass Company. Jerome Strauss.

The Gather | Fall 2010/Winter 2011 4

Thomas S. Buechner with and Museum staff in the office area between 1956 and Thomas S. Buechner examining Islamic mosque others in Germany, 1977. 1960. Thomas S. Buechner is shown on the phone. lamps, between 1956 and 1960.

of glass around the world. He was Glass 59 grew out of Buechner’s Another highlight of his second tenure so cheerful and engaging, people involvement with major designers was working with architect Gunnar loved him, and that went a long way associated with glass factories Birkerts to design the expansion in establishing the Museum in a milieu worldwide. Although designers far of the Museum, which opened in that could have been skeptical. Tom outnumbered individual artists, the 1980. Dwight Lanmon, who was then convinced [collectors and experts] exhibit included a history-making deputy director of collections, and of the integrity of what the Museum cast-glass by the then- later director of the Museum, recalls wanted to be.” He played a formative unknown Czech artists Stanislav the intellectual intensity with which role in making it “a serious intellectual Libenský and Jaroslava Zahradnikova Buechner planned how visitors would enterprise.” (nee Brychtová). The slide submitted encounter and react to objects in by Libenský was small and poor, the Museum. “He was all about When Buechner was hired in but the jury wanted to have people and making glass interesting. December 1950, Steuben had already Czechoslovakia represented. When He wanted to lead people into a given the Museum its collection the piece arrived, Buechner thought discovery.” of English glass. Buechner then that Head I resembled a soldier’s shin embarked on making the collection guard. Only when it was on display, Corning-area painter Marty Poole has encyclopedic. In his 2006 oral history, with light shining through it, did the similar recollections about Buechner’s he recalled how he would visit outlines of a head emerge. Buechner focus on people and how they see curators at the Metropolitan, saying, was “awestruck.” . “He was a rarity among artists, “I have this new job. I am going to be gregarious, an organizer. He loved to directing this glass museum. They all By the time he championed New create opportunities for artists to meet thought this was hysterical because Glass 79, during his second stint as other artists, to help people used to here I was, a kid from the Display head of the Museum, “the tables had working alone work as a group and to Department.” Although individual turned,” says Whitehouse. “Individual focus their thinking about . He curators would not provide the names artists were designing and making the held classes in his studio, organized of the dealers they used, they were objects, and glass was recognized as Sunday morning painting sessions, happy to tell their former colleague an artistic medium.” During his career, and painted with friends. He was about the sources used by other Buechner befriended and encouraged good at helping us understand how curators. He traveled internationally, many postwar Czech artists, a young an image gets into a viewer’s head. acquiring objects and gaining entry , and other pioneers of Buechner created an umbrella under to the then-small community of the Movement. He is which we all could grow.” scholars, dealers, and collectors of widely acknowledged as a protagonist American, European, Islamic, ancient, of the movement in America. He also Sixty years later, the Museum that and even Chinese glass, whom he started the annual publication, New Buechner helped establish is the enlisted as advisors and donors to the Glass Review, to heighten awareness premier glass museum in the world. glass collection and to the Museum’s and appreciation of contemporary The core collection of 1951 has grown notable Library. glass. to more than 45,000 objects, spanning 35 centuries of glassmaking. The Two particularly momentous events A pivotal moment in his second Library he helped create houses one during Buechner’s first tenure as tenure as head of the Museum came of the world’s most comprehensive director of the Museum occurred in late in June 1972, when Hurricane collections on the art and history of 1959. One was the juried exhibition, Agnes unleashed a flood that nearly glass. Also, the scientific research on Glass 59, which provided a view into submerged the Museum, overturning ancient and historic glass, publications the state of contemporary design and display cases and destroying a third read around the world, the Museum’s foreshadowed a seismic shift about to of the Museum’s Library. “Without support of contemporary artists, and occur in the world of glassmaking: a consulting with anyone, Buechner its embrace of the community—all move from mainly factory-produced announced that the Museum would tenets of his leadership—not only glass to objects designed and made reopen in one month,” recalls Perrot. continue but flourish. by individual artists. The second “That took vision and determination event that year was the introduction that few would have had.” The of the Journal of Glass Studies, which Museum reopened on schedule remains both an outlet and stimulus August 1. for research on glass, with impact around the world.

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Meet the Rakow Commission Artist: Luke Jerram Photos provided by Wellcome Images. by Wellcome Photos provided

Luke Jerram describes himself as a Jerram’s approach to art-making is grants and awards in the U.K. for his “color-blind installation artist, who multidisciplinary, and he uses whatever wide-ranging projects. In addition to fuses his artistic sculptural practice materials are most appropriate to his independent studio practice, he with scientific and perceptual studies.” realize his ideas. His projects, which is currently a research fellow at the He creates , installations, have garnered much media exposure, University of Southampton. soundscapes, and projects range from placing upright pianos in that investigate how the mind works, outdoor locations in cities around the You can learn more about Jerram at particularly in connection with world for the public to make music his website, www.lukejerram.com. perception and reality. His work is (“Play Me, I’m Yours”), to studying the inspired by his research in the fields of effect of sound on dreams (“Dream Jerram will provide a Members-only biology, acoustic science, music, sleep Director”), to the creation of a wind Meet the Artist lecture on Friday, research, ecology, and neuroscience. pavilion (“Aeolus”). October 15, at 5:00 p.m. The lecture (which will be a remote broadcast) For the Rakow Commission, Jerram For his project “Glass Microbiology,” will be followed by a reception and will create a pair of flameworked Jerram worked with the virologist unveiling of his commission. Both and blown glass sculptures from his Andrew Davidson to research the the reception and lecture are free “Glass Microbiology” series, in which physical structures of viruses, taking to Members. RSVP: 607.974.8442 or he explores the tension between the inspiration from high-resolution [email protected]. beauty of his sculptures, the deadly electron microscopic images and viruses that they represent, and scientific models. With the help of the global impact caused by these scientific glassblowers Kim George, diseases. Unlike the falsely colored Brian Jones, and Norman Veitch, microbes—such as bacteria, protists, Jerram created scientifically accurate and viruses—that are commonly depictions of notorious viruses and illustrated in journals and newspapers, bacteria such as HIV, E. coli, SARS, Jerram’s sculptures are colorless smallpox, and recently, H1N1. and transparent, like the microbes themselves. Jerram earned his B.A. from the University of Wales Institute (School “Scientists and artists start by asking of Art and Design) in Cardiff, U.K., similar questions about the natural in 1997 and he has participated in world,” Jerram says. “They just end up numerous international exhibitions with completely different answers.” since then. He has received important

13 The Gather | Fall 2010/Winter 2011 Robin Lehman: Meet the Filmmaker

Calling himself Several such “happy accidents” his glass videos has been carefully “a creature of resulted in his Oscar-winning selected with the input of his wife, happy and joyful documentaries, Don’t (about Marie Rolf, graduate dean at the accidents,” Monarch butterflies in Manhattan) Eastman School of Music. Oscar- and and The End of the Game (wild Emmy-Award- game in Africa), as well as his first Lehman started making glass himself winning encounter with a red-hot, oozing about six years ago, crediting The independent material, while on a trip to observe Studio’s warm welcome both to documentary gorillas in The Congo. Learning that inexperienced visitors and established filmmaker Robin there was a live volcano nearby, he artists. “Bill [Gudenrath] has worked Photo provided by Robin Lehman. Photo provided Lehman started and a volcanologist spent a week with me tirelessly over the past few visiting The Studio 10 years ago filming the interior. years, and together we have without realizing where the experience shared many wonderful hot glass might lead. His fascination with “hot stuff,” he experiences, not the least of which says, was fueled by observing an open is a new video about him at work.” He came with his two children, then lava bed that erupted on cue every six and eight, at the invitation of hour. It was surrounded by “amazing, Making videos about glass has William Gudenrath, resident adviser orange, glowing fissures. You don’t significantly influenced his own at The Studio, and Amy Schwartz, have to have a lot of imagination to work with glass, he says. He feels The Studio’s director. As Gudenrath think of hell,” he recalls. privileged to have videoed such helped the children work with glass, glass masters as Pino Signoretto, Lehman captured the experience with Lehman started life as a painter, , Mark Matthews, his video camera. “When I saw how studied musical composition for many and Vittorio Costantini as they incredibly visual the hot glass was, I years, and found a way to combine worked and taught at The Studio. was hooked,” he says. the two with an accidental entry His latest work with Gudenrath has into motion pictures. He made four further expanded his understanding Soon after his first visit he started underwater films, honing his ability to of the material. “Glass glows, it making videos for The Studio: the be in the right place at the right time moves, it gets solid, it breaks. It’s Glass Masters at Work series. With in visually challenging conditions. His like nothing else on earth.” the encouragement of Gudenrath, films range in subject matter from one of the top Venetian-style African wildlife, to theatre, to “what’s “Perhaps the most exciting thing glassmakers in the world, Lehman good about growing old,” as well as about hot glass is that it’s a never- began flameworking and casting Dogs, shown on TBS, which won him ending learning experience! I can’t glass himself. an Emmy. wait to see what it will teach me tomorrow!” Unassuming about his accomp- Most of his documentaries have no lishments, Lehman insists that all voiceover, but are enhanced by music Lehman’s next DVD, Glass Masters at his documentaries have “made and sounds. The absence of dialogue Work: William Gudenrath, will be available themselves.” All that he will admit is, allows the documentaries to be for sale in the GlassMarket this December. “You have to be there, camera ready, shown all over the world—no at the right place and the right time.” translation necessary. The music in

The Gather | Fall 2010/Winter 2011 14

condiment container is a type accomplished glassblower. It is which is rare, but the butter very similar to a now in The dish, as far as we know, is Metropolitan Museum of Art, unique. which is also attributed to the New England Glass Company. A M E R I C A N G L A S S Vase Purchased with funds from the New England Glass Company Gladys M. and Harry A. Snyder Jane Shadel Spillman This wonderful vase is Memorial Trust. Curator of American Glass attributed to the New England Glass Company of Cambridge, MA, and was Photo by Robert Barker. made around 1845. The vase is blown of colorless lead glass polished was one and decorated with applied of his specialties. Although threading of opaque white the Museum has an excellent glass. The threading and extra collection of Dorflinger’s cut gather of glass around the glass, until now, we did not lower part of the vase are very have an example of their rock skillfully done and it is clear that crystal engraved ware. this was made by an extremely

Canoe Condiment and Butter Dishes T H E R A K O W This pair of belong Vase on the dining room table in R E S E A R C H L I B R A R Y C. Dorflinger & Sons an upper class home in the This vase was made by C. 1880s. These two fascinating Nive Chatterjee Dorflinger & Sons of White pieces are a butter dish and a Processing Archivist

Mills, PA, around 1900 – 1907. It condiment dish of blown glass, Photo by Michael Smith. is a large cased vase engraved with engraved decoration and The Library has received Tait’s daughter, Barrie with flowers in rock crystal silver mountings that make seven embroidered blouses Tait Collins, explains that style. C. Dorflinger & Sons them look like canoes. The as the most recent addition her mother would wear was a glasshouse that was engraving on the glass and to the Katharine Lamb Tait the blouses during family started by Christian Dorflinger silver mimics birch bark, while archive donated by her four gatherings and that it gave in Brooklyn, NY, and moved the bow of each has children. Tait acquired the her “pleasure to wear to White Mills in 1864. Their two crossed silver feathers. blouses, mostly of central beautiful things…created pieces were marked only with a The condiment dish could European origin, between by another kind of woman label, which on this vase have been used for pickles, 1920 and the 1950s. artist.” She says that most of has been removed. However, olives, or any number of foods. the blouses were loving gifts The blouses provide a new we are certain of the attribution The second canoe has a silver from her father to her mother perspective on Tait, reflecting because the Dorflinger drainer in the center and was and adds, “I am glad that the her style and worldly outlook. company presented a nearly made to hold butter. The archive includes all aspects Tait (1895–1981) designed identical vase cased in red to housekeeper would retrieve of my mother’s life including windows the Philadelphia Museum of the butter from the ice water in being an artist.” Art in 1903. The engraving which it was stored and place and for, and was on both is attributed to it on the drainer so that the head designer of J. & R. Tait’s archive contains Englishman Walter Graham, water would drip off into the Lamb Studios, the oldest , records of who was Dorflinger’s finest canoe. The butter dish comes continuously operating her commissions, and engraver from 1897 until with a silver butter , made American stained glass studio photographs. The work of 1913. The rock crystal style of in the shape of a paddle. The (founded in 1857, by her Lamb Studios may be found grandfather in New York City). throughout the country, as well as in Japan and She studied at the Art England. Tait was a prolific, Students League and the inspirational artist. Before her National Academy of Design retirement in 1979, at age 83, in New York City. In 1921, she had designed more than her first visit to the great 1,000 commissions. cathedrals of Europe was decisive in her choice to specialize in stained glass. She described light coming through glass as jewel-like, always different, a harmony of colors: reds and yellows more brilliant at midday, blues more prominent in the waning light.

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Donor + Member Events

1 2 Photos by Michael Smith. 3 4 5

6 7 8

Meet the Artist: Jirˇí Harcuba and April Surgent Medieval Glass Exhibition Preview June 24, 2010 May 14, 2010 1) Members Lisa Francesca Rogerson and Phil Rogerson 5) Members Faith and Michael Tarby with Janet and Walter Jones 2) Members Pavel Kopriva Jr., Paul Kopriva, and Judy Warwick 6) Member Robert Cooper gets his exhibition catalog signed by David Whitehouse, executive director and exhibition curator. Meet the Artist: 7) Members Greg and Margie Zack February 25, 2010 8) Members Stephen Gottlieb and Kathrine Branning 3) Members Kevin and Dawn Able 4) Member Martha Custer and Dave Schissel

The Gather | Fall 2010/Winter 2011 18 Corning Museum of Glass One Museum Way Corning, NY 14830 www.cmog.org 1.800.732.6845

Address Service Requested

The Corning Museum of Glass is located An adult Day Pass to the Museum is in the Finger Lakes region of New York $14.00. Kids and Teens (19 and under) State. The Museum is open daily from are admitted free. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and until 8:00 p.m. all summer long (Memorial Day weekend Museum Members always receive through Labor Day). complimentary admission.

FAVORITE THINGS

Bonnie Wright Gallery Educator stone cameos like those I studied in graduate school. (The Roman Gemma Augustea and the Hellenistic Tazza One of my favorite Farnese are must-see—or must- pieces in the Museum Google!—examples of how stones is The Morgan Cup, may be used in -making.) After a cup once owned by watching a cameo-maker at work near J. Pierpont Morgan. Pompeii, I gained the utmost respect The Morgan Cup is for those who have mastered this a piece of Roman technique. dated to the first half What also amazes me about The Photo by of the 1st century A.D. Morgan Cup is its rarity. In any Roman Michael Smith. excavation, you can unearth glass I have several reasons for loving this shards. However, you will hardly ever little cup. First of all is the clever find any intact Roman cameo glass The Morgan Cup, technique used to make the cup. cups! There are only a handful of (probably Italy), 1st century. Cameo glass is made by first blowing complete or restored early Roman a bubble of one color of glass, then cameo objects known. casing that bubble with one or more layers of other colors. In this case, I also adore this cup because it the colors are opaque white over makes me realize the great fortune I translucent deep blue. After cooling, have to work at this Museum. While Cover image: Chinese-style cameo vase, the cup was carved, ground, and completing graduate studies, I Thomas Webb and Sons, Amblecote, polished to show a scene in . The always knew that was England, about 1890. scene depicts a woman who has ridden something that I loved, though I was a donkey to a shrine where she prays miles away from any collection of The photographs in this issue of The Gather for fertility, and makes offerings. classical artifacts. Now that I work at are by The Corning Museum of Glass department unless The Corning Museum of Glass, I am otherwise noted. The earliest glass cameo pieces like able to stroll amid objects like those this one were made in imitation of that I studied, every day.