Steuben Glass
Incorporated’s signature range of crystal glass animals originated in 1949 with
“The Snail” and grew into an ever-growing managerie in the 1950s.
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| Steuben Glass Snail |
The Steuben glass animals are unusual in that they combine the
flowing, fluid forms of Art Nouveau and the massive, geometric lines of
Art Deco. Neither of these artistic styles was still in vogue by the 1940s,
although At Deco was still influencing some architects.
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| Steuben Glass Trout |
Many Steuben glass animals, such as The Whale, The Trout and
The Lion, make very striking ornaments. Others are just twee. The Owl is a good
example of twee - and we won’t even mention The Koala!
Representation versus
replication
Steuben’s glass animals are part of a long history of glass
artists creating glass models of plants and animals. However, Steuben’s animals
are in the realm of art, not science. Each one interprets its subject in
glass, whereas other glass artists have sought to replicate the original
plant or animal with scientific accuracy.
For example, in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries,
Dresden glass artists Leopold Baschker and his son Rudolph created hundreds of scientifically
accurate glass models (to scale and enlarged) of plants and animals for universities
and museums. (See “[Glass] Art imitating life” on this blog, 29 January 2018)
Similarly, contemporary Venetian glass artist Mauro Vianello
creates meticulous replicas of plants and animals – especially marine life –
for universities, research centres and museums. (See “Glass adds a shimmer to
summer” on this blog, 12 January 2018) Mauro is Artist in Residence at the 2018
Festival of Glass, where he will demonstrate his glass art magic and teach
beginning and advanced glass artists some tricks of his trade.
Steuben Glass – a
short history
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| Steuben Glass Whale |
The company originated as the Steuben Glass Works, founded
in 1903 by Thomas G. Hawkes,
an Irish-American glass engraver, and Frederick Carder, an English glassmaker.
They named the company after its location in Steuben County in the
south-west of New York state. In 1918, the nearby Corning Glass Works (now
Corning Incorporated) bought Steuben. In 1933, Steuben created a formula for crystal that was
stronger than ordinary glass, with a very high refractive index that made it reflect
and refract light better than any other. What followed were Steuben’s ‘golden
years’, which ended in 2008, when Corning sold Steuben to the
Schottenstein Stores Corp. of Columbus, Ohio. In 2011, Schottenstein closed Steuben,
but Corning re-purchased the Steuben brand name; and in 2013, Corning licensed
The Corning Museum of Glass to oversee sales and production of Steuben
glassware.
SOURCES
Plaut, J. S. (1972) Steuben
Glass. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. (3rd revised edn.)
Steuben Glass web site https://www.steuben.com/
Footnote - the
Steuben Lion
The Steuben Lion resembles the lion in the Holden cars current version of the ‘lion and stone’ logo. The logo has evolved significantly from its original, designed for Holden by Rayner Hoff in 1929. It refers to a prehistoric fable, in which observations of lions rolling stones led humans to invent the wheel.
The Steuben Lion resembles the lion in the Holden cars current version of the ‘lion and stone’ logo. The logo has evolved significantly from its original, designed for Holden by Rayner Hoff in 1929. It refers to a prehistoric fable, in which observations of lions rolling stones led humans to invent the wheel.
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| Steuben Lion |
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| Holden's 'lion and stone' logo |
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| Holden's original logo |
Featured Festival of Glass sponsor: Decal Specialists
The Festival of Glass committee is very grateful to Decal Specialists for supporting the 2018 Festival of Glass - in particular, for sponsoring the "Encouragement - Best in Show" Glass Art Award.
The company makes three types of decal: ceramic decals, for
fired glazed finishes; glass decals for transparent or opaque glass surfaces;
and ‘non-fire’ decals for use on any sealed surface (e.g. terracotta,
woodwork).
Contacts:
6/2
Brand Drive, Thomastown, Victoria 3074
Tel.
(1300) 132 771 (03) 9380 7722
The Festival of Glass committee is very grateful to Leura
Park Estate for being a major sponsor of the Festival’s 2018 Treasure Hunt (8
January to 18 February) and for co-hosting “Twilight Flames” (17 February).
Owners David and Lyndsay Sharpe have designed menus to
complement their wines, including stone-based pizzas, seasonal grazing platters
(ideal for groups), steak sandwiches and salt & pepper calamari served with
a Greek salad. Also on offer is exclusively roasted coffee and an extensive
range of teas.
Visitors to Leura Park Estate can relax on the sun drenched
alfresco area or on the lawn under market umbrellas, while an open fire beckons
on cooler days.
The Estate staff can assist people planning a private
function, a party, or a special occasion such as a wedding or work function. For
informal occasions, the Estate offers its ‘fabulous, fun, finger food
functions’.
Contacts
1400 Portarlington Rd., Curlewis Vic. 3222
(03) 5253 3180 http://leuraparkestate.com.au/
Open: 10.30am – 5.00pm Sunday to Thursday and all public
holidays; open daily in January. Live music on Sundays. Bookings recommended.
Thanks to the City of Greater Geelong and the Bendigo Bank,
our Awards sponsors, our Treasure Hunt sponsors and other local ‘in kind’
supporters.
Get the latest Festival news
Web site: www.festivalofglass.net.au
Blog (you’re here!): http://festivalofglass.blogspot.com
Volunteering at the Festival
Our Friends of the
Festival online newsletter gives the latest Festival news, with special
emphasis on opportunities to volunteer to help. To become a Friend of the Festival, please send an
e-mail to: festivalofglassdrysdale@gmail.com
Put “Festival Friends” in the subject bar and put your name
and address in the body of the e-mail. Thanks - we look forward to welcoming
you!
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