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What is generally
referred to as "cut glass" is simply a product that results from
grinding blown or molded glass on a wheel to shape its edges and etch
designs upon the surface. The art dates back to at least the fifteenth
century B.C. in ancient Egypt, where both large and small hand-blown
vessels were decorated and finished by being ground upon metal wheels.
The technique is also described in the writings of Pliny during the
Roman Empire, and cut glass flourished in Constantinople during the
twelfth century.
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As in other fine decorative arts, however, the
practice took many years to spread westward. While certain Italian
glassmakers used the technique during the Renaissance, there is no
evidence to suggest that cut glass was produced in England earlier than
the eighteenth century. Most English designs were relatively simple,
employing only straight lines in their patterns, cut from only a few
basic molds. In 1851, the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London
displayed innovative works that demonstrated a growing trend toward
more intricate designs. Many such pieces were exported to the United
States, influencing American glasscutters to a marked degree. It was
from this point forward that American cut glass began demonstrating a
unique style that has continued to mature for many decades.
The story of
American cut glass actually begins in Boston, Massachussets in 1812,
when an Englishman named Thomas Caines began working for Boston Crown
Glass Company, which at the time was engaged primarily in the
manufacture of window glass. Caines taught the owners how to produce a
fine grade of flint glass, which it is believed was used to produce the
first pieces of cut glass ever made in America. Eight years later, he
opened his own flint glass crystal shop, Phoenix Glass Works, directly
across the street from his former employer in South Boston (Suffolk).
The manufactory continued producing cut glass until after 1870,
outliving the South Boston Crown Glass Company, which closed in 1843.
Perhaps inspired by
Caines innovation, three former employees of South Boston Crown Glass
Company attempted their own cut glass manufactory in East Cambridge in
1815. It failed, however, and two years later was sold at an auction.
The purchasers relit the old six-pot furnace the previous owners had
used, and began the New England Glass Company in 1817 with a capital of
only $40,000. By 1878, despite significant growth to include five
furnaces and 500 employees, the original owners retired and leased the
manufactory to William L. Libbey. Nine years later his son moved the
plant to Toledo Ohio, where the famous Libbey Glass Company was born.
Cut glass had a
slightly slower start in New York, first produced by Joseph Stouvenal
in 1837. Throughout the first half of the decade, he would become one
of the largest cut glass manufactures in New York, though his products
were mostly limited to glass domes for oil lamps. It was, not
surprisingly, a Bostoner who established the more influential crystal
dinnerware manufactory in New York during this time. Amory Houghton,
previous owner of Union Glass Works in Somerville, Massachussets,
established the Corning Flint Glass Works in 1868. Due to the
tremendous influence of the pieces produced in this factory, Corning,
New York became an epicenter of cut glass dinnerware in the United
States. It was in this city that J. Hoare & Company, O.F. Egginton
Company, H.P. Sinclaire & Company, Hunt & Sullivan, and T.G. Hawkes &
Company-just to name a few-were established.
By the end of the
nineteenth century, cut glass manufactures in Boston and New York
developed a style that was uniquely American. In 1880, the
introduction of fan-scallops, rosettes, and curved miter cut patterns
provided inspiration for numerous cut glass manufactures attempting to
produce innovative styles. The "Russian" pattern, designed by Phillip
McDonald in 1882 for T.G. Hawkes & Co., represented a radical break
with the European past and marked the beginning of American patterns
that would continue to increase in richness and quality. Even more
revolutionary was John O. Conner's "Parisian" pattern, which in 1886
represented the first pattern in cut glass history to employ curved, as
opposed to straight, lines.
There are numerous
pieces of antique cut glass in the Nacq Partners, Ltd. collection, and
while it has not always been possible to identify the exact
manufacturers, all of them demonstrate the exceptional jewel-like
quality that has made cut glass so cherished in this country. From
decanters to sugar bowls, bottles to pitchers, vases to candleholders,
you are sure to find the treasures you are looking for. |
Bowls
Compotes/Serving Bowls
Shallow Bowls/Pans/Dishes
Glasses/Mugs/Goblets
Pitchers/Jugs
Decanters/Flasks/Bottles
Sugar Bowls & Creamers
Vases/Decorative Pieces