STEUBEN GLASS

 

STEUBEN GLASS
Unexpected Color: A Journey Through Glass

Opening on April 28, 2019
NEWARK MUSEUM EXHIBITION

Gold Aurene vase with applied prunts and threading, c.1913, Steuben Glass Works, Corning, New York. The Thomas N. Armstrong III Collection, Gift of the Thomas N. Armstrong Family, 2018  2018.20.67.
PORTRAIT: Thomas N. Armstrong III

The exhibitions showcases more than 130 works in glass 
designed by Frederick Carder for the famed Steuben Glass Works
from 1903 to 1933 and used in a variety of settings by the collector

    The exhibition presents a jewel box of shimmering glass, organized by Carder’s colors that he created and patented. Carder was fascinated with ancient glass colors and forms, and he worked to recreate the iridescent colors of excavated ancient Greek and Roman glass. He also designed new shapes inspired by Chinese and Venetian glass as well as shapes influenced by Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles, modern at the time.

THE IRIDESCENT

Gold Aurene vase with pulled handles, “Aurene 2766,” c.1910, Steuben Glass Works, Corning, New York. The Thomas N. Armstrong III Collection, Gift of the Thomas N. Armstrong Family, 2018  2018.20.74.

 

Gold Aurene vase with pulled feather decoration, “Aurene 649,” c.1907, Steuben Glass Works, Corning, New York. The Thomas N. Armstrong III Collection, Gift of the Thomas N. Armstrong Family, 2018  2018.20.64.

 

Blue Aurene vase with three applied handles, “Steuben,” 1905-1933, Steuben Glass Works or Steuben Division, Corning Glass Works, Corning, New York. The Thomas N. Armstrong III Collection, Gift of the Thomas N. Armstrong Family, 2018 2018.20.40.

 

AURENE GROUP. Gold Aurene dimpled vase, 1905, Steuben Glass Works, Corning, New York. The Thomas N. Armstrong III Collection, Gift of the Thomas N. Armstrong Family, 2018  TR72.2017.25. 
Gold Aurene Jack-in-the-pulpit vase, “Aurene 130,” 1904-1905, Steuben Glass Works, Corning, New York. The Thomas N. Armstrong III Collection, Gift of the Thomas N. Armstrong Family, 2018  2018.20.66. 
Gold Aurene vase with pulled feather decoration, “Aurene 649,” c.1907, Steuben Glass Works, Corning, New York, The Thomas N. Armstrong III Collection, Gift of the Thomas N. Armstrong Family, 2018  2018.20.64.

THE CHINESE INSPIRATION

Plum Jade double acid-etched in “Chang” pattern, 1924-1933, Steuben Glass Works, Corning Division, Corning, New York. The Thomas N. Armstrong III Collection, Gift of the Thomas N. Armstrong Family, 2018 2018.20.60A.

BLUE GROUP #2. Crystal compote with Celeste Blue rims and applied Mat-su-no-ke decoration, 1920s, Steuben Division, Corning Glass Works, Corning, New York. The Thomas N. Armstrong III Collection, Gift of the Thomas N. Armstrong Family, 2018 2018.20.21.
Pair of Celeste Blue candlesticks, 1920s-1933, Steuben Division, Corning Glass Works, Corning, New York. Lent by The Thomas N. Armstrong III Family TR81.2017.2A.
Light Blue Jade and Flint White centerbowl, 1924-1929, Steuben Division, Corning Glass Works, Corning, New York. The Thomas N. Armstrong III Collection, Gift of the Thomas N. Armstrong Family, 2018  2018.20.19.
Light Blue Jade vase with Flint White inner casing, 1924-1929, Chinese inspiration design, Steuben Division, Corning Glass Works, Corning, New York. The Thomas N. Armstrong III Collection, Gift of the Thomas N. Armstrong Family, 2018  2018.20.53.

ORANGE CINTRA GROUP:  Orange Cintra compote, c.1915, Steuben Glass Works, Corning, New York. Lent by The Thomas N. Armstrong III Family TR81.2017.8. 
Orange Cintra Plate with applied blue rim, c.1915, Steuben Glass Works, Corning, New York. Lent by The Thomas N. Armstrong III Family TR81.2017.6A. 
Orange Cintra Vase with applied blue rim, c.1915, Steuben Glass Works, Corning, New York. Lent by The Thomas N. Armstrong III Family TR81.2017.7.

THE ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN INFLUENCE

Amethyst Silverina with mica flecks and air traps, 1927-1931, Steuben Division, Corning Glass Works, Corning, New York. The Thomas N. Armstrong III Collection, Gift of the Thomas N. Armstrong Family, 2018.  2018.20.65.

Green Cluthra vase, Late 1920s-1933, Steuben Division, Corning Glass Works, Corning, New York. The Thomas N. Armstrong III Collection, Gift of the Thomas N. Armstrong Family, 2018 2018.20.52.

Amethyst Cluthra vase with Opal “M” handles, 1920-1933, Steuben Division, Corning Glass Works, Corning, New York. The Thomas N. Armstrong III Collection, Gift of the Thomas N. Armstrong Family, 2018  TR72.2017.37.

Rose to White Cluthra vase, Late 1920s-1933, Steuben Division, Corning Glass Works, Corning, New York. The Thomas N. Armstrong III Collection, Gift of the Thomas N. Armstrong Family, 2018 TR72.2017.41.

Mirror Black centerbowl and underplate with green applied decoration, Late 1920s-1933, Steuben Division, Corning Glass Works, Corning, New York. The Thomas N. Armstrong III Collection, Gift of the Thomas N. Armstrong Family, 2018 2018.20.60A.

Frederick Carder, the artist

Frederick Carder (September 18, 1863, Staffordshire, England – December 10, 1963, Corning, New York) was an artist, designer and glass maker, who worked in the glass industry in both England and the United States. He was known for his remarkable achievements in experimenting with form and color in glass creations.
Carder’s creations can be found in major museums and in important private collections such as that of Thomas N. Armstrong III, “Unexpected Color: A Journey Through Glass,” which is presented in the exhibition.

Carder’s legacy. Carder kept detailed notebooks of his color formulas and glass types, revealing the glassblowing chemistry and techniques used to create the variety of functional and decorative glassware in the exhibition, including vases, bowls, candlesticks and stemware.
    The exhibition will include interactive tablets to connect Carder’s formulas and shapes with the colors and forms on display.
    Audio recordings of Carder interviews will also heighten the story of the experimentation behind the  creation of this colorful glass.

 

The Collector: Thomas N. Armstrong III

       Armstrong was a prominent figure in the museum world, in particular as Director of The Whitney Museum of American Art, Armstrong died in 2011 at the age of 78. This year, his widow Whitney donated his glass collection to the Newark Museum, just 10 miles from Summit, where he grew up.
    The collection includes approximately 190 glass bowls, vases, platters, compotes, candlesticks, plates, stemware, lamps, and ornamental objects as well as archival materials, representing the range of Carder’s experimental vision and Armstrong’s connoisseurship and love of this glass.

    “Tom had a great eye … He was especially passionate about Carder Steuben glass, those pieces with distinctive colors and naturalistic forms,” said Stephen Milne, the Carder expert who helped build the Armstrong collection, and who is the Guest Curator and Exhibition Design Advisor for the exhibition. “Tom enjoyed placing these to maximum effect alongside his art collection in his NYC apartment and Fishers Island home. It was in that country home that Tom’s artistic talents were fully realized. Here Tom Armstrong melded his love of art, architecture, and landscape together seamlessly into his singular vision.”

 

Statement
Amy Simon Hopwood,
Museum’s Associate Curator of Decorative Arts

“Carder’s work for Steuben is particularly appropriate for Newark’s collection,”
“It combines experimentation, historic influences, and modern design in ways that reflect early 20th-century America. Carder’s glass designs for Steuben used handcraft techniques on a large production scale, so that Steuben Glass Works could offer their customers a consistent product that was both handmade and beautiful. Carder’s approach to glass echoed the design and collection ideals of John Cotton Dana, the visionary founder of the Newark Museum.”

NEWARK MUSEUM
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https://www.newarkmuseum.org/