Objects of Fantasy
Glass Inclusions of the Nineteenth Century
by: Dena K. Tarshis
2001, Paperweight Press, Santa Cruz, CA
176 pages, $100. hardcover
flyleaf: “This exhibition and its partnered book represent several years of preparation and research, offering views and scholarly insight into rare examples of glassware, some of which have never been seen outside of private collections.
The fascinating text discusses intriguing and sinuous techniques, such as “Egyptian Trail Decoration to Rubans Torsades” and the luxuriant “Greek Gold Glass to Cameo and Gold Foil Incrustation.” Full-color photographs of some of the most important glass art ever made add to the drama and will pique any reader’s interest in the aesthetics of this “noble art.”
“...(It) is my hope that in this assemblage of extraordinary and often unique objects the viewer can begin to perceive two common threads: each technique represented here is a natural outgrowth of those that came before, and was, more often than not, derived from technical trends in other arts; and each piece, even if produced with methods hundreds or thousands of years old, is very much an expression of its own time and its own culture. Of course, every glass technique developed in the five thousand year history of glass is not represented here, nor is every style within the nineteenth century alone. Nevertheless, the treasures on view, assembled through the generosity of eight private collectors and four museums, offer a context for the further study of glass and a fuller appreciation of the permanent collection of “The Corning Museum of Glass, the pantheon of this art.”
—Dena K. Tarshis
