Thursday 21 August – Sunday 26 October 2003
This stunning exhibition will celebrate the extraordinary diversity
of 19th-century British glass. The fascinating story of its evolution
and achievements will be told through a dazzling succession of outstanding
examples. Elaborate and sumptuous Regency cut glass tablewares from
the turn of the century will include the Perrin Geddes & Co
service made for the Prince of Wales. The multitude of new manufacturing
and decorative techniques pioneered by glassmakers from Stourbridge,
London and the North East will all be represented, from the dizzy
heights exemplified by the rediscovery of the ancient Roman art
of cameo engraving, which spawned a new luxury industry, to the
introduction of mould-pressed glass for the masses, with its multiplicity
of shapes, colours and commemoratives. Intricate wheel-engraving
and deep intaglio cutting brought clear glass back into fashion
in the latter part of the century, as typified by the Copeland Vase.
The loan of this vase from the Victoria and Albert Museum is especially
exciting, since Sir Richard Wallace acquired it at the Vienna Universal
Exhibition of 1873. This exhibition, curated by The Glass Circle,
will also provide a rare opportunity to see many pieces which are
being lent by its members.
The exhibition has been
scheduled to coincide with the 16th annual congress of the International
Association for the History of Glass, which will be held in London from 8 to
13 September 2003. Further details about the congress and the International
Association for the History of Glass can be found on
www.historyofglass.org.uk and www.aihv.org.
The Glass Circle is curating this exhibition. Their website can be found at: home.freeuk.com/glasscircle/
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