Museum Pieces

from The Collector’s Encyclopedia of American Art Glass by John A. Shuman III

p. 35

Pate de Verre – Steuben

The technique of forming glass objects from melted powdered glass is known as Pate de Verre. As early as 1500 B.C., the Egyptians made glass resembling minerals and semiprecious stones. In the 1920s and 1930s, Frederick Carder successfully revived this process manufacturing limited figures, heads and panels.

A ceramic mold, after being fired and cooled, was filled with pulverized colored glass of many shades. As the temperature of the furnace was raised, the glass melted and shrank. This necessitated the addion of glass, which was cold; thus many molds cracked, but the new pulverized glass flow would melt into the fissures, giving a marble-like appearance.

Visible imperfections, like fins from the excess glass creeping through the mold cracks, were easily ground, the example was then given a matte finish. Cameo designs, variegated finishes and marbleized pieces were made.

For Carder, these trial and experimental objects aided in developing techniques that would later assist in creating Diatreta, Diatreta, of course, required much more skill and patience to produce a satisfactory example.