John Styler asked in last Friday’s Gazette (#3087) how plaques are done.

In part, John, you might find the following at page 106 of Frederick Carder and Steuben Glass by Thomas P. Dimitroff interesting in discussing on the movement from pressed glass plaques and luminors to devising the cire perdue process.

“Glassmakers like Lalique often would cast a piece first to be used as a prototype or marketing example, but the final product would be manufactured through pressed glass techniques. Carder had used pressing to produce plaques and other objects at Steuben, but what he now sought to perfect was glass casting without the use of pressing. Bolstered by Sullivan’s encouragement and his own curiosity, drive and enthusiasm, he soon turned his office…. a working studio complete with facilities for modeling in class, casting plaster of Paris molds and, to the surprise of Corning Glass Works officials, a small homemade electric furnace capable of melting glass. He now launched himself into a new quest, that of perfecting the use of the cire perdue, or lost was, casting process for glass.

“The cire perdue process, as developed by Carder for glass casting is complex.”

A Few More “pressed” Glass Plaques