Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Michael Krumme recounts his shade story:

Hi all,

I read the posts regarding the “Quezal or Steuben?” shade with interest, and realized that if I saw an unsigned shade, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the various manufacturers’ shades, either — at least not without undertaking further study.

But seeing this question reminded me of one of my own, on the same subject.

Though I grew up here in Southern California, and have lived in Los Angeles proper for 30 years now, it was only about 15 years ago that I had occasion to dine at one of the oldest continuously operating restaurants in Los Angeles: Musso & Frank Grill, in the Hollywood district, “Since 1919.” There is a lot of interesting history to this place, and their martinis are both legendary AND of the classic recipe (i.e., not simply vodka shaken or stirred with ice.) It’s both an experience, and an indulgence, as everything is served a la carte. Steaks, baked potatoes, creamed spinach, and a martini for two will probably set you back $200. But you will relish the food, the ambiance, and the experience!

Okay, so I digressed there for a minute with background information. Back on track:

So when I went in, the first thing that I noticed (naturally) were the original art glass shades on many of the wall fixtures. I was immediately intrigued, and REALLY wanted to know “whose” they were. Well, I wasn’t about to get kicked out of the place for climbing up on the banquette and LOOKING, so my curiosity has yet to be satisfied. But I’m curious as to whether any local (or visiting) Steuben or art glass enthusiasts can tell us who made them by engaging in general ground-level observation, without resorting to anything impolite. My recollection is that they are white, gold, and green in color.

For the curious, here are a couple of links. Unfortunately, in all of the photographs where the shades I’m talking about appear, they are not close up enough to see any detail at all.

www.mussoandfrank.com

www.mussoandfrankgrill.com/

I hope that this story will inspire some intrepid Carder Steuben Club member (with deep pockets) to visit the restaurant and solve the mystery.

Michael Krumme, Los Angeles

——————————————————————————————–

Next shade commentary comes from Tommy Dreiling of Brooklyn

HI – I’ve been looking at Steuben for 32 years now and I have to say that for me the hardest pieces to identify are still the shades. Basically I stay away from them unless they are a shape or decoration unique to Steuben. – Tommy Dreiling

www.cardersteubenclub.org

2012 Carder Steuben Club annual Symposium will be held at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY from September 20-22, 2012.

Any opinions expressed by participants to the Gazelle Gazette e-mail newsletters are the opinions of the authors and are not endorsed by or the opinions of the Carder Steuben Club.©