CIRE PERDUE
By Robert Mueller

Mr. Carder’s established his lasting legacy for his glass artistry by the design of Intarsia glass in the late 1920s, a glass blowing feat not duplicated to this day. Then starting at about age 71, in 1932, he embarked on his studio period and proceeded with the development, and then perhaps over a period of 20 years, the refinement of casting art glass by The Lost Wax or cire perdue method. This, to me is his crowning glory and perhaps the most lasting and memorable legacy Mr. Carder left to the artistic glass world, for the glass artists of today widely continue to employ the techniques Mr. Carder developed.

While other glass makers began working with The Lost Wax method in glass before Mr. Carder, he would refine the method to produce glass with fewer flaws and more sophistication. His method also allowed the use of a mold formed to size and measurement.

Mr. Carder used several different styles in producing his pieces of cire perdue. Shown in the link are some examples of his different styles I identified at The Rakow Library of the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning , New York some years ago.

My favorite pieces are those with a matted surface. Many pieces were of animals, such as geese, herons, cougars, eagles and panthers. I see great muscle tone and action in Mr. Carder’s animals. Most appear on the hunt for their family. Mr. Carder also frequently used human figures and forms. Mr. Carder used the technique of a center crystal piece of glass with cire perdue handles applied to crystal glass. These pieces appeared to be designed as a centerpiece for a decoration piece.

Mr. Carder also made special personal pieces for his own purposes. One of these was the bust of Caleb Carder, his father. As you look at this piece you’ll notice a very bold and firm appearance. This piece shows Mr. Carder’s skill as a sculpture of the human form.

Also, another special piece Mr. Carder made was for the Brierley Hill Rotary Club titled “Triton and his Horses”. Shown in the link above.

To think that Mr. Carder only began his development of cire perdue in his early 70s; what would have been had he started this at a much younger age?

Robert Mueller
Osseo , MN
March 12, 2010