At our last member Zoom meeting Jenny Monroe walked through an overview of Frederick Carder and Steuben Glass.  One of the topics was the process Carder used to create his pieces of cire perdue (French for “lost wax”).  This discussion brought to mind some information that Tom Dimitroff had previously shared with our organization, including some notes he had gathered with the help of the Rakow Library when he was doing research for his book.  Among the notes were some of Carder’s sketches which may have been for cire perdue models and a handwritten recipe for the mold preparation and wax.

A copy of the handwritten note is included below, and here is our best translation of what it says.  (If you believe any of the words have been misinterpreted, please let us know!)

Here we see a Carder sketch demonstrating his skill as an artist and his precision in translating the image to a model.  As stated in Dimitroff’s book Frederick Carder and Steuben Glass, “Carder’s earliest and continuing interests in art and design focused upon sculptured and three-dimensional effects.”  According to historian Paul Hollister, “Carder was a talented draftsman, sculpting in terracotta and marble relief, and carving intricate neo-classic designs in plaster.”

Carder learned many things from John Northwood including how to cast bronze by the cire perdue process. After being released from his duties at Steuben, Carder, now in his Corning Glass Works office “studio”, begins a new quest, perfecting the use of cire perdue casting for glass.  Below is Mercury, a cire perdue sculpture from the 1940’s, which represents a figure similar to Carder’s sketches.

The Frederick Carder handwritten note and sketches are credited to The Corning Museum of Glass, The Rakow Library, Corning, New York.

• Jaremos — March 12, 2025.  Features a range of Carder Steuben items including several fan vases, decorated Aurene pieces, and other items.
• Doyle Auctioneers on March 12, 2025 has a scarce engraved “Swan Bowl” designed by Peter Aldridge and Jane Osborn-Smith in 1985.

• Sotheby’s New York — March 13, 2025.  The last items from the Jay and Micki Doros Collection include rare Carder era pieces such as Intarsia, Tyrian, Red Aurene, and Rouge Flambe.