Tuesday, September 18, 2012

In recent discussions about cut and engraved glass we showed the following vase c. 1910, which was identified as “Skeleton-Molded”. See, for example Ill. 140 at p. 91 of Gardner’s The Glass of Frederick Carder.

Cut & Engraved glass expert, Mike Manginella of San Diego explains what a “Skeleton Molded” vase is. Incidentally, last year Mike gave a fascinating presentation at the Carder Steuben Club Symposium on engraving glass.

Alan,

The Skeleton Mold was something started under Carder at Stevens and Williams. It is basically a wired mold or mold with openings in it that when the glass was blown into it the glass protruded from the mold or other glass forming the ovals. The rest of the item was decorated in various means as desired.

Carder brought this to Steuben just like the rest of his knowledge. It was quite the hit when introduced. It replaced the “rock crystal” way of blowing a very thick piece and then removing a large amount of the glass (time and $) just to end up with these round areas, which was the start of art nouveau in glass.

Mike

Similar wise, in Charles R. Hajdamach’s essay section on the English years of Frederick Carder in the Dimitroff book, Frederick Carder and Steuben Glass, the author, at page 34, says: “Carder was using the skeleton mold process to create a shallower version of rock crystal glass that became known as ‘Polished Bright.’”

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