Our thoughts are with Lisa Ackerman Baldwin, and husband Dan, of Orange, California on the loss of LIsa’s beloved mother, Bonnie Ackerman

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Collection Includes Modern Steuben and Carder Steuben

Sidney Waugh

Covered Bowl

DESIGNER

Sidney Waugh (American, 1904,1963)

MANUFACTURER

Steuben Glass Works (American, 1903,2011)

TITLES

Covered Bowl

DATE

1957

PLACE

Corning, New York, United States

MEDIUM

Glass

DIMENSIONS

14 1/4 × 7 3/4 in. (36.2 × 19.7 cm)

CREDIT LINE

The Rienzi Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III

CURRENT LOCATION

Rienzi
Docent Classroom

When the team of Arthur A. Houghton, Jr., John M. Gates, and Sidney Waugh (with Houghton as captain, Gates as tastemaker, and Waugh as Designer) changed Steuben’s direction in 1933, it was not the modern movement as typified by the Bauhaus that it espouse. It leaned toward (but did not swallow whole) Art Deco as it had declared itself at the Exposition des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels in Paris in 1925. There were elements of “machine art” and streamlining in Art Deco’s geometrical shapes, and traces of Art Nouveau in its free spirit and its use of flowing figures and floral ornaments. As a style, it was disdainfully called “modernistic” by the functionalists; they thought it impure, adulterated. But the public liked it because it was up-to-date but not aseptic.

p. 26-27, Steuben Glass an American Tradition in Crystal by Mary Jean Madigan.

Steuben Glass Works

Vase

MANUFACTURER

Attributed to Steuben Glass Works (American, 1903,2011)

TITLES

Vase

DATE

c. 1920

PLACE

Corning, New York, United States

MEDIUM

Calcite and Aurene glass

DIMENSIONS

6 1/4 × 5 3/16 (diameter) in.

CREDIT LINE

Gift of Bill and Leta Schoen

Not On View

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON

https://www.mfah.org

As one of her research interests, Gail Bardhan, retired librarian from the Rakow Research Library at CMoG, kept a list of American museums with Steuben glass in their collection. I have used her research to find examples of Steuben glass in the collection of the Museum of Fine Art, Houston. Scott Hansen