The Great East Window of York Minster is one of the largest medieval windows in Britain and was glazed by John Thornton of Coventry between 1405-1408.

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A  small area in France produces 80% of the world's perfume bottles.

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  Image Credit (c)   Alan Thornton

The techniques needed to make glass paperweights have been known for 2000 years or more, but paperweights have evolved as an art form only over the last 200 years. 

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    First formed by accident 5000 years ago, glass has gradually evolved into Mankind’s most important creation and its greatest tool in shaping the modern world.

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              Image (c) Andy McConnell

Image (c) Enrico Fiorese

Here are the links to view.

Venice & American Studio Glass - Part 1

Venice & American Studio Glass - Part 2

Le Stanza del Vitro website.

 image (c) Jonathan Cooke

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Chinese reverse painted mirrored looking glass    circa 1755 Saltram  Devon (c) National Trust

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Image (C) The J. Paul Getty Museum

John,Lord Mountstuart, later 4th Earl & 1st Marques of Bute

Britain in the 1700s was complex, dynamic, and full of growth, whether industrial, geographical, intellectual or societal. The nation began the century under the leadership of a Dutch king (William III, r. 1689-1702), followed by a dynasty of Germans (the Hanoverians, r.1714-1837). Its aristocracy was educated on European Grand Tours, and its commercial, political and territorial ambitions stretched from North America to India, and from Africa to China. It was a world that fostered exploration, expansion and exploitation.

The British glass industry replaced that of Venice as the global leader during this period but, beyond its presence in dining and drinking rituals, little discussion has hitherto been made of the significance of glass in the lives of the nation’s elite during the 1700s.

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Norwich Castle Museum, which played host to our AGM in 2019, has offered The Glass Society the opportunity to look at glass behind the scenes and not on public display. The study day coincides with the museum being gifted a collection of mainly C18th English glass and is, therefore, our opportunity to help them and in so doing repay some of their kindness and hospitality.

Members who did not attend the AGM will also have the opportunity to tour the museum and see their outstanding collection of works by the Norwich School of artists as well as the local glass of William Absolon.

Regret that THIS MEETING HAS BEEN POSTPONED.

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This talk is about the fun of researching and collecting drinking glasses dating from the period 1662-1702, and about some of the people, like Robert Charleston and David Watts, who provided help and encouragement.  In particular, Colin will discuss his efforts to rely less on stylistic attributions in favour of more objective measures such as density and UV-fluorescence.

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