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Glass of Germany and Holland

The quality of the paintings of the glass
made the Germans' noteworthy. The GermanyA deep red, or ruby, glass was made in the
craftsmen were able to successfully engraveearly and mid-nineteenth century, and cut in
natural rock-crystal adapt that to theirthe manner of 150 years earlier. It was
skill to glass setting a new standard ofexported and proved highly popular in
glass-making. And Netherland made theEngland; much of it was of clear glass
Venetian type of glass in the seventeenth and'flashed' with a thin coating of red cut
eighteenth centuries. They excelled in glassthrough with scenes of stag hunting and views
decorations.of  German  spas.
GermanyHolland
The hold of the Venetians on the markets ofGlass of Venetian type was made in the
Europe was a strong one, and continualNetherlands in the seventeenth and eighteenth
efforts were made to break it in all thecenturies, but it was in the decoration of
countries concerned. The Germans were skilledglass that the Dutch excelled. Like the
at enameling their glass, but it was ofGermans, they ornamented much of their output
Venetian type and only the quality of thewith cutting on the wheel, but a specialty
painting  makes  it  noteworthy.was engraving with a diamond which was often
done so finely that the decoration can be
Late in the seventeenth century they managedseen  only  when  the  light falls across it.
to develop a heavy type of crystal glass to
which they applied cutting on the wheel; aThere are specimens of diamond engraving in
revolving fine grindstone against which thethe Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, dated 1600 and
article  was  held  for  pattern  -malting.1604, and similar work was done throughout
the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The
This was a method first used in ancient timesnames of Frans Greenwood (a Dutchman in spite
by lapidaries in the forming of gemstones,of his English surname) and David Wolff are
but had been employed also by the Romanthe best known of those who did this delicate
glassmakers notably, as mentioned above, inwork. Some of the surviving examples are
the  Portland  Vase.signed and dated, but many bear no indication
of artist or of when they were executed. Some
The German craftsmen had already achievedof the late eighteenth-century engravings
success in engraving natural rock crystal,were on English glasses of the period, which
which was then mounted elaborately in goldwere  then  being  imported  into  Holland.
set with gems, and it was not a difficult
step to adapt their skill to glass. The mostAt the end of the eighteenth century an
famous of these engraving establishments wereartist named Zeuner, of whom remarkably
in Berlin, Petersdorf in Silesia (nowlittle is known in the way of personal
Poland),  and  Cassel.details, executed a number of paintings on
glass. These were done in an unusual manner,
Their successors, but the glasswares ofwith gold and silver leaf laid on the back of
Silesia and Bohemia continued to be madethe glass which was then scratched through
throughout the eighteenth century did notand  filled  with  black  paint.
equal the fine workmanship of the earlier
craftsmen.The skies in outdoor scenes were painted in
natural colors, and the effect is striking
A milky-white glass, often decorated inand decorative. Some of his surviving works
enamel colors, was very popular and much ofare of views in Amsterdam, and a small pane!
this has survived. It can be confused within the Victoria and Albert Museum shows a
the rare white Bristol product by theview of the Sadler's Wells Theatre, London,
inexperienced, but is seen to be commonplacein about 1780.
when  compared  closely.



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