Welcome to The Glass Society

The Glass Association & The Glass Circle merged in 2019 to become The Glass Society

  

The organisation for all who are interested in the fascinating world of glass and glass-making

Whether you are interested in Victorian decorative glass, 18th century drinking glasses, pressed glass, carnival glass, Scandinavian and Italian Modernist glass, contemporary Art Glass ,stained glass or any other kind of glass,  you are sure to find something of interest .

 

Upcoming Glass Events

website updated  27 November 2024

GLASS SOCIETY - Free Zoom Talk - David Willars - Manchester Glass Revisited -Tuesday 17 December - 7pm GMT

Location: 
ZOOM ONLINE - FREE

David has long been interested in Manchester glass. It is a confusing field with factories in its Victorian heyday producing varied,
colourful and popular pieces, mostly unmarked.

Retirement saw David pursue his long standing interest in decorative glass
by focusing upon this important industry based in the North
West during the nineteenth century.

 

FULL DETAILS OF THE MEETING

Glass Society - Talk Live & Free on Zoom - Mike Moir - Gallé after Gallé - Thursday 27 June at 7 pm BST

 Recent research has transformed our knowledge on the output of the Gallé factory and the influence of its original master Émile Gallé.

In my talk I will briefly cover the life of Émile Gallé and then focus on what happened to his business after he died.

 

image (c) Mike Moir

FULL DETAILS OF THE MEETING

Glass Society free Zoom talk - Lily Crowther- Powell & Sons Opus Sectile : pushing the possibilities of glass mosaic 1860-90 - Tuesday 9 April 7 pm

Location: 
ZOOM ONLINE - FREE

Opus sectile was an innovative opaque glass material developed by leading stained-glass manufacturers Powell & Sons in the early 1860s, Combining historical resonances with modern technology, it offered new decorative possibilities to artists & architects.

Barcote Chapel St Mary the Virgin  Buckland Oxon   (c) Liz Crowther

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glass Society Free Zoom talk - Ian Freestone - Investigating the sources of stained glass in medieval English windows - Thursday 14 March 2024 - 7 pm

Location: 
ZOOM online FREE

Speaking to the Society three years ago I gave an account of our work on the Great East Window of York Minster and the likely origins of its glass. This work depended largely upon our ability to remove minute samples from the edges of the coloured glass pieces, while the window was removed for conservation. This type of analysis is of course not possible for the great majority of extant stained glass, which is in situ in the walls of our churches and cathedrals

 

 

Full Details of The Talk

 

 

 

 

WHAT'S on in THE WORLD of GLASS ?

A monthly newsletter on the world of contemporary glass.             Compiled by Alan J Poole & reproduced here with his permission.

DECEMBER  24 EDITION 

Glass Society - Free Zoom lecture Dr Cynthia Williams - Hidden History The Glass Design Legacy of Daniel Pearce 1817 - 1907 - Thursday 9 November 7 pm GMT

Location: 
ZOOM ON:LINE-FREE

This illustrated presentation about British glass designer Daniel Pearce (1817-1907) documents a remarkable seven-decade design evolution. From 1840s art student at the new Government School of Design to international recognition at international world’s fairs for designing fantastical engraved glass objects such as the Hamilton Vase and Morrison Tazza.

 

 

                                       Full details of the meeting

 

Glass Society - Free Zoom Talk Professor James Measell: Frederick Carder and the secret plan for the immigration of Stourbridge glassworkers. Tuesday 3 October 7pm BST

Location: 
ZOOM ONLINE - FREE

Image (c) Rakow Library, Corning Museum of Glass

On 3 October 1903, the County Express revealed this local news in a single sentence: ‘This week ten “Society” glassmen have left the neighbourhood for America. Glassworkers from the Stourbridge district attempted to immigrate to America because Frederick Carder promised them jobs in the new Steuben Glass Works at Corning, New York.

Full details of the meeting

Glass Society Talk-Live & free on Zoom- Katharine Coleman MBE- The Hedwig Glasses -Thursday 29 June, 7 pm BST on Zoom

Location: 
ZOOM ONLINE + LIVE at The Artworkers Guild LONDON

 

Who made the Hedwig Glasses? How, when and where were they made? Many theories have been proposed regarding this mysterious and unique group of some fourteen relief cut and polished early medieval glass tumblers now scattered among the treasuries and museums of Northern Europe and America.

Full Details

AGM 20 February at 18:30 hours free on Zoom - Followed by a Show & Tell Session

Location: 
ZOOM ONLINE

Our AGM will be held on Zoom on Tuesday 20 February at 18:30 hours. It will be followes by a show & tell session

 

 

 

GLASS SOCIETY LECTURE - FREE on ZOOM Alison Kinnaird MBE - The Rear View Mirror - Thursday 9th March - 7pm GMT

Location: 
ZOOM ONLINE

Image(c) Alison Kinnaird

Wheel engraving is an ancient technique, practised for more than 2000 years. Alison Kinnaird loves to work with tradition, but believes that it is constantly moving forward. She uses the old methods of working, and combines these with modern technology, including LED lighting, and creates a story with contemporary relevance, while maintaining the very special character and unique qualities of glass.

FULL DETAILS & BOOKING FORM

GLASS SOCIETY LECTURE - FREE on ZOOM -Eleanor Feldman - Stuart & Sons - The Aesthetic Movement and Arts & Crafts Styles - Tuesday 15 November -7 pm GMT

I have been researching the Stuart and Sons company archive for a book to be published in due course.

Whilst studying the pattern books from the late 19th century, I discovered several engraved vessels in the Aesthetic taste about which little is known.

 

FULL DETAILS & BOOKING FORM

 

 

IFG 2022 - International Festival of Glass - STOURBRIDGE 26 - 29 August 2022

Location: 
The Stourbridge Glass Quarter

IFG -The International Festival of Glass is being held over the August Bank Holiday Weekend.

Image (c)  Cloud Pot 1    Eunsuh Choi

 

IFG PROGRAMME

GLASS SOCIETY LECTURE - FREE on ZOOM - Ayako Tani - After Pyrex -Ships in Bottles - Thursday 9th June-7pm

Location: 
ZOOM ONLINE

Image (c) Sound Ideas Media - Cheese Burn Sculpture Gardens Northumberland 2019

The technique of fabricating glass apparatus using a gas burner is called scientific glassblowing.

Laboratory glassware is generally made of borosilicate glass, Pyrex being one prominent brand. James A. Jobling Ltd., Sunderland, became the home of British Pyrex production.

In the 1970s, however, the glassblowers of this major UK centre were made redundant. Some of these skilled artisans turned to producing glass giftware. 

FULL DETAILS 

GLASS SOCIETY LECTURE - FREE on ZOOM Simon Cottle -Venetian Glass- Souvenirs of the Grand Tour - Thursday 30th June - 7pm

Location: 
ZOOM ONLINE

Lattimo Plate(c) 1741  View The Grand Canal   (c) Bonhams

In the 18th century, it was the tradition especially for wealthy young British gentlemen, to complete their education by travelling throughout Europe, with Italy as their main destination.

The Grand Tour, as it became known, enriched their lives by an appreciation of the classical arts

 

FULL DETAILS of THE MEETING

GLASS SOCIETY LECTURE - FREE on ZOOM - Thomas Moser - Vitreous Waves : Émile Gallé’s Oceanic Glasswork Between Art and Aquarists - Thursday 21 April - 7pm.

Location: 
ZOOM ONLINE

 

 

 

In the years around 1900, the artists of the École de Nancy elevated glass art to an entirely new level.

Among the high-quality works, one object stands out: the so-called ' Main aux algues et aux coquillages'.

FULL DETAILS OF THE MEETING

 

GLASS SOCIETY - FREE ZOOM LECTURE - Colin Brain - How old is this glass ? -Thursday 17th March - 7pm

Location: 
ZOOM ONLINE

 

The age of a glass can be important to a collector
in a number of different ways. For some an antique
glass is a window into the past and its date informs
their muse on what events it may have ‘seen’, or who
might have drunk from it. 

FULL DETAILS

GLASS SOCIETY - FREE ZOOM LECTURE - Mathij Van der Meulen - 40 Years building a collection : The Ker Amen Glass - Tuesday 8 March 2022 - 7 PM

Location: 
ZOOM ON LINE

This will be a personal story. Along the way I would like to show you some of my favourite glasses and why they are my favourites.

Originally I collected candlesticks. But when I met my wife and she came to live with me, these depressed her. So I moved to glasses. 

FULL DETAILS 

 

GLASS SOCIETY - FREE ZOOM LECTURE - Nigel Benson - Differences between makers of British Arts & Crafts glass - how do we tell ? Thursday 16 December 2021 - 7 pm

Location: 
ZOOM ONLINE

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Noticing the name “Powell” used for all forms of British Arts & Crafts glassware, Nigel shows how he determines features identifying which company made a particular piece. This ongoing search relies on observation, looking for ‘touch stone’ items – readily identifiable by a known manufacturer, informing the colours and forms from that company.

 

DETAILS & BOOKING FORM

GLASS SOCIETY - FREE ZOOM LECTURE - Miranda Lowe - BLASCHKA: Glass Creatures of the ocean-Thursday 14 October - 7 pm.

Location: 
ZOOM ONLINE

 

 

Tiny, delicate, and beautiful: the Blaschka glass models capture the ethereal mystery of the deep sea.

Over 10,000 of them were created and distributed worldwide by father and son Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka in the nineteenth century.

FULL DETAILS and BOOKING

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