press Enter to searchShowing all results:No products found.
Glass Half Full
Vintage is our area of expertise but historians we are not! Nonetheless, when it comes to glass we do feel it’s important to celebrate this incredible material, to consider how long it has been in existence even in its crudest of forms, not to mention it’s supreme versatility; and to do this, we must look back to the beginning.
Glass connects us to our ancestors, it spans eras, cultures and industries. It revolutionised the way we live as humans – it’s the ultimate universal material.
Encapsulating all of that is, of course, several books worth of work so instead we’ve taken a little time to simply (and we hope fairly) preçis glass in order to provide an overview of the historical highlights – a very brief history glass if you like.
“Glass is the most magical of materials. It transmits lights in a special way.”
Dale Chihuly
A very brief history…
2500 BC> Earliest known independent glass objects were made, mostly beads, in Mesopotamia (modern state of Iraq). Similar bead objects found from around the same time also in Egypt
1450 BC> First glass vessels were created in Egypt. Glass making spread out through Lebanon and along the coastline to countries such as Greece and Cyprus
700 BC> Glass vessels are now being made around the Italian Peninsula
300 BC> Glassmaking craft also spreads Eastwards where it’s used again for beads and bangles
200 BC> Glass bowls and dishes were crafted in Syria
100 BC> The Millefiori glass moulding technique was created – joining glass canes around mud moulds which are then heated to form crude beakers and dishes
1 AD> The first blown glass by Egyptians, using molten glass and a basic blowing iron
300 AD> Romans add copper, iron, manganese and tin to colour and tint blown glass and the earliest stained glass is born. There were attempts to create flat glass around this time but this was only possible in very small sections. Glassmaking in Europe declines for about 1000 years
1100 AD> Venetians redevelop Roman glassmaking skills and consequently many European countries begin using glass once again
1400 AD> Venetians make glass crystal (rock crystal), coloured glass and glass gilding and begin exporting glass to Germany and the UK
1675 AD> Lead crystal is made in London and by 1700 London becomes the centre for lead crystal production
1700 AD> The chemical revolution brings greater understanding to glassmaking techniques
1800 AD> Large-scale industrial supplies of purified raw materials supports mass production of glass
1900 AD> Mechanisation of mass glass production begins in North America and ensures glass as a commonplace industrial and domestic material
A collaboration between Skye-based architects Rural Design and James Mac Queen Building Contractors also on Skye, The Field House is an R House concept, founded on traditional highland barns and designed to sit comfortably in the landscape.
Opaline Glass is arguably one of the most synonymous styles when we think of antique vintage lighting and it’s origins come from a mixture of European influences… Glass Of The Past Opaline Glass was produced in France during the 1800s and was highly fashionable around the world during this period. One of its main influences …
There’s a quiet revolution taking place and it’s happening in the workplace. As described in Morey Smith’s report ‘The Evolving Normal’ looking at the future of the workplace “61% of people miss socialising and half of workers want social spaces to return to the office. 57% of workers miss the collaboration in the office”. Health …
Glass Half Full
Vintage is our area of expertise but historians we are not! Nonetheless, when it comes to glass we do feel it’s important to celebrate this incredible material, to consider how long it has been in existence even in its crudest of forms, not to mention it’s supreme versatility; and to do this, we must look back to the beginning.
Glass connects us to our ancestors, it spans eras, cultures and industries. It revolutionised the way we live as humans – it’s the ultimate universal material.
Encapsulating all of that is, of course, several books worth of work so instead we’ve taken a little time to simply (and we hope fairly) preçis glass in order to provide an overview of the historical highlights – a very brief history glass if you like.
A very brief history…
2500 BC> Earliest known independent glass objects were made, mostly beads, in Mesopotamia (modern state of Iraq). Similar bead objects found from around the same time also in Egypt
1450 BC> First glass vessels were created in Egypt. Glass making spread out through Lebanon and along the coastline to countries such as Greece and Cyprus
700 BC> Glass vessels are now being made around the Italian Peninsula
300 BC> Glassmaking craft also spreads Eastwards where it’s used again for beads and bangles
200 BC> Glass bowls and dishes were crafted in Syria
100 BC> The Millefiori glass moulding technique was created – joining glass canes around mud moulds which are then heated to form crude beakers and dishes
1 AD> The first blown glass by Egyptians, using molten glass and a basic blowing iron
300 AD> Romans add copper, iron, manganese and tin to colour and tint blown glass and the earliest stained glass is born. There were attempts to create flat glass around this time but this was only possible in very small sections. Glassmaking in Europe declines for about 1000 years
1100 AD> Venetians redevelop Roman glassmaking skills and consequently many European countries begin using glass once again
1400 AD> Venetians make glass crystal (rock crystal), coloured glass and glass gilding and begin exporting glass to Germany and the UK
1675 AD> Lead crystal is made in London and by 1700 London becomes the centre for lead crystal production
1700 AD> The chemical revolution brings greater understanding to glassmaking techniques
1800 AD> Large-scale industrial supplies of purified raw materials supports mass production of glass
1900 AD> Mechanisation of mass glass production begins in North America and ensures glass as a commonplace industrial and domestic material
Acknowlegments & Sources
Image 1 | Image 2 | Image 3 | Image 4 | Image 5 | Image 6
Related Posts
The London Waste and Recycling Board
The Field House, Avernish – Scotland
A collaboration between Skye-based architects Rural Design and James Mac Queen Building Contractors also on Skye, The Field House is an R House concept, founded on traditional highland barns and designed to sit comfortably in the landscape.
Opaline Origins
Opaline Glass is arguably one of the most synonymous styles when we think of antique vintage lighting and it’s origins come from a mixture of European influences… Glass Of The Past Opaline Glass was produced in France during the 1800s and was highly fashionable around the world during this period. One of its main influences …
The New Working Way
There’s a quiet revolution taking place and it’s happening in the workplace. As described in Morey Smith’s report ‘The Evolving Normal’ looking at the future of the workplace “61% of people miss socialising and half of workers want social spaces to return to the office. 57% of workers miss the collaboration in the office”. Health …