Art Deco glass is decorative and functional glass made in the Art Deco style of the 1920s and 1930s, marked by geometric patterns, stylised figures and animals, bold colour and strong sculptural form. It includes vases, bowls, scent bottles, figures, car mascots, lighting and tableware.
René Lalique was the leading figure, producing moulded and pressed glass with frosted and polished surfaces that could be made in quantity while retaining artistic quality. Daum of Nancy moved from Art Nouveau cameo glass to heavy, deeply acid-etched forms, and Maurice Marinot made thick, bubbled studio glass of great originality. Pâte de verre was used by makers such as Gabriel Argy-Rousseau. In Britain and Czechoslovakia, factories produced attractive pressed and coloured glass for a wider market, including dressing-table sets and figural centrepieces. Collectors check signatures carefully, as the Lalique mark in particular has been widely faked, and look for crisp moulding, good colour and freedom from chips, cracks and grinding. Light shining through Art Deco glass shows its qualities best, so pieces are often displayed near windows or on lit shelves.
