Decorative glass is glass made or embellished primarily for ornamental effect rather than purely practical use, including vases, bowls, centrepieces, paperweights, lustres, stained and leaded panels, mirrors and lighting shades. The term also describes the many techniques used to enrich glass, such as cutting, engraving, etching, enamelling, gilding, casing, colouring and moulding.
Venetian glassmakers on Murano led European production for centuries with delicate coloured and filigree glass, while Bohemian makers excelled in engraving and coloured overlay wares. In Britain, the development of lead crystal in the late seventeenth century made brilliant cut glass possible, and the nineteenth century brought cameo glass from Stourbridge, pressed glass, cranberry and vaseline glass, and the art glass of firms such as Thomas Webb and James Powell. The Art Nouveau period saw the iridescent glass of Tiffany and Loetz and the cameo work of Gallé and Daum. When assessing decorative glass, look for clarity of metal, quality of decoration, signatures or marks, and freedom from chips, cracks, cloudiness or ground-down rims. Displayed against natural light, decorative glass brings colour and sparkle to any interior.
