Cover for a Vase

1929

Cover for a Vase, 1929. Designed by Frederick Carder (American, 1863–1963), manufactured by Steuben Glass Works (American, Corning, NY, 1903–2008). Glass; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Susannah and Avery Cohen 2018.79.1.b This cover (part of a pair of vases), was designed by English-born, American glass artisan Frederick Carder for Steuben Glass Works in 1929. Frederick Carder was one of the most celebrated glass artists of his day, and he co-founded Steuben Glass Works in 1903, serving as its chief designer until 1932, when the company was bought by Corning. Carder featured many types of decoration in his glass patterns, one of which was the method of combining acid-etched designs with shallow, unpolished cutting, creating a contrast in texture that was particularly effective in colorless glass. Carder designed mostly traditional neoclassical inspired shapes and patterns during this period. However, this design, combining a geometrical modernist form (ovoid shape and triangular knop) with a stylized floral and geometric pattern, was a relatively early move into more modernist designs by Steuben. In these covered vases, the decorative pattern flows from the lower portion onto the cover so that they have to be positioned very precisely in order to complete the design.