Steuben Design: A Legacy of Light and Form
The current popular resurgence of mid-20th century design presents Steuben with an opportunity to draw in a younger, design-conscious audience, and everything about this book should appeal to those readers. The volume uses artful photographs, beautiful layout and a compelling, if brief, historical narrative to make a case for Steuben pieces as iconic design objects. Steuben craftsmen use methods of production—such as catching a "gather" of molten glass in a metal cup, shaping it at the end of a blowpipe and polishing the cold piece—that are similar to those used by glassmakers for centuries. But the use of "computer-fed melting tanks have refined the ancient process" so that Steuben glass attains an "extraordinary purity and brilliance." It is this prized clarity, as well as the craftsmen’s skill at flowing shapes and detailed engraving, that have led every U.S. president since 1947 to chose a piece of Steuben crystal for an American gift of state. Photos show figures such as Martin Luther King, Queen Elizabeth and Jacqueline Kennedy receiving gifts of Steuben. While ceremonial objects such as these are, of course, inaccessible to most collectors, the book also offers examples of more modest pieces, and a short section, "Collecting Vintage Steuben," offers practical advice on acquiring Steuben glass. Running through the entire book is a beautiful photo study of Steuben form by photographer Jay Zukerkorn. 120 illustrations, 46 in full-color.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.