Exhibitions 2007
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19th
Century Glass from Savannah Collections
Sep. 1 - Dec. 2, 2007
 For
19th-century Americans who could afford the luxury, glassware was
used for more than utilitarian purposes. Glass, like silver, brought
a certain luster to the table. Candlelight bounced off the shiny,
smooth and textured surfaces of glassware displayed on tables and
sideboards, creating rooms filled with dramatic light and shadow.
Glass also served as beautiful vessels for the display of food and
drink and often became the focal point of a table.
This exhibition brings together a small, but important, collection
of one type of luxury ware not available in the city, but obviously
sought after by the elite families of Savannah. Most of the pieces
presented originated in Europe. Wealthy Savannahians of the 19th-century
were well traveled, and their exposure to the European world is
exemplified in the objects they purchased and brought home with
them. The alluring glassware these families displayed on their tables
not only glistened like jewels, but also served as expensive souvenirs
to indicate their wealth and social status.
The
drinking collection originally owned by Thomas Gibbons (1757-1826),
lawyer, plantation owner, entrepreneur, and three-time mayor of
Savannah provides an excellent example. Considered one of the wealthiest
men in the United States at his death in 1826, Gibbons had the means
to purchase this sizable collection (a minimum of 71 pieces) with
his initials “TG” engraved on each piece. Probably acquired
in Ireland at the turn of the 19th century, this extensive collection
included at least seven decanters, 40 fluted glasses, 18 claret
glasses, and six cordial glasses, all still known to exist.
The
exhibition also features a number of pieces from the former country
of Bohemia, a region famous for its glassmaking tradition. Located
north of Austria and to the east of Germany, Bohemia was the heart
of the thriving 19th-century glass industry. The Austrian-ruled
country, which is today a large portion of the Czech Republic, burst
with glassmaking activity from both factories and independent glass
decorators. The competitive market created by such activity led
to innovative glassmaking techniques that were eventually copied
and shared by traveling glass designers and engravers throughout
Europe and, later, America. Bohemian glasshouses were particularly
noted for their engraving techniques and the development of colored
glass.
 A
highlight of the exhibition includes fine examples of Bohemian glass
from an extensive dessert setting of nearly 150 pieces purchased
in Vienna, Austria, in 1849 by William Henry Stiles (1809-1865),
a Savannah lawyer and representative for both the state of Georgia
and the United States. While serving as the ambassador to Austria
from 1845-1849, Stiles collected a ruby-colored set with a grapes
and leaves design that included four tall stands, decanters, wine
glasses, and plates and saucers in a variety of sizes. Stiles had
his initials engraved on most of the pieces in the set as seen on
the plates, compote, and epergne (a centerpiece used for holding
and displaying food, and sometimes flowers).
The
creation of this set of glass involved a layer of red glass blown
over a layer of clear glass. After the glassmaker created the shape
of the piece, an engraver cut away at the outer layer of glass (in
this case, red) to reveal the clear glass beneath. This method could
also be used with a number of layers of colored and clear glass,
exemplified in the white cut to red bowl and the blue and white
decanter from the Telfair’s permanent collection.
Other
notable examples of Bohemian glass include pieces from three of
four sets acquired by John Wallace Owens (1821-1862) in 1857. Owens,
a Savannah lawyer and son of George Welshman Owens (1786-1856),
from whom the Owens-Thomas House derives its name, purchased the
sets in Vienna using the money from his late father’s estate.
John kept two sets of glass for himself, presented one set to his
brother George Savage Owens (1835-1897), and the fourth set went
to his sisters-Mary (1819-1903), Sarah (1828-1900), and Margaret
(1829-1915) (photo). The three known sets included multiple pieces
for the table and most were initialed with the letter “O”.
The
most unique, and arguably the most elegant, of the known sets featured
cut, etched, engraved and gilded decorations. This grouping belonged
to John Owens. The two other sets included a red grouping designed
with grapes and leaves and a yellow setting decorated with stags
and woodland scenes (a typical motif of Bohemian engravers). A forth
set may have been green as indicated by a reference in the Telfair
Museum of Art’s archives. Perhaps the green decanter and sherry
glasses bequeathed to the Telfair by Margaret Gray Thomas were part
of that set.
Providing
a brief overview of luxury glassware in 19th-century Savannah, this
exhibition not only attests to the beauty and craftsmanship of glass,
but also offers invaluable insight into the values and social conventions
of the time. Most of the works in the exhibition are drawn from
the Telfair Museum of Art’s permanent collection, which spans
the 19th century with beautiful examples of clear, colored, etched,
engraved, cut, and gilded glass. In addition, several of the objects
on view were graciously lent by the Andrew Low House, Julianton
Plantation, and local collectors Mr. and Mrs. R. E. Thorpe Jr.,
Ann Hopkins Grady, and William L. Hopkins III.
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