Name/Title
Steuben Large VaseContext
Glimmering in the NCHM Upstairs Hall is a globular vase of gold-iridized lead glass. The vase seems to glow with an inner light, and its surface plays with the light and colors of its surroundings.
On the underside of the vase is an engraved mark that reads, "STEUBEN AURENE 2689". This mark identifies the vase as an early 20th c. piece from Steuben Glass Works, an American glass manufactory established in 1903 by English glass maker Frederick Carder (1863-1963) and acquired by Corning Glass Works in 1918. Carder named Steuben after the New York county where it was founded.
Carder was born and educated in Stourbridge, the center of England's glass industry during the Industrial Revolution. He also studied with French glass master Emile Gallé and designed for the English firm of Stevens and Williams before emigrating to the U.S. at the age of 40.
For Steuben Glass Works, Carder introduced novel art nouveau pieces, but he also invented a new type of iridescent glass named “Aurene” (combining the Latin word for gold and the Middle English word for sheen). Aurene imitates the luminous patina that frequently gilds Roman glass vessels exposed to centuries of contact with humidity or mineral matter. Carder reproduced this iridescence by spraying clear, malleable glass with a metallic chloride, then heating it in a special manner.
The Neill-Cochran House Museum vase is part of this innovative Aurene collection that competed with iridescent glassware made by Louis Comfort Tiffany called "Favrile". However, many consider Carder’s glass to be more lustrous. In fact, Tiffany attempted to sue Steuben in 1913 but ultimately dropped the suit.
This lustrous Steuben vase was given to the Museum by the family of collector Louise Hill McDonald. You can see it surrounded by our collection of historic Christmas decorations at the NCHM, Wed-Sun, 11am-4pm.