above: Foxglove vase,
Consolidated Glass
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Consolidated Lamp and Glass Company - from The Glass Encyclopedia
A short explanation of Consolidated Glass:The Consolidated Lamp and Glass Company was formed in Fostoria, Ohio in 1893 from the merger of the Fostoria Shade and Lamp Company with Wallace and McAffee Company. They moved to Coraopolis when their glassworks burned down only two years later. In the 1890's they produced some art glass vases and bowls, but for many years their main production was high quality lamps, globes and shades.
In 1925 Reuben Haley, a glass designer, left U.S. Glass and set up his own design company in space rented from Consolidated. That same year the famous Paris Exposition Internationale des Art Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes took place and afterwards a selection of 400 objects from this Art Deco exhibition toured several cities in the USA. This travelling exhibition included a large number of glass items by Rene Lalique, and created a demand for similar types of glass in the USA.
Reuben Haley pursuaded Consolidated to produce glassware to his designs, some of which were direct copies of Lalique pieces (eg the Love Birds vase which copies Lalique's Perruches vase, and the Bird of Paradise vase which copies Lalique's Aras vase). Consolidated produced a range of truly beautiful art glass vases which they called their Martele Hand Wrought Art Glass. These designs, like the Foxglove vase pictured left, were sometimes also called Selden line glass (after Howard Selden who held exclusive marketing rights for a time). This glass is highly prized by collectors today.
Also during the 1920's, Consolidated produced and marketed art glass based on old Spanish designs (which they called Catalonian glass) and acid etched designs (called Florentine) amongst others. Their second great success was with their bold, angular, Ruba Rombic designs, introduced in 1928. These designs have become highly collectable too.
In 1932 the depression was badly affecting this glassworks, and the owners decided to close down temporarily to stop their losses. Reuben Haley had rights to the moulds he had designed. He died in 1933, and his son Kenneth transferred the moulds to Phoenix Glassworks where he was employed, so that the production could continue. Phoenix made these Martele designs under the name Phoenix Reuben-Line from 1933 to 1936 when Consolidated re-opened and recalled their molds. Phoenix also produced their own designs in a very similar kind of glass which they marketed as Sculptured glass, and just to add to the confusion, their glass was also known as Selden line glass as it was marketed by Howard Selden.
However, Consolidated Lamp and Glass Company and the Phoenix Glass Company were quite separate companies at all stages.
Consolidated continued to produce their Martele designs until the company closed down in 1963. Until the end they were still producing lighting products, and many of the Martele vases were also offered as lamp bases.
If you are looking for Consolidated Glass items, you can usually find them on offer on ebay - click here to see the Consolidated glass listings currently for sale on ebay. You may also like to see Phoenix Glass items listed on ebay - click here.
Since the company closed down there have been some sources of reproduction Martele glass. Sinclair Glass in Indiana obtained some of the original Martele molds and produced some milk glass and plain crystal pieces in the late 1960's. Westclair, part of the Sinclair company, introduced some designs in the late 1980's with very similar designs to Consolidated's Martele. Fenton Art Glass made their own mold of the Consolidated Dogwood vase and marketed reproductions in 1984 (these have the Fenton logo on the base but it may be feint).
These items are for sale right now on eBay.com - we thought you would like to see these examples.
Sources and references:
1. Jack D Wilson Phoenix & consolidated art glass 1926-1980 Antique Publications 1989
2. William Heacock Phoenix/Consolidated copies & look-alikes pages 29-40 in Collecting Glass Volume 2, Antique Publications 1985.
3. Kathy Kelly An Identity Crisis: Phoenix or Consolidated pages 78 to 82 in Glass Collectors Digest volume III number 2, Aug/Sept 1989.
4. Carolus Hartmann Glasmarken Lexicon 1600-1945 Europa und Nordamerika Arnoldsche Art Publishers 1998 pages 549 & 756
Most books on American art glass include at least some information about Consolidated. Here are some that you may find helpful. Click on any book cover on this page to read more about a particular book, including price and any available discounts for buying on-line.
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INFORMATION about Bagley Glass!
At last a book on Bagley Glass. The first edition of this book sold out very quickly.
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The 2nd Edition is now available and has received a rave response - more information, more and better pictures, new items identified as Bagley for the first time, a helpful index, and more compehensive coverage; - so much so that there is no need for a supporting CD, which brings the price lower!
A truly comprehensive guide to help you identify Bagley Glass. Click on picture for more details. 2nd Edition US$33.90 plus pp. |
| INFORMATION about New Zealand Glass ! Including many original catalog pictures and dozens of photographs. NOW available - this is the first paperback edition of the book and it covers many contemporary New Zealand glass artists as well as the history of glass in New Zealand, Crown Crystal Glass and New Zealand bottles. Price US$29.90 plus pp. |
Tiara Glass Collectors' INFORMATION
 | Click on the picture for more details. This CD includes original catalogs and advertising leaflets. There are seven full catalogs, five leaflets, and the 1995 Tiara Product Information Manual. |
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