Bohemian Ruby Glass Pedestal Bowl with White Overlay, 19th Century
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A Bohemian white overlay ruby glass pedestal bowl, 19th century, the circular form pedestal bowl with repeat ogival rim and arched panels, alternately diamond cut and gilded with leaves and raised on an inverted baluster faceted pedestal to a conical broad foot, decorated with lens cuts and fine gilded tendrils and foliage. Height 20 cm, diameter: 14 cm
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- Baluster (glass) - An architectural term for a column in a balustrade or staircase.
When used to describe glass, it can either refer to the shape of the stem of a wine glass, being slender above and pear shaped below, or the shape of the whole vessel, usually a vase. In fact the baluster shape is often described as being vase-like.
The description of a vase as being of baluster shape covers a wide variety of shapes that often bear no resemblance to the original architectural form. - Overlay Glass - Overlay glass is coloured glass that has been created by sandwiching two or more layers of different coloured glass together. The layers are fused together through a process of heating and melting in a glass furnace, and the resulting glass has a unique colour and depth that is not found in single-layered glasses.
The technique of overlaying glass has been used for centuries, and was particularly popular in the Venetian glass industry during the Renaissance. Different colours of glass were layered to create intricate designs, and then the layers were carved and etched to create intricate patterns and details. - Gilding - Gilding is a method of ornamentation whereby a thin sheet of gold metal is applied to items made of wood, leather, ceramics, glass and silver for decorative purposes.
For furniture including mirrors, the sheet of gold is usually applied over a coating of gesso. Gesso is a mixture of plaster of Paris and gypsum mixed with water and then applied to the carved wooden frames of mirrors and picture frames as a base for applying the gold leaf. After numerous coats of gesso have been applied, allowed to dry and then sanded a coat of "bole", a usually red coloured mixture of clay and glue is brushed on and allowed to dry, after which the gold leaf is applied. Over time parts of the gilding will rub off so the base colour can be seen. In water gilding, this was generally a blue colour, while in oil gilding, the under layer was often yellow. In Victorian times, gilders frequently used red as a pigment beneath the gold leaf.
Metal was often gilded by a process known as fire gilding. Gold mixed with mercury was applied and heated, causing the mercury to evaporate, the long-term effect of which was to kill or disable the craftsman or woman from mercury poisoning. The pursuit of beauty has claimed many victims, not the least of which were the artists who made those pieces so highly sought after today.
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