July, 191, 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



251 



HILE collections of Lowerstoft, pewter and its formation, with little thought of the exquisite 



silver are to be found in abundance, it is formation or beauty of its engraving. The history of its 



rarely that one comes across a large amount birth and its launching upon the world reads almost like a 



of Bohemian Glass, yet it is one of the most bit of a fairy tale. One wonders if it would have had such 



interesting of the many antiques to collect, existence and fame if Roman art had not gone into decline. 



Glass hunting has never been carried on to It was at about that time that it became known, growing 



a great extent in America, although in England for centuries rapidly in public favor until it stood at the head of glass 



it has been a fad. One reason for this lies in its extreme ware in the middle of the eighteenth century, 

 fragilitv, and the difficulty of its classification for; unlike Few men but remember the commotion in the steel market 



pewter and silver, it has no hallmark to distinguish its when the Bressmer process was launched. It meant the 



birth. revolutionizing of prices, through a larger output, and 



Where it has been hoarded in families, passing from lower rates, and was met unsuccessfully by opposition. So 



one generation to another, one is practically sure of its age, it was in the introduction of Bohemian glass ware, which 



but it is when picked up here 

 and there that it is difficult 

 to identify, and a connois- 

 seur only is able to deter- 

 mine the date, and as to 

 whether it is genuine or only 

 engraved on an antique. 



We Americans have a fad 

 for collecting antiques. 

 Charles Lamb asserts that 

 everyone should have his 

 hobby if it is only in the 

 gathering of shoe strings; it 

 often saves brain fag. Then 

 why not hunt Bohemian 

 Glass. With its rich and 

 varied coloring it stands 

 without a peer, differing in 

 every respect from the 

 Arherican and English 

 glassware, yet its beauty 

 is not always appreciated, 

 and it does not stand 

 as it should, vying with 

 Wedgewood in the eye of 

 the antique faddist of to- 

 day. 



This ware is made in the 

 heart of the Bohemian 

 forest by underpaid 

 workmen, who eke out 

 a meagre existence in 



Punch-bowl with cover, glasses and tray of Bohemian glass 



seriously affected the market 

 of glass at the opening of the 

 seventeenth century. 



Naturally, its reception 

 was hostile, particularly 

 when it was seen that it was 

 very pure, and could be sold 

 at much lower cost, thus 

 bringing injury to present 

 trade. The glass market 

 had been practically, until 

 now, under the control of 

 the Venetians, who had 

 made very wonderful glass 

 for a period of three hun- 

 dred years. Even France 

 had sat at the feet of her 

 Venetian master recognizing 

 her honor, and content to 

 learn from her, if possible, 

 the methods that were used. 



This was the state of af- 

 fairs when Bohemia entered 

 the industrial list, throwing 

 her gauntlet into the ring. 

 She knew beyond doubt that 

 her glass was far better than 

 that of her competitors; that 

 she had at hand better ma- 

 terial, for did not fathom- 

 less forests lie at her call, 

 from which to procure pot- 



