Steuben Glass Works

Paul N. Perrot, Paul V. Gardner and James S. Plant, Steuben:  Seventy Years of American Glassmaking, New York, 1974, p. 51, pl. 5 (for a related example in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.)
Mary Jean Madigan, Steuben Glass:  An American Tradition in Crystal, New York, 1982, pp. 53-54 (for the example cited above)
Alastair Duncan, American Art Deco, London, 1986, p. 129 (for a related example in the collection of Corning Museum of Glass)

Overall in very good condition. The bottle presents with a few small and minor air bubble and particulate inclusions inherent in the making, outside of the decorative technique. The coloration of the bottle displays a green/yellow hue throughout which contrasts well with the inclusions of white and deep midnight blue toward the base of the bottle. Please contact the department for additional photographs. The shaped edge at the base of the bottle with a few minute flea bites and some small and light surface scratches to the under base commensurate with age and handling. One of the edges of the facets approximately ¼ inch below the neck with a minute fleck. The flat faceted top of the rim is engraved with a ‘3’ or ‘m' which possibly would have corresponded with a mark on the stopper. The stopper that is offered with this lot is likely associated and lacks the nuanced coloration of the glass used to execute the bottle. The stopper in generally good condition with some minor polishing to the entire circumference and a few flea bites at the terminal, which are not visible once the stopper is placed. The dabber appears to have been polished and shortened, with one flea bite approximately halfway up on the facets to the exterior. An exquisite, rare work by Steuben showing great artistry in the faceting heightened by the internal inclusions and nuanced coloration throughout.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Frederick Carder and Louis Tiffany reacted very differently when tastes changed after World War I, as the curvilinear motifs of Art Nouveau gave way to the geometric shapes of Art Deco.  Tiffany retired from Tiffany Studios in 1919 and created the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation in an attempt to counter modern art trends.  Carder, on the other hand, praised the work of Lalique, Marinot and Orrefors.  Although trained as a classicist, he always recognized glass that was created with the highest levels of quality and design.  What he was vehemently opposed to, however, was the diminished role of the glassmaker and the rise of mass-produced glass objects.  Carder had no difficulty adapting to contemporary decorative trends, as long as Steuben’s exceptional level of quality would be maintained.

The Steuben Cintra scent bottles are among the most stunning objects made by the company during the 1920s.  The near-optical quality of the leaded glass was also a precursor to the material the glasshouse would use exclusively the following decade.  Carder, interviewed at the age of 98, was asked why he made the bottles of such thick glass.  He cheerfully replied, “Why, in case a husband got his wife angry at night in the bedroom, she would have something heavy to throw at him.”

─Paul Doros