Whitefriars;
revered for
producing high
quality,
colourful works
by leading
designers of the
time. By Jane
Vandell.
'It is the
strong colours
and heavy
textural effects
of Whitefriars
glass made in
the 1960s that
conceptualise
the products of
this
long-established
factory today.
After the
closure of art
glass
manufacture in
1980, the later
pieces gained an
enthusiastic
following, with
prices for the
most
eye-catching
pieces rising
steadily...'
Anzolo Fuga: His works speak the language of the
1950’s and ‘60’s with such freshness that they
do not look out-of-date in the most contemporary
of environments.
'Some years ago
I was staying at
the Danieli
Hotel in Venice,
where I spotted
a series of
large stained
glass windows.
They were
extraordinary.
There was a
subtle textural
quality to the
colours and
shading that I
hadn't seen in
stained glass
before. All of
the panels were
signed with the
name Anzolo Fuga
and I never
forgot it. Years
later, I saw his
name associated
with colourful
hand-blown glass
objects and I
became consumed
with learning
more about him.
Obviously this
was an artist
whose talents
were
multifaceted...'
A Passion for Purity. By Clare Blake.
'Scandinavian
glass possesses
incredible
beauty that far
outstrips the
majority of its
contemporaries.
These are pieces
of such
marvellous
clarity that
they almost seem
to have trapped
and held the
pure radiance of
the unique
Northern light
that was a key
inspiration for
the glassmakers,
while for many
the sheer
craftsmanship of
these stunning
designs produces
a quickening of
the heartbeat -
the beginning of
a lasting love
affair...'
Michael Harris; the master
behind Mdina glass. By Mark Hill.
'There are times
when something
just grabs you.
You’re never
sure why at the
time, but it
just seems
somehow
absolutely
right. That is
how I stumbled
upon Michael
Harris. Talking
to a glass
dealer friend
about her new
acquisitions at
a fair one
Sunday, I asked
if she had
anything new I
might be
interested in.
It soon became a
toss-up between
a nice vase from
Iittala’s
‘Finlandia’
range designed
by Timo
Sarpaneva and a
gorgeous green
globe vase by a
name I knew
little about,
but had seen
plenty of
examples of -
Mdina...'
