Finest glass pieces on show at Erasmus<\/p>\n
By Myra Sidharta<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In 1765, two German brothers Pilgram and Meeder
\ndecided to open a glass factory in Leerdam, a town near Rotterdam
\nin the Netherlands. Their first productions were green and brown
\nbottles, blown into cone-shaped huts.<\/p>\n
Many bottles found their way to the Indies after they had been
\nfilled with jenever, the alcoholic drink of the Dutch. The
\nfactory that started with 10 glass blowers expanded gradually and
\nwas able to celebrate its centennial, but in 1871 it was sold to
\nJeekels and Mijnssen, who tried to experiment with new techniques
\nand materials. These experiments were not successful and in 1877
\nthe factory changed hands again and became the \"Leerdam\" glass
\nfactory.<\/p>\n
This factory produced blown and pressed glass for tableware
\nfrom crystal, a crystal mix as well as glass. The products were
\npopular not only on the domestic market but also in South
\nAmerica, Mexico and England. They only had limited designs of
\nsimple forms, like tulips, eggs and balloon designs, but people
\ncould have their own designs made to order.<\/p>\n
It was PM Cochius who brought a new concept to manufacturing
\nin 1912. At the turn of the century, new visions on design were
\nblooming in Europe; just like art nouveau in France and
\nJugendstil in Germany, there was an important idealistic movement
\nin the Netherlands to improve the quality of everyday design, led
\nby architects and furniture makers.<\/p>\n
Shapes inspired by nature were stylized, geometrical designs
\nintroduced and the role of ornament was reduced. This
\nFunctionalist movement was led in the Netherlands by architect
\nHendrik P Berlage. He believed that architects should not limit
\nthemselves to designing buildings, but that they should also pay
\nattention to decoration, furniture and tableware.<\/p>\n
Cochius, who wanted to make good glassware available to the
\nmasses, tried to achieve this goal by assigning designers to
\nimprove the designs of his products. The regular production of
\ngeneric glassware continued, but designer glassware soon became
\nquite popular. Trademarks were etched into glassware to identify
\nthe designer.<\/p>\n
The first assignment was given to KPC de Bazel. De Bazel was
\nan architect, theosophist and freemason who designed glassware
\nalong \"harmonious, geometrical and mystical lines\" to combine
\nbeauty and functionality. His first full set of crystalware was
\nproduced in 1917, and he designed a number of glassware services
\nuntil his death in 1923. He was a difficult man to work with, he
\nonly liked simple designs with minimal decoration. Moreover, his
\nglassware was expensive to make, fragile and very difficult to
\nclean.<\/p>\n
Another designer was Hendrik P Berlage (1856-1934), who was a
\nfamous architect and promoter of good design. In 1900, he
\npresented his first glassware designs to Leerdam, but the factory
\nwas not ready for his ideas. His first three glassware services
\nwere manufactured by Pantin in France, between 1900 and 1903.
\nLater, in 1923, Berlage designed a pressed glass breakfast
\nservice for Leerdam. It had pieces that were hexagonal in shape
\nand striking milky yellow colors. His blown glass service Ovata
\n(1927) was based on the shape of the egg and was produced until
\n1940.<\/p>\n
The factory color scheme included clear crystal, amber,
\npurple, dark amethyst, black amethyst, matte black, green and
\nyellow-green, light blue and blue, and some glasses had
\niridescent or light gold-luster finishes. After 1928, brown and
\nred were added, as well as gray-violet. Leerdam commissioned
\ndesigns such as a full set of matching glasses. Such a glass
\nservice would consist of a wine decanter, a cordial decanter, a
\nwater decanter, a large and a small wineglass, a champagne glass,
\nglasses for port, cordial, liqueur, beer, water and lemonade, a
\ngreen glass for white wine, finger bowls and various dishes.<\/p>\n
Some of the artists designed for special occasions. Lanooy
\ndesigned an orange vase titled \"Orange Apple\" to celebrate queen
\n(then princess) Juliana's birthday in 1927. Later in 1938,
\nAndries Copier designed a similar vase also titled \"Orange Apple\"
\nto celebrate the birth of princess Beatrix.<\/p>\n
The most prolific designer who worked for Leerdam was Andries
\nCopier who was born in Leerdam in 1901 and lived to the age of
\n90. He studied at the Utrecht School of Graphic Art and at
\nRotterdam Academy, and he joined Leerdam in his mid-teens as a
\ntrainee glassblower.<\/p>\n
His first designs were exhibited in 1919, and his first glass
\nservice, inspired by floral shapes, was designed in 1923. Leerdam
\nvases designed by Andries Copier won first prize at the 1925
\nParis Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts. After
\na trip to the Bauhaus in the late 1920s, his shapes became more
\ngeometric and functional. In an interview some months before his
\ndeath in 1991, Copier explained his early mistakes.<\/p>\n
Drinking glasses with elegant outgoing rims forced the glass
\nblowers to make a huge bubble of which only the lower part was
\nused. These glasses slopped over easily, were very fragile and
\nimpossible to clean, and few survived. His most famous design is
\nthe wineglass \"Gilde\" from 1930 which is still in production
\ntoday, and which is considered something of a modern icon.<\/p>\n
A friend of mine proudly showed me her wineglasses and a tall
\nbut slim glass called a champagne flute.<\/p>\n
\"They were wedding presents from friends, when we got married
\nin the 1950s in the Netherlands. We treasure these glasses very
\nmuch, because they give a special distinction to our dinners.
\nUnfortunately, we don't use them very often now, because we only
\nuse them for very special occasions,\" she said with a sigh, while
\ncarefully putting the glasses away.<\/p>\n
For antique hunters, there may still be some old, unsigned
\nLeerdam pieces in glass or crystal to be found in the flea market
\non Jl. Surabaya or in antique shops now scattered all over
\nJakarta. Glasses may not come in complete sets, but a crystal
\ncheese dish with cover may be still be available. Just look for
\nthe chrysanthemum shaped cut-out on the bottom of each piece.<\/p>\n
An exposition arranged by interior architect Tom Berends at
\nErasmus Huis was opened on March 8 by Suwati Kartiwa from the
\nMinistry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. It will last until April 4
\nand features, besides the famous \"Gilde\" series by Copier
\n(mistakenly quoted as \"Pier\" in the invitations), also some of
\nthe finest glass pieces designed by contemporary Dutch artists.<\/p>\n
They show that glass too can be a medium with which artists
\ncan express their creativity esthetically. For those who want to
\nknow more about Leerdam, a prize-winning video recording about
\nwork in the glass factory by famous Dutch cineast Bert Haanstra
\nis available at the touch of a button.<\/p>",
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