Finest glass pieces on show at Erasmus

Finest glass pieces on show at Erasmus

By Myra Sidharta

JAKARTA (JP): In 1765, two German brothers Pilgram and Meeder
decided to open a glass factory in Leerdam, a town near Rotterdam
in the Netherlands. Their first productions were green and brown
bottles, blown into cone-shaped huts.

Many bottles found their way to the Indies after they had been
filled with jenever, the alcoholic drink of the Dutch. The
factory that started with 10 glass blowers expanded gradually and
was able to celebrate its centennial, but in 1871 it was sold to
Jeekels and Mijnssen, who tried to experiment with new techniques
and materials. These experiments were not successful and in 1877
the factory changed hands again and became the "Leerdam" glass
factory.

This factory produced blown and pressed glass for tableware
from crystal, a crystal mix as well as glass. The products were
popular not only on the domestic market but also in South
America, Mexico and England. They only had limited designs of
simple forms, like tulips, eggs and balloon designs, but people
could have their own designs made to order.

It was PM Cochius who brought a new concept to manufacturing
in 1912. At the turn of the century, new visions on design were
blooming in Europe; just like art nouveau in France and
Jugendstil in Germany, there was an important idealistic movement
in the Netherlands to improve the quality of everyday design, led
by architects and furniture makers.

Shapes inspired by nature were stylized, geometrical designs
introduced and the role of ornament was reduced. This
Functionalist movement was led in the Netherlands by architect
Hendrik P Berlage. He believed that architects should not limit
themselves to designing buildings, but that they should also pay
attention to decoration, furniture and tableware.

Cochius, who wanted to make good glassware available to the
masses, tried to achieve this goal by assigning designers to
improve the designs of his products. The regular production of
generic glassware continued, but designer glassware soon became
quite popular. Trademarks were etched into glassware to identify
the designer.

The first assignment was given to KPC de Bazel. De Bazel was
an architect, theosophist and freemason who designed glassware
along "harmonious, geometrical and mystical lines" to combine
beauty and functionality. His first full set of crystalware was
produced in 1917, and he designed a number of glassware services
until his death in 1923. He was a difficult man to work with, he
only liked simple designs with minimal decoration. Moreover, his
glassware was expensive to make, fragile and very difficult to
clean.

Another designer was Hendrik P Berlage (1856-1934), who was a
famous architect and promoter of good design. In 1900, he
presented his first glassware designs to Leerdam, but the factory
was not ready for his ideas. His first three glassware services
were manufactured by Pantin in France, between 1900 and 1903.
Later, in 1923, Berlage designed a pressed glass breakfast
service for Leerdam. It had pieces that were hexagonal in shape
and striking milky yellow colors. His blown glass service Ovata
(1927) was based on the shape of the egg and was produced until
1940.

The factory color scheme included clear crystal, amber,
purple, dark amethyst, black amethyst, matte black, green and
yellow-green, light blue and blue, and some glasses had
iridescent or light gold-luster finishes. After 1928, brown and
red were added, as well as gray-violet. Leerdam commissioned
designs such as a full set of matching glasses. Such a glass
service would consist of a wine decanter, a cordial decanter, a
water decanter, a large and a small wineglass, a champagne glass,
glasses for port, cordial, liqueur, beer, water and lemonade, a
green glass for white wine, finger bowls and various dishes.

Some of the artists designed for special occasions. Lanooy
designed an orange vase titled "Orange Apple" to celebrate queen
(then princess) Juliana's birthday in 1927. Later in 1938,
Andries Copier designed a similar vase also titled "Orange Apple"
to celebrate the birth of princess Beatrix.

The most prolific designer who worked for Leerdam was Andries
Copier who was born in Leerdam in 1901 and lived to the age of
90. He studied at the Utrecht School of Graphic Art and at
Rotterdam Academy, and he joined Leerdam in his mid-teens as a
trainee glassblower.

His first designs were exhibited in 1919, and his first glass
service, inspired by floral shapes, was designed in 1923. Leerdam
vases designed by Andries Copier won first prize at the 1925
Paris Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts. After
a trip to the Bauhaus in the late 1920s, his shapes became more
geometric and functional. In an interview some months before his
death in 1991, Copier explained his early mistakes.

Drinking glasses with elegant outgoing rims forced the glass
blowers to make a huge bubble of which only the lower part was
used. These glasses slopped over easily, were very fragile and
impossible to clean, and few survived. His most famous design is
the wineglass "Gilde" from 1930 which is still in production
today, and which is considered something of a modern icon.

A friend of mine proudly showed me her wineglasses and a tall
but slim glass called a champagne flute.

"They were wedding presents from friends, when we got married
in the 1950s in the Netherlands. We treasure these glasses very
much, because they give a special distinction to our dinners.
Unfortunately, we don't use them very often now, because we only
use them for very special occasions," she said with a sigh, while
carefully putting the glasses away.

For antique hunters, there may still be some old, unsigned
Leerdam pieces in glass or crystal to be found in the flea market
on Jl. Surabaya or in antique shops now scattered all over
Jakarta. Glasses may not come in complete sets, but a crystal
cheese dish with cover may be still be available. Just look for
the chrysanthemum shaped cut-out on the bottom of each piece.

An exposition arranged by interior architect Tom Berends at
Erasmus Huis was opened on March 8 by Suwati Kartiwa from the
Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. It will last until April 4
and features, besides the famous "Gilde" series by Copier
(mistakenly quoted as "Pier" in the invitations), also some of
the finest glass pieces designed by contemporary Dutch artists.

They show that glass too can be a medium with which artists
can express their creativity esthetically. For those who want to
know more about Leerdam, a prize-winning video recording about
work in the glass factory by famous Dutch cineast Bert Haanstra
is available at the touch of a button.