Form + Function

On the long list of items at the fair to covet: a Hartford County Connecticut blown glass pitcher in a beautiful shade of medium emerald green presented by Jeff and Holly Noordsy, the fair's glass experts.

The pitcher is in perfect condition and stands 7” tall. A similar pitcher is in the collection of the Toledo Museum of Art and is featured in “American Glass: 1760-1930” by Kenneth Wilson. The perfect union of form + function!

I have enlisted the help of Jeff Noordsy to explain a little about the history and importance of glass as a collectible:

Glass was a major collecting focus from the 1920's through the 1950s and most, if not all of the pioneer Americana collectors like Dupont, Ford, and Garvan thought of early American glass as an integral part of their collecting vision. Over the past several decades however, the collecting of early glass has become more specialized and there are fewer Americana dealers and collectors who have knowledge of the topic. Fortunately, some of the Americana dealers who retain knowledge of the category are among the country's best, including Peter Tillou, David Good and Gary Stradling.

Interestingly, we have had lots of interest in some of the simpler glass forms such as the chestnut glass bottles from modern art collectors who appreciate the simplicity and organic nature of the forms. We'll be displaying glass in large groups this year and utilizing some new to us display techniques as a means of showing folks how than can integrate this category into a modern setting.