Mask
c. 1890 - 1895 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This mask was made when pâte de verre (glass paste) was a new technique. César Isidore Henry Cros (1840-1907) first used moulded powdered coloured glass when he was trying to make small-scale coloured sculptures like those of Ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt. He was fascinated by the ancient world, spoke both Greek and Latin, and used images, such as this classical-style face, in many of his works.
Cros produced his first pâte de verre in workshops at home. In 1891 he was offered a spare kiln at the Sèvres National Manufactory, where this mask was probably made. Cros was a very private man who kept his techniques a closely guarded secret. He nevertheless influenced a generation of glass makers who worked with pâte de verre and other forms of glass paste.
Cros produced his first pâte de verre in workshops at home. In 1891 he was offered a spare kiln at the Sèvres National Manufactory, where this mask was probably made. Cros was a very private man who kept his techniques a closely guarded secret. He nevertheless influenced a generation of glass makers who worked with pâte de verre and other forms of glass paste.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Pâte-de-verre (glass paste), enamels |
| Brief description | Pâte-de-verre mask, by Henry Cros, Sèvres, c. 1890-1895 |
| Physical description | Henry Cros was much influenced by the ancient world and used images, such as this classical-style face, in many of his works. In an attempt to make coloured sculptures and reliefs like the ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians, he developed an entirely new technique of moulding coloured glass pastes called pâte-de-verre. This object is made in a mould using the pâte-de-verre technique, with coloured enamels. |
| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Cros' (Makers's mark painted (possibly in enamel)) |
| Gallery label | César Isidore Henry Cros (1840-1907) experimented and produced his first pâte-de-verre in workshops at home. In 1891 he was offered a spare kiln at the Sèvres National Manufactory where this mask was probably made. Cros was fascinated by the ancient world, was proficient in both Greek and Latin and in his art used images like this classical-style face in many of his works. He studied ancient art techniques including that of the Egyptians in glass making. In his attempts to make small-scale coloured sculpture his researches led him to the development of pâte-de-verre, a method of producing moulded works in powdered glass with metallic oxides for colouring. An extremely private man who kept his techniques a closely guarded secret he was, nevertheless, very influential. After him came a generation of glass makers in pâte-de-verre and other forms of 'glass paste' including his own son, Jean, and Albert-Louis Dammouse, also working at Sèvres. |
| Credit line | Given by Victor Arwas |
| Summary | This mask was made when pâte de verre (glass paste) was a new technique. César Isidore Henry Cros (1840-1907) first used moulded powdered coloured glass when he was trying to make small-scale coloured sculptures like those of Ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt. He was fascinated by the ancient world, spoke both Greek and Latin, and used images, such as this classical-style face, in many of his works. Cros produced his first pâte de verre in workshops at home. In 1891 he was offered a spare kiln at the Sèvres National Manufactory, where this mask was probably made. Cros was a very private man who kept his techniques a closely guarded secret. He nevertheless influenced a generation of glass makers who worked with pâte de verre and other forms of glass paste. |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Other number | 9516 - Glass gallery number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.56-1992 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | December 13, 1997 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
