We gather from the ancient writers on glass-making, that the workers in
the article had, at a very early period, arrived at so great a degree
of proficiency and skill as to more than rival, even before the period
of the Christian era, anything within the range of more modern art. The
numerous specimens of their workmanship, still preserved in the public
institutions of Europe, and in the cabinets of the curious, prove that
the art of combining, coloring, gilding, and engraving glass was
perfected by the ancients. Indeed, in fancy coloring, mosaic, and mock
gems or precious stones, the art of the ancients has never been
excelled. Among the numerous specimens it is remarkable that all
vessels are round; none of ancient date are yet found of any other
form. And no specimen of crystal glass of ancient date has yet been
found.
Among the numerous antiques yet preserved, the "Portland Vase" must
hold the first place. Pellat, in his work on the incrustation of glass,
states: "The most celebrated antique glass vase is that which was
during more than two centuries the principal ornament of the Barberini
Palace, and which is now known as the 'Portland Vase.' It was found
about the middle of the sixteenth century, enclosed in a marble
sarcophagus within a sepulchral chamber, under the Monte del Garno, two
and a half miles from Rome, in the road to Frascati. It is ornamented
with white opaque figures in bas-relief upon a dark blue transparent
ground. The subject has not heretofore received a satisfactory
elucidation, but the design and more especially the execution are
admirable. The whole of the blue ground, or at least the part below the
handles, must have originally been covered with white enamel, out of
which the figures have been sculptured in the style of a cameo, with
most astonishing skill and labor." The estimation in which the ancient
specimens of glass were held, is demonstrated by the fact that the
Duchess of Portland became the purchaser of the celebrated vase which
bears her name, at a price exceeding nine thousand dollars, and bore
away the prize from numerous competitors. The late Mr. Wedgwood was
permitted to take a mould from the vase, at a cost of twenty-five
hundred dollars, and he disposed of many copies, in his rich china, at
a price of two hundred and fifty dollars each.
The next specimen of importance is the vase exhumed at Pompeii in 1839,
which is now at the Museum at Naples. It is about twelve inches high,
eight inches in width, and of the same style of manufacture with the
"Portland Vase." It is covered with figures in bas-relief raised out of
a delicate white opaque glass, overlaying a transparent dark blue
ground, the figures being executed in the style of cameo engraving. To
effect this, the manufacturer must have possessed the art of coating a
body of transparent blue glass with an equal thickness of enamel or
opal-colored glass. The difficulty of tempering the two bodies of glass
with different specific gravities, in order that they may stand the
work of the sculptor, is well known by modern glass-makers. This
specimen is considered by some to be the work of Roman artists; by
others it is thought to be of the Grecian school. As a work of art it
ranks next to the "Portland Vase," and the figures and foliage, all
elegant and expressive, and representative of the season of harvest,
demonstrate most fully the great artistic merit of the designer.