Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates to Auction Rare 19th and 20th Century Glass
Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates’ January 26 auction of 19th and 20th Century Glass includes the first installment from a selection of over 4,000 pieces from the late Richard “Dick” and Mary Ann Krauss of Clyde, OH. The Krauss collection, assembled over several decades, includes American art glass rarities by the Mt. Washington Glass Co., Imperial Glass Co. and Dalzell, Gilmore & Leighton Co. of Findlay, Ohio. The Mount Washington Glass Company introduced its eponymous glass in 1878, when company agent Frederick Shirley was granted three patents for the production and design of so-called Sicilian ware. The patent specifically called for lava or volcanic ash to be added to the glass batch as a flux. This glass was produced in small quantities only from 1878-1880. Modern collectors refer to this Sicilian ware as Lava glass. Most examples of Lava ware feature a black ground; however, an extremely rare vase of a rose-color ground is included in this auction. Additionally, the Krauss collection boasts a collection of Findlay (Ohio) Floradine and Onyx glass in various colors as well as fifty pieces of Amberette/Klondike. The Krauss collection also includes an outstanding 60-piece collection of the Imperial Glass Company’s Free Hand and Lead Lustre lines of art glass, produced during the 1920s. Imperial employed five Swedish immigrant glassmakers to produce this glass. Imperial’s ads boasted “Why go to Europe, to by your fancy glassware, when a short trip to our factory will enable you to secure a better variety with a smaller investment?” The company was located in Bellaire, Ohio and flourished during the heyday of the pre-depression flapper. The Evans auction also includes a few great, extremely rare examples of Phoenix glass from the Priscilla McBride collection.
