A DAZZLING story that began in Syria 2000 years ago and eventually made a corner of Scotland into a renowned centre for exquisite glass art is to be revealed in a new exhibition.
It will not only feature amazingly preserved pieces of Syrian glass art but will also allude to the “bizarre” tale of how Perthshire studios became famous for their beautiful glass creations.
The exhibition will display for the first time “incredible” examples of Syrian, Egyptian, Venetian and Perthshire glass art, along with rare 19th-century glass models of sea creatures.
It is hoped it will spark a renaissance of the craft in Perth, the UK’s only Unesco City of Craft and Folk Art.
The exhibits are mostly owned by Perth and Kinross Council, with the Syrian pieces collected by Melville Gray, brother of Victorian beauty Effie Gray, who first married John Ruskin and was the lover and then wife of the painter John Millais.
Melville Gray picked up the Syrian glass art on his travels through Europe and the collection was gifted to Perth after his death.
“The Syrian material is really impressive and is between 1000 and 2000 years old,” said JP Reid, exhibitions manager for Perth and Kinross Council.
“Some of it is in amazing condition considering how old it is. A lot of it is decorated with iridescence and you can still see it.”
It is thought the Syrians were the first to discover the technique of glassblowing and their creations were traded throughout the Roman Empire.
“The point of displaying it is to show the Perthshire glass story in the context of world glass-making,” said Reid.
Perthshire’s place in the history of glass art began in the early 20th century when Spaniard Salvador Ysart travelled to Scotland and eventually began working for a Perth-based industrial glass-making firm.
In his lunch breaks, Ysart started experimenting with artistic glass work which was noted by the business owner’s wife Isobel Moncrieff who spotted a market opportunity.
“She was aware of fashionable trends so together they created a brand called Monart, making decorative vases and bowls all in the art deco style of the 1920s,” said Reid. “It was really colourful with lots of sparkles and swirls in the texture so it was eye-catching and proved very popular, selling all around the world.”
The story of Perthshire glass art continued with Ysart’s three sons who all either began studios or started working with others.
As the market grew for Perthshire glass art, apprentices joined the trade, then often went on to set up their own studios so that by the mid-20th century there were a number of glass companies, such as Monart, Vasart, Strathearn and Caithness, based in Perth and spreading out to Crieff.
Demand fell towards the end of the 20th century but there are still glass artists working in the area and some of their art will be showcased in the new exhibition, along with early 20th-century Venetian glass which was donated to Perth by the landscape artist D Y Cameron.
Also on show will be a set of sea animals crafted by 19th-century father and son glassmakers Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka.
These were made because museums of that era wanted to display natural history specimens but were unable to successfully preserve sea animals such as anemones and crustaceans. Instead, the Blaschkas made intricate models of them in glass which they exported to museums around the world.
Not many survived because they were so fragile but Perth Art Gallery has a “fantastic” collection of them.
“They are so detailed, fine and delicate,” said Reid. “Along with the other exhibits, they demonstrate the skill that goes into creating these wonderful artworks.”
He added: “The exhibition centres on a local story but it boils down to incredible examples of craftmanship. Glass is a challenging although very versatile material. It is quite an unusual art form and some of the more contemporary pieces are basically sculptural art.
“I think people will be really amazed at what you can do with glass and how detailed it can be.”
GLASS opens at Perth Art Gallery on April 4. A series of events and talks will also take place throughout the exhibition run for families and those keen to hear more about the history and design process around glass creation.
