Canadian Art Glass - Terminology Explained
The nomenclature of glass collecting can be expansive. These names are typically descriptors of what's observable. Some of these names are given by the glass company or artist while others are collector terminology. Typically, the names are intended to describe what's being observed, aid as a tool for attribution, or fun language to bring an extra flare. Some examples that will be detailed in this article are helpful keywords like: stretch, basket , hook & curl and spike & curl, to name a few. In this blog I will be exploring Canadian art glass terminology, collector keywords, and company interpretations.
Basket
A basket is a piece of glass that is found in the vertical plane with two arms that cross at the most upward tips. The basket will also commonly have two other smaller side arms, totaling four arms. The “arms” are essentially glass which has been pulled and can be interchanged with the term “pull”, and from here on will be referred to as pulls. Common baskets will be as described above; however, they can be found in more elaborate or rare forms depending on the extra glass elements. For example, some will have wings as the side pulls, spike elements on the sides, or side pulls that curl or twist, of course the possibilities are endless. Below you will see some examples of common baskets and some with more elevated design elements. The rarity is based on a combination of color and design, a common trend you will find throughout this tutorial on glass shapes. There are also exceptions to the common basket form with some having pulls that are full circles, or that do not cross at the tips, however the fact remains that they are in the vertical plane and are not vases therefore they fall within the basket category. Dependent on your display needs these baskets can be found in sizes ranging from 8/9" upwards to 23/24" tall, however there are some pieces outside of this range. Each of the main three Canadian vintage art glass companies had their own impression of what a basket was. This variety and artistic differences has lead to a vast array of basket forms available between the three glass houses. See examples below: EDAG two pull and four pull basket, Chalet two pull and four pull basket, Lorraine antler basket, and Lorraine bat-wing basket.
EDAG
Chalet
Lorraine Glass Industries
Stretch
When it comes to Canadian art glass the terminology "stretch" refers to any piece that is found in the horizontal plane and will have four pulls. The two longest pulls are stretched to lengths ranging from 9" to 34" long. The two smaller side pulls are usually pulled out and upwards and do not add much length to the overall piece, but they may provide height. A common stretch will have simple pulls, see the example below. More unique pieces will have added elements, mainly to the two side pulls, like wings, twists, fingers etc. There are also some rare cases where the two main pulls may have extra features like; slight twists, full twists and so on. Some variations have been found with 6 or 8 pull/points.
Using the word stretch to define the final horizontal shape of a piece of glass was a fairly interesting choice. This is because stretch glass has many different meanings. Stretch glass encompasses time, period, technique and is geographically linked as highlighted in this article: www.glassencyclopedia.com; however, if you use stretch glass as a keyword search in any online reseller platform like eBay or Etsy you'll get limitless variety produced from countries all over the world.
EDAG
Lorraine Glass Industries
Chalet
Gondola
A gondola, like a stretch, is found in the horizontal plane, however it does not have side pulls. The gondola’s body will bow out slightly and narrow as it approaches either end. Now imagine being pushed along in a Gondola in Venice Italy all while the Gondolier romances you with what sounds like the same word repeated, "Vetro Murano", and you cannot get enough of it. The glass gondola is a rendition of this popular Venitian boat. They can be found in single colours, with a rim of colour, or in two-tones. The gondola rarely has extra design elements, however there are a few with crimped edges, or the ends may point upwards or downwards to add an extra design flare.
EDAG
Chalet
Spike & Curl and Hook & Curl
Everybody from new collectors, long time collector, and the people in between get confused between a spike & curl and a hook & curl. In its most basic form a spike & curl will always have three curls and a hook meanwhile a hook & curl will have only one curl and one hook. So what is a hook and what is a curl? A hook is a pull that will be higher than the curls and will pull to the highest point with a slight bend. A curl is a pull that is stretched and curls inwards. There are also some less common forms of a hook & curl that have, 1 hook, 1 curl and two side pulls.
So what separates them ? Well, its the quantity of curls, just remember a spike and curl has 3 curls!
Spike & Curl
Hook & Curl
Platter
A platter is exactly as you would expect from the name, a dish like piece sitting on a base used to hold items. Usually they are used to hold fruits or vegetables but have been used as more of a catch-all these days. Or as in most Italian immigrants homes they can be found housing glass fruits, vegetables or candies. The platters can be shallow , deep, rectangular, oval or round. In the instance of Chalet platters they are more irregular in shape since the most common one is the finger platter. They also produced bowls with swirl bases which can be considered a platter in terms of utility. They are often found with damage since they were viewed as a utility piece very seldom left empty.
With all this being considered differences in design elements exist, like: applied/ribbons of colour to rim, dimples or vertical pulls. They can also be found in a more stretched version, being pulled longer and narrow. Since its design is intended for all purpose storage which doubles as decoration these pieces tend to be bigger. Some of the larger platters I’ve owned have been as big as 23" by 13" however, smaller “mini” versions exist which are approximately 10/11" long by 6/7" wide.
In summary, platters are generally large enough to store fruits and vegetables in. Artistic freedom and differences in company designs produced wildly different perspectives.
EDAG
Chalet
Lorraine Glass Ind.
Vases
A vase is in the vertical plane and will have a deep enough pocket to hold items like flowers, although they can sometimes be shallow. The vase can have many design elements on the body, tips, and base of the piece. The vase forms are not as readily found and even the ones with few details will be sought after. The lack of vases could be due to their high functionality, many are found with water staining from use. The more the glass pieces were utilized the higher the likelihood of damage or breakage.
There are specific names given to specific forms such as Fazzoletto (Hanker chief), Flower top or Spike vases
EDAG Chalet Lorraine Glass Ind.
Collector Keywords or Defining Words
Name of Feature | Definition | Examples |
Basket | A basket is a vertical piece with two elongated pulls that cross each other. Names: Antler Basket, Batwing Basket, Punker Basket. |  |
Stretch | A stretch is a horizontal piece that has four pulls. Two horizontal pulls and two vertical. Names: Antler Stretch, 6 / 8 point stretch | |
Gondola | A gondola is a horizontal piece of glass with two pulls. The glass is intended to resemble the Gondolas of Venice. Design differences between Canadian and Murano Gondolas exist; the main similarity is a trough like cavity combining utility & art. |  |
Perforato | A tool is used to create a perforation (hole) into the glass. The perforation is then stretched into the shape the artist or company intends. Perforato means perforation in Italian. At times you'll read the shortened version Forato meaning the same. |  |
Spike & Curl | A spike & curl is a vertical piece which has one elongated pull (spike) and three shorter pulls that curl. The defining feature here how there are three curls. | |
Hook & Curl | A hook & curl is a vertical piece which has one elongated pull(hook) and one pull that curls. The defining feature here is one curl that's on the opposing side of the hook. | |
Platter | Generally long and wide enough to store fruits and vegetables in. Artistic freedom and differences in company designs produced wildly different perspectives. It can be found with three elongated pulls (Chalet finger) or rectangular/oval bowls(EDAG) | |
Antler Stretch | An antler stretch is a specific form of stretch. Its a horizontal piece which has pulls which resemble an antler. Variations include: Antler with a shearing on one side forming an additional point, or, finger / antler variation. |  |
Antler Basket | An antler basket is a specific form of basket. This basket will have extra pulls creating an antler effect. See the example to the right, the two short side pulls have points. The long arm pulls also have an extra point. | |
Arm or neck | An arm or a neck are the long fragile pulls on a centerpiece, vase or figurine. People tend to use these fragile thin pulls to lift up art glass. The arm of a basket, the neck of a bird are not handles and cannot support the weight of the piece. Do not hold art glass by its arm or neck. | N/A |
Base | The bottom of the piece and its designed elements which provide stability. The base also includes the underside. Generically the first two or three inches from the ground up. Examples of use: Scratches near base, chip to base, or pontil mark on base. | N/A |
Body | Body of the piece is between the base and the top/rim. Examples of use: Bite to body, impact wound to body. | N/A |
Top or Rim | The top or rim would be when the design elements begin forming the top of the piece. Examples of use: flower top vase, antler top vase, rimmed bird, chip to rim. | N/A |
Pull(s) | A pull is when an artist pinches and elongates molten glass. Example: a four pull basket that has two long pulls that cross and two short side pulls. | N/A |
Point(s) | Points are often used to describe the most fragile pulls of glass. The term points can assist in describing a form. Three point vase, 6 or 8 point stretch | N/A |
Fazoletto | Fazoletto is the Italian word for handkerchief and refers to a vase that's been worked to the point where the artist swings the ponti, fanning it in a circular motion. This creates a crumpled handkerchief design |  |
Toe/Toes | Tooled or molded base extensions designed to increase the stability of the piece. Base style with extremities resembling toes. |  |
Finger | Finger refers to a design feature which resembles a finger. EDAG and Chalet produced various forms which collectors tend to refer to as finger, for example: Finger Vase, Finger Platter, Finger Stretch, Finger Gondola |  |
Vase | A vase is in the vertical plane and will have a deep enough pocket to hold items like flowers, although they can sometimes be shallow. The vase can have many design elements on the body, tips, and base of the piece. The vase forms are not as readily found and even the ones with few details will be sought after. The lack of vases could be due to their high functionality, many are found with water staining from use. The more the glass pieces were utilized the higher the likelihood of damage or breakage. | |
