Abler's Art Glass studio in Wisconsin, USA still hand blows their glass ornaments. I was captivated as a child watching them blow glass with the pipe and the oven. A wonderful small business to support.
Oh my goodness! What a beautiful and fascinating video. Thank you Becky for your knowledge and expertise on this piece of Christmas history. Love it, so happy to have the V & A channel 🎉
It was fascinating to hear about this spectacular craft! The skill & talents required to create these was incredible!! Also, great photos of the craftsmen & younger child(a boy), too bad they didn’t show the women as well. These baubles bring back great holiday memories!!
This is my first viewing of this delightful lady and her expertise of the creative and gifted glass blower and artists. Very well presented and lovely to watch. Thank you
So interesting to hear about the process. My maternal grandmother's people were from Germany (though her father was born in New Jersey in 1863), and I inherited some very special glass ornaments. Several are thick glass, probably made in a mold, with a magenta/red shiny paint on the inside. The shape resembles a nut, like a pecan or acorn. The metal cap piece that attaches to the hook loop is heavier that what we normally see, and is embossed with a pattern. I'm wondering of they might have been made in "Bohemia", as that area is also famous for high quality artistic glass. Ever since I was a kid, that was my favorite ornament.
I have a lot of old ones from my grandmothers and mums family and childhood one from pervious Christmases gone by, we also ordered German and Estonian glass and tin ones of all kinds simply stunning from shishi.
How exquisite! If they were on display if possible instead of in a container it would be nice but thanks for showing on video for enjoyment and history and beautiful artworks!
I would love to learn this craft but very hard to find a workshop in the UK specifically like the German and Polish ornaments. Thank you for this video
Love the stories and the chronology of workmanship! But I was a little surprised (and dare I say, disappointed) that all of the examples were from when I, the last of the Gen Xers, was in high school. Would have loved to see earlier, and more original examples. I really expected these to be 60s, at least, if not earlier. I refuse to believe that I am old enough for things from my teen years to be museum worthy.
the Tree Top was not blown in a mold, it was blown freehand. the artist will heat part of the cane and then blow out the first ball, press in the "indent" then heat another part of the cane, blow the next ball, then heat the top of the cane, blow the final ball and pull (stretch) it up to create the top.
It's been practise for a very long time. With cultural value it's not the age relative to the constantly progressing time that's the point, but the craft and examples of rare technique. If treated right these will be in pristine condition in the 2090's at which point they will be official antiques (100 years signifing time passed for vintage to become exactly that). By then it's not unlikely this technique will be a valuable craft of the past. Although people still have glass baubles moat of them are the post war tech described unless you have collections from the past, and plastics are everywhere these days. Sadly. It's a reasonable alternative for families with toddlers and cats, but now everyone wants cheap and a new "theme" or color every year. To me it takes all the magic out of the tree but to each their own obviously. Happy Holidays!
Enjoyable but my Nanna's collection of vintage glass ornaments and tree topper were easily as impressive if not more, all dated from the 1950's and earlier..
Am always surprised that precious textile and antique items' preservationists don't wear masks when speaking while working on pieces. EVERY time a person speaks there is ALWAYS microscopic and even larger spit expelled. Particularly on textiles this spit ABSOLUTELY causes damage (rot and degradation of fibers).
I was disappointed in the ‘92 frosty manger ornament - all that expertise put into such a basic image? I was expecting something more grand and ornate, with TONS of detail - and then I see this basic stock-art looking image with snow
Was so looking forward to watching this... but those bright blue gloves are so overpoweringly distracting and glaring, it was real work to keep concentration on the actual object and the information being shared. Bright blue gloves. I mean... really.
Becky is an amazing story teller, I would listen to her forever! Thank you for yet another great episode, V&A!
I just knew these had to be Krebs Glas Lauscha baubles, I am so proud of the beautiful art culture we have in Germany. 😊
The crystallizing finish of the violet one is so pretty.
More of these videos for Christmas please!!!! I love these!!!
Yes more please!🎄❄️
Abler's Art Glass studio in Wisconsin, USA still hand blows their glass ornaments. I was captivated as a child watching them blow glass with the pipe and the oven. A wonderful small business to support.
Wonderful! Those “baubles” are gems! Thank you for sharing this amazing art! I enjoyed listening to Becky’s storytelling as well! 💜🎄👏🏻
The presenting, the editing, the bloopers - brilliant!
Oh my goodness! What a beautiful and fascinating video. Thank you Becky for your knowledge and expertise on this piece of Christmas history. Love it, so happy to have the V & A channel 🎉
My mum had several of these on our tree in the 60’s when I could remember. They are gorgeous to see every Christmas, even now very stunning baubles.
I loved the purple one and the tree topper!
It was fascinating to hear about this spectacular craft! The skill & talents required to create these was incredible!! Also, great photos of the craftsmen & younger child(a boy), too bad they didn’t show the women as well. These baubles bring back great holiday memories!!
Wow! Who knew? I would like just one of those please. What an art. Those little baubles are unbelievable. So many craftsman to just make one.
This is my first viewing of this delightful lady and her expertise of the creative and gifted glass blower and artists. Very well presented and lovely to watch. Thank you
Beautiful especially the mauve bauble
wonderful hearing how these ornaments were made ❄️🎄🖌️
Thank you so much! Could we see some of the Christmas ornaments from Queen Victoria's family tree?
Such a skill and artistic creative imagination used to make these thin glassed hand made “baubles” 😄👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏😊👍👍🎄
So interesting to hear about the process. My maternal grandmother's people were from Germany (though her father was born in New Jersey in 1863), and I inherited some very special glass ornaments. Several are thick glass, probably made in a mold, with a magenta/red shiny paint on the inside. The shape resembles a nut, like a pecan or acorn. The metal cap piece that attaches to the hook loop is heavier that what we normally see, and is embossed with a pattern. I'm wondering of they might have been made in "Bohemia", as that area is also famous for high quality artistic glass. Ever since I was a kid, that was my favorite ornament.
Fascinating and delightful. Thank you for sharing this art.
Wow these are incredibly beautiful, and Becky is such an insightful, great teacher!
I'm sorry, but the fact that ornaments from the 90s are in a museum is bizarre. We aren't THAT old, are we? 😅
I think it’s just meant to be an example of the styles that could be produced. One from the 90’s era was probably just easier to obtain!
Wow cool. I don’t really celebrate Christmas but still cool to see
We have so many of these, including a few spires, in our family -- most of which date from the 1960s.
Amazing video and storytelling ❤❤
I have a lot of old ones from my grandmothers and mums family and childhood one from pervious Christmases gone by, we also ordered German and Estonian glass and tin ones of all kinds simply stunning from shishi.
Thank you for your story. Made me smile
so beautiful!
Delightful video for Christmas, Thank you.
I looooove baubles so much
Amazing❤
Beautifully presented.xx
Beautiful ornaments
I hope sometime you will have the opportunity to come to Corning and view the collection at the Corning Museum of Glass.
So pretty.
Wonderful font of information.
How exquisite! If they were on display if possible instead of in a container it would be nice but thanks for showing on video for enjoyment and history and beautiful artworks!
Lovely video!
lovely
She is so knowledgeable, I wonder how all the technicians learn this stuff
I would love to learn this craft but very hard to find a workshop in the UK specifically like the German and Polish ornaments. Thank you for this video
I thought these were going to be antique baubles.
Has Uri geller watched this ? Corroding glas with your fingertips 😂
I miss my German ornaments. They all broke in a move I did to another state.
You can still order from Lauscha directly; hey have huge selections to choose from.
Nice to hear someone is keeping this usless crap safe
❤️❤️❤️
Interestingly enough in the USSR they had almost all of these designs.
"Do not try to have these at home, if there's also a cat involved" the two don't go together. 🤣
How much for the box of them?£
🎅🏻❤️🎄
Love the stories and the chronology of workmanship! But I was a little surprised (and dare I say, disappointed) that all of the examples were from when I, the last of the Gen Xers, was in high school. Would have loved to see earlier, and more original examples. I really expected these to be 60s, at least, if not earlier. I refuse to believe that I am old enough for things from my teen years to be museum worthy.
Lovely fragile glass ornaments, but is that paint or magic marker indelibly pressed into the fibers of that lovely wicker basket? ☹️
the Tree Top was not blown in a mold, it was blown freehand. the artist will heat part of the cane and then blow out the first ball, press in the "indent" then heat another part of the cane, blow the next ball, then heat the top of the cane, blow the final ball and pull (stretch) it up to create the top.
I love that other countries call them baubles and in the US we simply call the spherical ones BALLS
Very interesting. Very strange to have items from the 1990s treated like relic. I have glass ornaments older and I’ve touched them for years. Oops?
Same, and ours are from the 1960s.
It's been practise for a very long time. With cultural value it's not the age relative to the constantly progressing time that's the point, but the craft and examples of rare technique. If treated right these will be in pristine condition in the 2090's at which point they will be official antiques (100 years signifing time passed for vintage to become exactly that). By then it's not unlikely this technique will be a valuable craft of the past.
Although people still have glass baubles moat of them are the post war tech described unless you have collections from the past, and plastics are everywhere these days. Sadly. It's a reasonable alternative for families with toddlers and cats, but now everyone wants cheap and a new "theme" or color every year. To me it takes all the magic out of the tree but to each their own obviously. Happy Holidays!
Yeah I was waiting for the 1960s ones...
Well I scrolled through.
Pretty disappointed to see they were all from the '90s
I have a few from my grandmother's childhood tree in the 20's! They're amazing and I i treasure them ❤🥹
All only from the 1990s?
Becky looks like the vocalist here on TH-cam
The greatest christmas baubles are from Czech republic....HAN design
Enjoyable but my Nanna's collection of vintage glass ornaments and tree topper were easily as impressive if not more, all dated from the 1950's and earlier..
I keep my baubles in normal tissue paper 😱
This would also be ASMR if you released a version without music (please!)
we have a few survivors from the 1940s
Treating things that were made in the 1990s as museum pieces is deeply troubling.
As a Gen-X person, Ouch!!!😊
Am always surprised that precious textile and antique items' preservationists don't wear masks when speaking while working on pieces. EVERY time a person speaks there is ALWAYS microscopic and even larger spit expelled. Particularly on textiles this spit ABSOLUTELY causes damage (rot and degradation of fibers).
Not very special or interesting examples - I have better on my tree, and they're all from charity shops...
I was disappointed in the ‘92 frosty manger ornament - all that expertise put into such a basic image? I was expecting something more grand and ornate, with TONS of detail - and then I see this basic stock-art looking image with snow
Why is the v&a showing modern ornaments and not rare antiques?!
Because art comes from all different eras?
Alas, they are blown and glittered with great skill and hours of work, and still uglier than tin.
Was so looking forward to watching this... but those bright blue gloves are so overpoweringly distracting and glaring, it was real work to keep concentration on the actual object and the information being shared.
Bright blue gloves. I mean... really.
That's your complaint?! You sound incredibly picky
What gloves do you suggest? Stretchy disposable gloves don't really come in other colours.