Rare & Important Frederick Carder Cire Perdue Glass Grotesque Heads Vase, circa 1937 5 inches (12.7 cm) PROVENANCE: Collection of Robert F. Rockwell, Jr. LITERATURE: T. P. Dimitroff, Frederick Carder and Steuben Glass: American Classics, 1998, p. 109, fig. 4.163 (similar example of Grotesque Head motif). Even after his official retirement from Steuben at the age of 70, Fredrick Carder continued to experiment and produce works in glass, including his truly one-of-a-kind pieces made through the Cire Perdue (lost wax) technique. For Carder, a lifetime devotee to the medium of glass, these works held a special significance. To quote, "Anything of Cire Perdue is purely and simply Frederick Carder. I not only designed them, I modeled them in plaster, in plastelene, cast them in plaster and then in wax and did the entire process myself. All that was my own work." While he did sell some of his Cire Perdue works (at very low prices), Carder did not produce them for financial gain and was well-known to give pieces away to visitors. Carder’s Cire Perdue body of work can be seen as one long experiment - most were not fully completed or were later re-purposed, as Carder sought to perfect his process. Because the original model was not destroyed in the casting, certain motifs could be used in multiple pieces. The grotesque head seen here can be found on several other works, including a handle originally in the collection of Robert J. Rockwell, Jr. Reminiscent of Renaissance grotesques and Classical masks, this motif was no doubt influenced by his lifelong studies of antiquity and his early sculpting and cameo work for John Northwood and Stevens & Williams. This vase is a striking encapsulation of a long and prestigious career, and is a testament to Carder’s lifelong devotion to his craft. Property from an Important Private Collection of Steuben Glass, Waco, Texas HID03101062020 © 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

Colorless glass vase produced through the cire perdue (lost wax) by Frederick Carder in his studio at the Corning Glass Works. Several minor chips to foot. Free from cracks or restoration. Later pencil notation to the underside reads RFRII.
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