Clutha vase by Christopher Dresser
Cloudy green glass full of bubbles and streaks, shaped like ancient vessels.
Clutha means ‘cloudy’ in Gaelic and is the old name of the River Clyde. The glass was made by James Couper & Sons of Glasgow to Dresser’s designs and sold by Liberty in London. Examples are in the Victoria and Albert Museum and Kelvingrove in Glasgow.
Materials: Green or amber glass with air bubbles, aventurine and white streaks
Manufacture: The glass was blown with deliberate bubbles and irregularities; the form was drawn out freely at the furnace.
The bubbles and streaks Dresser wanted – not flaws in the glass.
The asymmetrical, drawn-out forms inspired by Roman and Persian glass.