The book goes into detail in small sections on the glass in Russia during 1842 and earlier.
There are a number of references.
Firstly, discussing the quality of the 'earlier' looking glass mirrors in the Taurian Palace and remarking on the poor quality and waves in the mirrors when seen close up. It refers to those as dating' from the old times of Petersburg glass manufacture'. Then again later in the book where he comments that there has been replacement looking glass put in to the palace and discusses again the poor quality of the original glass but goes on to remark on the very good quality of the new replacement glass in comparison to the original mirrors still left in there 'and,on comparing them with more recent productions, you see what advances have since been made.'
Secondly the book talks in some detail about the crystal eggs produced in the imperial (sic) manufactury in presumably 1842 when the book was written.
There is a description of glass easter eggs saying they are given by people to each other at Easter and describing them as ‘a peculiar interest’ and ‘the many thousand crystal eggs of all colours, polished to the highest degree that art can attain, with which the Russians present one another at Easter.’
It describes the ‘establishment for grinding glass’ as ‘perhaps the largest of the kind in the world’ as says there were no fewer than 300 people working in it. (note, when he talks about the establishment for grinding glass I believe he is referring to the number of people in the grinding department alone within the Imperial Manufactory, not number of people in the whole factory)
Further on he gives another description of the glass eggs being decorated engraved with flowers and figures and some of them being made for the Imperial family to give to grandees. It says the grandees often received a number of these eggs so gave them away again and passed them onto others at succeeding easters.
Directly under these paragraphs and descriptions of the glass eggs, he mentions very briefly the porcelain eggs and how they are not to be outdone by the glass eggs and are painted and decorated and hung with ribbon. He notes specifically here that anyone can buy them.
That's it. No more on the porcelain eggs, much more descriptive on the glass eggs interestingly.
Topic: 18th century gilded engraved monogrammed miniature egg Russian - help please (Read 6052 times)
