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Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => Germany => Topic started by: David E on February 13, 2006, 11:40:26 AM

Title: Bavarian: Union Glashütte and "Filiglan" glassware
Post by: David E on February 13, 2006, 11:40:26 AM
I'm trying to track down information on a Bavarian company called 'Union Glashütte'. I believe they created a range of flat, bent glassware, similar to that produced by Chance, under the tradename 'Filiglan' or 'Filigran' :?:

Anne actually found what I believe is an example of this:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7389775746&fromMakeTrack=true

I managed to get this much from Ivo's book and after speaking to Michael Joseph (owner of Fiesta Glass Ltd and Midland Industrial Glass), but believe they were still trading up until around 1980.

Any help on this company would be much appreciated.
Title: Bavarian: Union Glashütte and "Filiglan" glassware
Post by: chopin-liszt on February 13, 2006, 12:44:04 PM
:D :shock: :D

It's the lace one I said I'd found, with a label - Filigranglas, Made in W. Germany. Label is oval, yellow, with gold border and print, the logo is parallelogram witha circle superimposed.


Mine has a frilly edge, but it's in flat sections with points rather than wavy. The lace pattern is the same.

 :D 8) :D Michael will buy a new camera, no need for a fund for me. I just need to be patient and not nag. Things get done eventually. For example - new kitchen being put in, me designing, producing and directing, everything exactly as I want (last night he even said, "Paint anything you like and I'll buy it for you!" - I think he meant "Pick any paint you like, and I'll buy it for you!", but I was excited for a few moments!).
It's only taken 14 years to get around to it! :P
Title: Bavarian: Union Glashütte and "Filiglan" glassware
Post by: David E on February 13, 2006, 12:49:47 PM
Thanks Sue, I do remember this. There are a lot of similarities with Chance, and a photo will help :roll:  :)

Quote
Michael will buy a new camera, no need for a fund for me. I just need to be patient and not nag.

I can do nagging :lol:

Anyway, with the new camera you'll be able to show us photos of your new kitchen :D
Title: Bavarian: Union Glashütte and "Filiglan" glassware
Post by: Ivo on February 13, 2006, 01:58:54 PM
would be interesting to see a full list of the Bent glass license holders. The Dutch one was called "Flamingo Halfweg" and allegedly went under in 1967.

I have not come across Union Glashütte (other than a famous watch model from Glashütte the watch makers) in Bavaria and would sooner think the company was a "Glasveredlung" (glass decoration) or "Glaswerk" (glass maker) rather than "Glasshütte" (manufacturer of glass). If they were a primary glass manufacturer they would have shown up in the registers.

The Union Glashütte you found in Weisswasser did not survive the war, and would be in the GDR, not in West Germany.  

One company who did make screened float items was Glaswerk Olbernhau (GDR, not west) between 1970 and 1986.
Title: Bavarian: Union Glashütte and "Filiglan" glassware
Post by: David E on February 13, 2006, 03:51:25 PM
Thanks Ivo.

It's interesting what you say; I wonder then, who supplied the blanks for them to decorate? I don't think it was Chance.

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would be interesting to see a full list of the Bent glass license holders. The Dutch one was called "Flamingo Halfweg" and allegedly went under in 1967.

Can you elaborate on what you mean by "license holders". I assumed slumped/bent glass making was a standard sheet glass production method and wouldn't have been a licensed process.

But I will try to find as much as possible and it might be information Michael Joseph can provide. He has already mentioned the following (please note the spellings may be incorrect as it was a phone conversation):

Union/Filigran - (W.) Germany
Seratic - Australia

Additionally, he was aware of another in Osaka, Japan, and I already know of Houze in USA. I think there's another in the US that recently went under as well - c.2002.
Title: Bavarian: Union Glashütte and "Filiglan" glassware
Post by: Della on February 13, 2006, 05:11:33 PM
All I can find is;
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Filigran is the name of a series of glass items, which are designed and decorated by the Danish designer Lin Utzon for Rosendahl
Title: Bavarian: Union Glashütte and "Filiglan" glassware
Post by: David E on February 13, 2006, 05:13:33 PM
Della, I found that as well, but don't think it's related.
Title: Bavarian: Union Glashütte and "Filiglan" glassware
Post by: Della on February 13, 2006, 05:18:26 PM
I wasn't sure, I was just going off what Sue M. said that the label said.
I only came up with the other one that you also found, which Ivo discounted already.
I will carry on looking though.
Title: Bavarian: Union Glashütte and "Filiglan" glassware
Post by: Anne on February 13, 2006, 08:33:51 PM
David, my early Chance is Filigranglas! Look a labelled example with the same design as mine! :shock:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7388301968
http://www.encill.abelalways.co.uk/glassy-eye/photos/british/chance/pattern_other/early_fiesta.jpg
Title: Bavarian: Union Glashütte and "Filiglan" glassware
Post by: Della on February 13, 2006, 09:06:41 PM
My German is terrible, but I do have a dictionary. Pamela is probably better at answering for sure, but I don't think Filigran is a manufacturer, because it means:
embellish with filigree, decorate with lacy decorative work done in gold or other metals.
Title: Bavarian: Union Glashütte and "Filiglan" glassware
Post by: Ivo on February 13, 2006, 09:40:56 PM
I was under the impression that the machinery for screening lace patterns onto float glass was a package deal supplied by the US Bent Glass Co.,  complete with sample designs. I am also fairly certain that pieces with identical decoration originated in different countries. The raw material for production is float glass, hence the association of Chance with Pilkington
Title: Bavarian: Union Glashütte and "Filiglan" glassware
Post by: Anne on February 13, 2006, 10:10:42 PM
One current bent glass maker: http://behrenbergglass.com/
Title: Bavarian: Union Glashütte and "Filiglan" glassware
Post by: chopin-liszt on February 14, 2006, 09:04:25 AM
:D:D:D

If you look at the frilly bits on the ebay plate, you'll see what I meant by being flat with points rather than wavy!  :D

 :D We really do seem to be getting places with all this, David! :D
Title: Bavarian: Union Glashütte and "Filiglan" glassware
Post by: David E on February 14, 2006, 11:24:20 AM
Thanks for the updates, Sue and Anne – we'll crack this yet :)

Ivo, this has put a different slant on my thoughts about screen-printed glass as I wasn't aware of the associations with US Bent Glass: if the same designs came from different manufacturers is it also possible the blank glass shapes could have been sourced from a different supplier? :shock:

As Chance were producing many diverse designs, I assume they created their own screen-printing process? Semi-rhetorical question...

I do have one query though: as float glass was introduced in 1959 by Pilkingtons, the first Fiestaware by Chance (c.1951) would have been rolled sheet glass. However, I'm not aware that Chance did move over from rolled sheet to float glass at any time, but will try to find this out.
Title: Bavarian: Union Glashütte and "Filiglan" glassware
Post by: Ivo on February 14, 2006, 12:14:07 PM
I have no idea what the precise manufacturing process entails, but I have always assumed the starting material was flat glass which is fed into a machine and the printed and cut-to-size item comes out at the other end - printing, cutting and press forming in one single operation, possibly followed by annealing and edge polishing  But then, I used to work in metalforming machine tools so I may be assuming too much here.
It should not make much difference if you use cylinder glass, rolled sheet or float for this. I always assumed it was float because of the greenish tinge in many of these items.