1 Danny Lane

MALLETT Danny Lane

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An exhibition at Bourdon House 2 Davies Street London W1 28 th April - 22nd May 1999

141 New Bond Street London W1 Bourdon House 2 Davies Street London W1

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SPLIT WALL Post t ens ioned glass scu lp ture . Layered 12mm f l oa t glass scu lp tu re w i t h a greenish hue. Cons t ruc ted w i t h carved edges to bu i l d the p ro f i l e o f a h igh l y scu lp ted o p e n i n g t h r o u g h an o the rw ise so l id glass wa l l .

Danny Lane 1998 He igh t : 7 8 i n (198cm) , w i d t h : 5 5 m (139cm) , dep th : 8 in ( 2 0 c m )

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In October 1 9 9 8 , a new showroom in M a l l e t t a t Bourdon H o u s e was near ing complet ion. T h e room, now known as

the Great Room on a c c o u n t of its massive h e i g h t and d o u b l e c u b e d proport ions, needed a very specia l

event to celebrate its add i t ion to th is well known G e o r g i a n bu i ld ing . BREAKING TRADITION was conceived as

a truly ' spark l ing ' exhib i t ion, c o m b i n i n g remarkable g l a s s furniture both of the past and of today.

Mal lett was founded in 1 8 6 5 , before any of the items in this c a t a l o g u e were made. So why is one of the most

f a m o u s ant ique shops in the wor ld concern ing itself with such a show? We here at Mal lett are pr iv i leged to

g o into many f ine private houses, as well as the museums of the world, and often we have seen such juxta-

pos i t ions as a C h i p p e n d a l e chair in front of a J a c k s o n Pol lock pa int ing or a George III g i l t w o o d tab le

beneath a Picasso, and very well they work too. A c o m b i n a t i o n of periods and styles has a lways been the

strength and g lory of the Eng l i sh stately home. Of course the g lass objects by the f irms of Osier and

Baccarat are now ant ique in their own r ight but they are hardly t radi t ional ant ique shop material . We feel

that it is the qual i ty that is important , not the age. E ighteenth century c ra f tsmen usual ly produced better

furniture t h a n the furniture of today, this is why it is so h igh ly treasured. Not only was w o r k m a n s h i p and

attent ion to detai l meticulous, but the des igns , by people b r o u g h t up in the c lass ica l tradit ion, have a t ime-

less qual ity. T h e s e qual i t ies are not un ique to the e i g h t e e n t h century, but they are rarer at other periods. We

have to work much harder to f ind items made dur ing the seventeenth, n ineteenth and twent ieth centuries

that meet our criteria, but we do succeed, as this exh ib i t ion proves.

In 1991 Mal lett held the f irst ever exh ib i t ion of Osier g l a s s furniture, and from the show pieces travel led world

wide. It was dec ided to repeat th is in 1 9 9 9 , but with a dif ference. D a n n y Lane was invited to jo in us in a

ce lebrat ion of g lass, breaking tradit ion at Mal lett by mix ing the old and the new. G lass furniture of the

A n oil p a i n t i n g of Bourdon H o u s e seen from the south west, across Dav ies Steet

Algernon Newton (1880-1968)

A g roup of new commiss ions f rom Danny Lane's no r th London s tud io , e x h i b i t e d for the f i r s t t ime , shown here in Ma l l e t t ' s new showroom at Bourdon House, t o g e t h e r w i t h a pai r o f cut glass t h r o n e chairs, upho ls te red in a red velvet , by Osier o f B i r m i n g h a m and a late 19th cen tu ry Vene t ian mi r ro red set tee.

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1880s by Osier of Birmingham and other antique pieces contrast with work by this celebrated contemporary

glass artist, suggesting to us the title of this exhibition, Breaking Tradition.

Because of the inherent difficulty in making glass furniture, and its ensuing expense, every piece is fully thought

through and the results work brilliantly, be they the designs of Voronikhin for the Imperial Class Factory in

St Petersburg around 1800, the work of Osier and Baccarat in the nineteenth century, Lalique in the early

twentieth century, or Danny Lane today. Danny Lane is undoubtedly the leading artist in his field. He, and

the craftsmen in his workshop, produce powerful stuff. His furniture is unexpectedly robust, the trans-

parency of glass hiding its strength and its sharp edges cunningly smoothed by skilled workmen. His

sculpture is uniquely recognisable both on a domestic scale and in his architectural commissions. The

juxtaposit ion of Danny's work with that of the monumental glass-makers of the nineteenth century is a new

experience for everyone involved. Danny has been inspired to produce new ideas for this exhibition, based

on our demands and on the opportunit ies of the rather formal exhibition space, and we are excited to be

part of an ongoing tradition of artistic progress.

JOHN P SMITH

iMal let t are proud to have stimulated such creative energy from Danny Lane and many of his works are illustrated I

here for the first time, having been produced especially for this exhibition and catalogue. He is continuing I

to work with new materials and to express himself in new forms and new technology. Some of these pieces

are only partially formed as this catalogue goes to print but will be displayed for sale in the exhibition

which opens on the 28th April.

A G R E E N C R Y S T A L C L A S S STAR A deeply cut glass Star which was made in England towards the end of

the 18th century for the exterior facade of the Maharaja 's Palace in

Bhopal. Chandeliers were supplied to India by Messrs Blades of Ludgate

Hill at this period using the same colour of glass.

England, circa 1790

fhe marble stand is modern

Height: 18in (46cm)

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T H R O N E C H A I R One o f a p a i r o f Os le r t h r o n e c h a i r s m a d e f o r a m a h a r a j a a n d his c o n s o r t

- t h i s o n e w o u l d have b e e n f o r t h e m a h a r a j a . The r i ch c r i m s o n s i lk v e l v e t

a n d g o l d d e c o r a t i o n c o n t r a s t i n g w i t h t h e w a t e r c l ea r c o l o u r o f t h e

e x g u i s i t e l y c u t c r y s t a l g lass .

B i r m i n g h a m , E n g l a n d c i rca 1 8 9 5

H e i g h t : 4 8 i n ( 1 2 2 c m ) , w i d t h : 2 5 A i n ( 6 7 c m ) , d e p t h : 26/, in ( 6 7 c m )

S T A C K I N G C H A I R One of a pair. S tack ing Chair was the f i r s t piece by Danny Lane in post t ens ioned stacked glass. These are t he f i rs t t o be made w i t h a d o u b l e seat and en t i re l y w i t h 2 5 m m (1 in) f l oa t glass.

Danny Lane 1 9 8 6 / 1 9 9 9 He igh t : in (111cm), w i d t h : 2 5 i n ( 6 3 c m )

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Danny Lane is unique. No other contemporary maker works in glass in quite the same grand, inventive and risk-

taking manner, balancing between function, sculpture and decoration. He makes objects, given the name of

'table', 'chair', even 'bed' - but this is often a peg on which to hang a cascade of ideas, an excuse to

manipulate glass into strange and wonderful forms, an opportunity to demonstrate a technical skill.

Functional ity is a secondary priority.

Class furniture has a splendid past, gather ing momentum especial ly in the 19th century. Established at

first with the opening of L'ESCALIER DE CRISTAL in Paris in 1802, for thirty years it remained a

French speciality. Class furniture was sold through its premises in the Palais Royal where the

signature of the shop was indeed a spectacular glass staircase, a precursor to one of Danny

Lane's best known commissions the balustrade at the VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM. Clocks, tables

and toi lettes made of wood clad with panels of cut glass or mirrored glass and gilt metal mounts

were structurally bulky and formally Empire in style and very little of this ambit ious production

survives. It is a far cry from the next episode in the story.

Wi th in a few years the field expanded spectacular ly with the entry of the huge Baccarat company and, in

1847, the B i rmingham company of Osier, under the energetic direction of Abraham Follett Osier. In that

year Osier's company completed the manufacture of a pair of candelabra sixteen feet (4 .80m) in height

for Ibrahim Pacha the ruler of Egypt, to flank the tomb of the Prophet Mahomet at Mecca. This surely

awesome commission was met in spectacular style by Osier. Not only were the candelabra magnif icently

tall but they were elaborately cut and brilliant on a scale not then attempted by any other company.

Osier themselves were often conf ident enough to use the glass as structure as well as ornament and, in

a l lowing the material 's natural clarity uninterrupted performance, they had already passed beyond

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ETRUSCAN CHAIR Seminal piece. Pieces from this edition have been acquired by the National Museum, Stockholm, 1988, and by the Corning Museum, 1989. An icon of the eighties. 25 mm float glass, forged, sandblasted and polished stainless steel studding legs with stiletto heel tip feet.

Danny Lane 1986 Height: 36in (91cm), width: 18in (46cm), depth: 2Sin (63cm)

the mere g l i t te r of cut glass c ladding, and h inted at fu ture potent ia l . One hundred and for ty years af ter

Osier's f i rst commission, Danny Lane re-invented glass furn i ture - and founta ins - and since then has

explored and extended the material 's capabi l i t ies to meet th is very chal lenging genre.

Lane shapes and decorates glass and he is best known for his use of sheet or f loa t glass. It may have irregular

edges. It may be acid-etched or sand-blasted, cut, or spl i t w i th extraordinary control . It may be assembled

in a three d imensional construct ion and it may be associated w i t h wood or metal. But essential ly it is f lat .

In the last th i r t y years the decorat ive and sculptural possibi l i t ies of so apparent ly l imi ted a mater ial as f la t or

sheet glass have been much expanded by art ists f rom Europe and Czechoslovakia part icular ly. In the 1960s in

Prague, Bohumi l Elia was exper iment ing on assemblages of sand-blasted and engraved glass sheets. Some of

these works, for example the huge Fountain exhib i ted at the U N I V E R S A L EXPOSITION in Montreal in 1967, were

archi tectural in the i r inspirat ion and ambi t ion . In 1970 he was making sculptural works of stacked and artic-

ulated glass and by the 1980s he was pa in t ing on sheet and hol low glass. In the early 1970s in Britain,

Harry Seagar exhib i ted uncompromis ing machine-age geometr ic sculptures of assembled and bol ted

plate glass, interspaced w i t h perspex and a lumin ium, which relied on the interact ion of audience and

landscape for the i r ful l , kinetic effect. In the late 1970s the Dutch glass art ist Piet Hein Stulemeijer

exhib i ted careful ly orchestrated columns of stacked and twisted sheet glass. Indeed, many artists

have used combinat ions of stacked sheet glass w i t h other materials over the last twenty years.

Danny Lane began using this type of glass some f i f teen years ago, completely unaware of precur-

sors but br inging to it an invent ion which is completely his own and which has been internat ional ly

in f luent ia l . This is the technigue, known descripively as 'shish-kebabbing' but more technical ly as

'post- tensioning' . Class threaded onto stainless steel is held in place under such compression that ,

tested under structural engineer ing condi t ions it has w i ths tood more than 2 5 0 , 0 0 0 ki lograms. This

phenomenal strength takes the impl icat ions of the method well into major structural ambi t ions, whi le

Lane f inds the spinal metaphor one of the most pleasing art ist ic aspects.

He was born in 1955 in Urbana, I l l inois. His father, a Professor at the Universi ty of Vi rg in ia, was awarded a

sabbat ical period when Lane was seven and the fami ly toured round Europe spending most t ime in Cermany

where he learned to speak the language. The Lanes were regular visitors to museums and at this period and

dur ing subsequent European tr ips the young boy eagerly absorbed the sights and, in part icular, the arts of

the various countr ies which they visited. These experiences are st i l l quoted by Lane as impor tant .

When he was twelve the fami ly moved to New York. Lane loved the city. Its v ibrant cu l ture was enormously

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S O L O M O N ' S C O L U M N Post t e n s i o n e d s tacked glass scu lp tu re . This is a f a v o u r i t e f o r m t h a t

D a n n y Lane has used fo r scu lp tu res and f o u n t a i n s w o r l d w i d e . M a l l e t t ' s

p iece is i r r i g a t e d i n t e r n a l l y so t h a t w a t e r f l o w s mys te r i ous l y o u t f r o m

b e t w e e n t h e t o p layers of g lass, w h i c h is a n i m a t e d by l i g h t as t h e w a t e r

cascades d o w n i ts sides.

D a n n y Lane 1997

H e i g h t : 8 8 i n ( 2 2 4 c m ) , d i a m e t e r : 15 in ( 3 8 c m )

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inf luential and when the family then moved to and settled in Balt imore, specifically to escape from New

York Lane, at fourteen, regularly ran back to New York each weekend. At the same t ime his schooling

was not a success and at age e ighteen he set off to travel around the U S A and Canada.

His early experiences had formed an intell igent, inquiring and artistic character and it was becoming clear to

him that his future lay, somehow, in the arts. In 1975 Lane contacted the British stained glass craftsman

and artist, Patrick Reyntiens, who regularly took student assistants. Lane moved to Britain and joined

Reyntiens at his Burleighfield workshop for a year, whi le he assembled a portfolio of work in the hope of

entering a school of art.

Apar t from his own work and the work done in col laborat ion with John Piper, Patrick Reyntiens is otherwise best

known for the immeasurable inf luence he has had as a teacher. A charismatic, romantic figure of enormous

charm, energy and eloquence, Reyntiens was of crucial importance to Lane at this stage of his personal and

artistic development. In addit ion, after Lane had spent a year at the Byam Shaw School of Art, Reyntiens

recommended him to the Central School of Ar t where he was Head of Fine Art. There Lane fell under

the spell of the equal ly charismatic Cecil Collins.

These few years in London art schools - from 1976 to 1980 - formed much of Danny Lane's personal style,

not only in his drawing but also in his v iew on life and wha t may be drawn from it. Emerging from

student life, trained in the 'fine arts' and with a wife, Mar iangela , whom he had met at the Byam

Shaw School, the business of surviving became at once overwhelming.

His first studio was in Whitecross Street in the East End of London, shortly fol lowed by a move to New North

Place, both places in or near the Hackney area, the old centre of London's furniture trade. Here small

workshops and tradit ional skills still survived. Lane spent his t ime in and around these workshops picking

up knowledge and skills which he was to turn to good use and also forming a deep respect for craftmanship,

workmanl ike att i tudes and professional skills as well as an unf lagging fascinat ion with materials. He had

begun to accumulate the stockpile of bargain off-cuts of metal, glass and wood, cherished hoards of found,

invaluable and potential ly re-cyclable materials for which he had no def inite purpose in mind but which were

to become his stock-in-trade.

In 1983, Lane met an English engraver, J ohn Creighton, who introduced him to the technique of working with

sand blasting. Lane has since produced glass decorated by this method from the most del icate tracery to

complex works as rich as tapestries. They opened a showroom in Camden Lock in North London and

col laborated on a number of jo int projects, forming a company GLASSWORKS. Lane was producing

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S H O R A A A L A E L - N I L S A I L O N T H E N I L E M a q u e t t e for a wa te r scu lp tu re 3 . 5 m x 1.3m x 4 5 0 m m erected in the centre of the foyer o f the new Conrad Hote l in Cairo, commiss ioned by Bechte l for Conrad H i l t o n Hotels. 6 m m f l oa t glass post tens ioned in to a sp i ra l l i ng fo rm. M o u n t e d on a hammer f rac tu red and po l ished 2 5 m m f l oa t glass base.

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Danny Lane 1998

He igh t : 2 8 i n (71cm). w i d t h : 2 9 i n (74cm) , dep th : 19in ( 4 8 c m )

< o decorated mirrors and tables. His scope enlarged: he produced his first works in stacked, sheet glass and

also began to take an interest in metals, working with the blacksmith, Paul Anderson, and building up a

team of skilled helpers. Within a year, he had begun to show work at the influential shop ONE OFF in

Shelton Street, London, owned by the avant-garde designer Ron Arad. The first exhibition of his work

and that of the designerTom Dixon was held at ONE OFF where such events led to fantastic furnishings

of sheet metal already rusting, self-conscious nuts and bolts, sheet glass already broken, rough wood, all

of it either genuinely found or deliberately reduced to an advanced stage of picturesque decay. "Glass

breaks - break it first, it scratches - scratch it first, metal rusts - rust it first. Decay is inherent in these materials,

and this is a quality I don't neglect" was a handy Lane quote for the increasing numbers of magazines and journals

which explored the phenomenon. The style was given the names 'Creative Salvage' and 'Post-Holocaust' and for

Lane, whose amassed hoard of such material was only waiting to be re-cycled from salvage to art, it was a

perfect opportunity to express himself.

Throughout this period, Danny Lane worked with his customary adrenalin-charged precipitousness. Creation

came most reliably when deadlines were imminent and materials either recalcitrant or unpromising. For

anyone else, panic would have been the more reasonable reaction. His working style, always poised on a

knife's edge between success and disaster, was to start manipulating the material and to allow the

results each time to dictate the next stage. Always ready to take advantage of the unexpected. Lane

was able to pull something exciting and unpredictable from the most unpromising of circum-

stances. With a group of like-minded helpers and a patron willing to enter into the spirit of the

challenge, he was at his best.

Lane developed a lightness of touch which ought to have been inappropriate on a large scale but in

his hands gave a flickering life, an almost tentative surface to the large areas of glass on which

he drew. In the same way, when he began to explore the aesthetic and structural possibilites of

stacking glass in 1984. Although others had done so before him none had developed the extraordi-

nary fluidity which became a sort of trademark. This fluidity is further emphasised by the combination

of rhythmically orchestrated glass with bolts of metal twisted and manipulated with a dexterity which

gave the metal the appearance of hanks of wool orfabric.

For the first time, in 1984, he showed work abroad, with ONE OFF at the INTERNATIONAL FURNITURE FAIR in

Milan. In that year he made folding glass screens with sandblasted and acid etched drawings. By the

following year he had graduated to the production of some of the major works of his career so far - the

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A P A I R OF A R C H A N G E L S Standing lamps with slumped and sand blasted 19mm float glass bowls,

supported by a stem of layered, hammer bevelled, post tensioned glass

discs sheathed in a polished twisted stainless steel tube, poised on

sandblasted f loat glass wings. The lamp in the etched glass bowl throws

its shadow drawings on to the wall behind.

Danny Lane 1998

Height: 85in (215cm)

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ROMEO AND JULIET TABLE and the RS J TABLE. Ove r the next two years contacts and new designs began

to follow quickly. Even wi th this increasing success he was obl iged to work at full stretch with no real

certainty about the next commission. He may have found this the most congenia l and productive atmos-

phere but it was, nevertheless, extraordinarily demanding of energy and nerve.

In 1986 he designed and made the ETRUSCAN CHAIR, the seat and back of 25mm float glass broken edged and

polished, with legs of forged studding. Many versions of this original design have fol lowed. In the same year a

glass fountain, commissioned by Sue and Mart in Could, was instal led on a site in Miami, Florida. The founta in

was constructed of stacked glass as was the first of a new series, the STACKED CHAIR (page 9) - the origin of

the 'post-tensioning' method.

Each new version was the result not only of var iat ions in the design but in critical adjustments to the gauge and

type of sheet glass used. Each new design was also the result of deeper understanding and more confi-

dence in his t reatment of the glass and knowledge of its behaviour under stress. Probably the most

daring of these furniture-sculptures was the bed, ANCARAIB, first designed and made in 1987 and

shown at the exhibition British Homemade held in Rouen. This extraordinary 'bed' is an undulat ing raft

of glass sheets, jo ined edges upwards and supported by an apparent ly roughly assembled frame of hewn

wood branches lashed together, taken from storm-damaged London plane-trees. The bed is reminiscent of

primitive structures, the glass appear ing to be f lung across the frame like a blanket. A chal lenging sculpture,

this is the bed as a peg on which to hang unsettl ing proposals about our expectat ions of comfort. It invites

the viewer to relax, yet, full of movement it is clearly offering a less-than-relaxing experience. It suggests a

nomadic, ancient, uncomfortable existence and yet its kingly presence speaks of luxury and power.

The stacked glass objects had become a particular trademark and this was taken up by the Ital ian FIAM

company who specialise in bending glass and who commissioned designs for a tab le and chairs. In

1988 the London gallery THEMES & VARIATIONS took his exhibition from its first showing in the DILMOS

GALLERY in Mi lan, thus providing his first solo show in this country. Unexpectedly, in 1989 he was

asked to provide decorative screens and a wall sculpture for the British Embassy in Helsinki, an

unusual instance of government patronage and a rare choice.

His reputation has spread in America, Italy, Spain and in Germany where he has work in the VITRA DESIGN

MUSEUM and in private and corporate collections. More recently he has completed commissions in

Tokyo and Osaka in J a p a n and many more in Britain.

In 1994 the new Glass Gal lery opened in the VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM. Lane was commissioned to make

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M O O N IN G E M I N I A pair of glass consoles. Each with a half moon top OH a solomonic

column of pliered and highly polished discs over a bun footed, smaller

half moon base. Both top and base have drawings by Danny Lane carved

into their surfaces by sandblasting. All in 25mm float glass.

Danny Lane 1999

Height: 29'/., in (75cm), width: 30/; in (78cm), depth: 20in (51 cm)

the lengthy balustrade on stairs leading to a mezzanine f loor and he now regards this as a break-

th rough both in a t t rac t ing recogni t ion and the a t tendant commissions. Of stacked pillars, orches-

t rated so tha t movement creates a g l i t te r ing undu la t ion , this remains probably his best known work in

a British publ ic bu i ld ing and a ma jo rcon t r i bu t i on to the Gallery's success.

By 1997, he was one of a group of eleven artists, engineers, architects and glass art ists who were invi ted to form

an exhib i t ion of new proposals for the use of glass in architecture, held at the Crafts Counci l gal lery and

ent i t led C L A S S , L I G H T & SPACE. A l t hough much crit icised, in br ing ing together a disparate set of enqui r ing

even aggressive individuals, the show made a strong plea for glass in urban s i tuat ions - as indeed, Lane has

been doing for much of his career.

Lane moved to his present workshops in Wil lesden, Nor th London in 1990. Here, in spacious surroundings, he

now works w i th a f luc tua t ing team of helpers and assistants, several of whom are glass art ists in their own

r ight or who are students about to embark on a career. He is consistent in his praise of them and in

emphasising tha t everything he does is dependent also on the team. He is constant ly looking for

oppor tun i t ies to expand his vocabulary and two recent developments are already leading to an

explosion of new ideas. The hot glassmaker David Taylor specialises in furnace technology and is

about to col laborate in the workshop w i th Lane. Wi th Taylor's input he plans to add what he hopes

wi l l be fiery colours to his range. He ta lks excitedly of g iant puddles of glass. A t the same t ime

Lane is work ing w i th a company making glass for scient i f ic and laboratory use, the f ru i ts of which

wi l l be shown f i rst at Mal letts. This is hot borosi l icate glass in tubu la r form, heated w i th a blow-

torch, spun on a lathe, stretched, enlarged by centr i fugal force and imploded by shunt ing.

Dramat ic techniques. It is the type of glass used for ovenwares; a d i f f i cu l t glass which does not

yield easily to an art ist ic role. Lane is coaxing it, combin ing it w i th other glass - gold, opal, silvered

- a n d h i s fami la rg reen .

In 1 9 9 3 he was given a one-man show at the M A T H I L D E N H O H E , Darmstadt, the museum of the D A R M S T A D T

A R T I S T S ' C O L O N Y which was founded in 1 8 9 9 . In the text to this impor tan t show the curator Renate

Ulmer wri tes "Utilitarian objects devised not by professional designers but rather by contemporary

artists was a notion of artistic creation central to the former artists' colony (at Darmstadt)". Drawing a

parallel between this turn-of - the-century concept and Lane's own posi t ion in contemporary glass she

thus refers to a period when artists and architects looked to 'crafts materials' as a means of expression,

br inging a wealth of influences and ideas which redefined the decorative arts, and a freedom wi th techniques

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P R I M A V E R A Vase - one of a new g roup of works made f rom t u b u l a r bo ros i l i ca te glass deve loped w i t h master sc ien t i f i c glass b lowers.

Danny Lane 1999 H e i g h t : 2 9 A in (74 .5cm)

which o f ten radicahsed the use of the material. The painter Paul Gauguin made ceramics and carved

wood; the painter and architect Peter Behrens designed glass, metalwork and furn i ture; Carlo Bugatt i

who t ra ined as a painter, designed furn i ture.

Lane too feeds o f f his f ine art background but the fact is tha t he remains d i f f i cu l t to categorise. In the Darmstadt

catalogue, Ulmer continues: "...Lane's chairs, tables and wall screens seem to be paraphrases of familiar

household objects...he characterizes the way each of his objects is made tersely but quite accurately when he

says,'It wasn't designed, it happened'". The mere act of stacking glass imposes certain visual results dependant

on technical precision and control and it is rare to see an art ist using th is technique in the painterly, broad

sweeping manner which Lane o f ten adopts. He himself describes his work as swing ing between forms of clas-

sicism and romant ic ism and this is not simply the disparate techniques of glass stacking and glass engrav-

ing which he uses w i th equal abandon, equal control .

More mundanely his work ing method requires him to convey a concept to a team of commi t ted assistants

who can be asked to do the most unremi t t ing ly repeti t ive work. The sheer scale of some of the major

commissions and the range of semi- industr ial techniques needed to realise them, require a range of

skills which can only be suppl ied by several people. The interface between his inspirat ion and the i r

product ion are very much dependant on personal chemistry. Thus it is t ha t in the exhib i t ions w i th his

glassmaker contemporaries. Lane stands out as the exception.

When chal lenged he says tha t whatever s i tuat ion he f inds himself in he likes to stretch it, to chal lenge it, to

move the walls. So in a conversation about making, he pushes the discussion beyond craf t towards

concept. Wi th ta lk of art, he enthuses about the precise var iat ions of a cut l ine and the manner in which it

records the gesture of cut t ing.

Because of his work ing methods, his background, the mix of drawing, craf t and industry, he has remained on

the f r inge of the British glass wor ld. The symptom, and the consequence, is tha t he is unique in this

country. No other maker, designer or ar t is t f i l ls the space for glass theatre which he invented, which is

clearly there, and which he occupies so resoundingly.

J E N N I F E R H O P I E , B A F R S A Deputy Curator Ceramics and Class Dept., V & A Museum, London

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Much of th is t ex t has been d rawn f rom an e a r l i e r a r t i c l e pub l i shed in

M E D E D E L I N C E N B L A D N E D E R L A N D S E V E R E N I N O I N C V A N V R I E N D E N V A N C E R A M I E K EN CLAS, n o . l 4 9 , 1 9 9 3 / 2 , p p 3 2 - 9

Q U I C K S I L V E R R I S I N G Deve loped f rom t u b u l a r boros i l i ca te glass by Lane and a master sc ien t i f i c glass blower. The t o p has been f la red and the u n d u l a t i n g u p r i g h t s tem is spun and s t re tched w i t h a s i lvered boros i l i ca te glass in te rna l core. The lower b lown e lemen t is a bee-s t ing ta i l c o n t a i n i n g a comp lex in tegra l sp l i t s i lvered core t h a t rises l ike mercury t h r o u g h the ent i re cons t ruc t i on , obscur ing the cent ra l compress ion rod and e lec t r ica l cab l i ng . A l l th is is s u p p o r t e d by a t r i p o d cons t ruc t i on fo rmed of low i ron glass w i t h t u rned s ta in less steel .

Danny Lane 1999 He igh t : 9 8 / ; in ( 2 5 0 c m ) , d i ame te r o f t op : 17in ( 4 3 c m )

23

24

A P A I R OF E T A C E R E S The design for these etageres first appears in the Osier design book as

number 2817, dated September 1882, where it is described as an

'oblong whatnot' . The shelves have a teak wood carcass supported by an

electro-plated silver metal frame clad with strips of cut and mirrored

glass. Another etagere is in the collection of the Birmingham City

Museum and Art Gallery.

Birmingham, England, circa 1885

Height: 35in (89cm), Length: 32in (81 cm). Depth: 19/.. in (49cm)

25

26

A C I R C U L A R C U E R I D O N A pedestal table of glass and ormolu stamped F&C Osier. The circular

giass top is cut beneatli in a geometrical design and rests on an

elaborate ormolu support with central glass finial. The glass stem, with

an intricately cut central band, rests on an ormolu ring with six

protruding bosses. The spreading glass foot stands on a heavy ormolu

base.

Birmingham, England, circa 1865

Height: 32/4 in (82cm), Diameter: 18A in (47cm)

m

27

28

AS A B O V E SO B E L O W A pair of glass occasional tables, made of hammer bevelled concentric circles

of 12mm low iron glass, highly polished for maximum clarity and sparkle.

Danny Lane 1999

Height: 30'A in (77.5cm), top diameter: 19'/2 in (49cm)

2 9

A PAIR OF P E D E S T A L T A B L E S A pa i r o f Osler cu t glass t a b l e s w i t h d o m e d bases i n to w h i c h t he s tems

are screwed, w i t h t he j o i n t be ing covered by cu t socles. The o c t a g o n a l

t ops are t r i m m e d w i t h a new si lk ve lve t and ho ld t he o r i g i n a l cu t m i r ro r

p la tes. The s i lver p l a t ed bases are m o d e r n cop ies o f t he o r i g i n a l and are

des igned to g ive p r o t e c t i o n d u r i n g h o u s e h o l d c l ean ing .

B i r m i n g h a m , Eng land , circa 1 8 8 0

H e i g h t : 3 3 / i in ( 8 5 c m ) , W i d t h ; 3 0 / ; in ( 7 7 c m ) , Dep th : 21 in ( 5 3 c m )

G R E E N S T O N E S Two sculpted and polished columns of float glass support a

hammmer cut table top of 25nnm float glass

Danny Lane 1999

Height; 28'/jin (72.5cm), length: 106in {269cm), width: 58 in (147cm)

J

%

32

E M E R A L D T A B L E Th is p iece tal<es its name f rom the i n tense green hue of the layered g lass in

h a m m e r beve l l ed concen t r i c c i rc les. Layered 19mm f l oa t g lass, s tee l f i t t i ngs .

D a n n y Lane 1997

He i gh t : l l ' /^ in (70cm) , d i amete r : 5 0 i n ( 127cm)

WiVrnVi '.'. T ,

A V I ' T V T T - S T ^ ^ "

A C U T C L A S S C A R P E T

33

A carpet des igned and made by F&C Osier in B i rm ingham for tineir

showroom in Ca lcut ta . The carpet consists of six panels of glass cut wi th

geometr ica l and leafy pat terns underneath , held together by a silver-

plated meta l frame. It is be l ieved that this carpet was for many years in

the great mosque in Bhopa l and it appears as number 3168 in the

Osier pattern book.

B i rmingham, England, circa 1885

Now mounted as a low tab le

Length: 44 'A in (114cm), w idth : 2 7 ' A i n ( 7 0 c m )

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From the time of Louis XIV glass mosaic and coloured glass, sometimes mirrored, was used to decorate furniture.

However the hey-day of glass furniture was the nineteenth century, when first the Imperial Glassworks in

Russia and then Osier in England and Baccarat in France produced a wide range of furniture forthe Middle-

Eastern and Indian markets. Osier of Birmingham had large showrooms in Calcutta, opened in 1845, from

where they supplied armchairs, chaise-longues, tables, sideboards, etageres, folio stands, cheval mirrors,

and even four-poster beds and longcase clocks to the Maharajas. Fortunately the Osier factory is well docu-

mented and much of this furniture still survives. Baccarat opened a showroom in Bombay in the late 1880's,

which displayed their more limited range of designs, all executed to the highest standards.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries glass and mirror was used only as decorative cladding on furniture.

In particular verre eglomisewas used in England, Scandinavia, France, North Germany, Bohemia, Russia and

Venice. In Russia in the 1760's some furniture was produced using coloured glass veneers produced at M.V.

Lomonosov's factory near St Petersburg, which can now be seen in the Chinese Palace, Oranienbaum, also

just outside the same city. Both the METROPOLITAN MUSEUM, New York, and the ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO

have examples of a suite of furniture made in Sicily in the 1790's where the giltwood is inlaid with glass,

reverse painted in imitation of precious stones. In the glass museum in Murano there are several fine examples

of Venetian furniture of the eighteenth century inlaid with aventurine and other coloured glasses. This

tradition continued into the nineteenth century and we illustrate a fine Venetian mirror-glass clad settee.

34

A M A S S I V E C H A N D E L I E R This fifty light chandelier richly hung with pendant drops of particularly

large scale and elaborate pattern appears as number 2400 in Osier's

large folio and this number would suggest that the chandelier was made

in approximately 1862.

By this time Osier had made several extremely large chandeliers which is

apparent in the confidence of this massive yet light design.

Birmingham, England, circa 1862

Height: 10ft 2in {310cm), span: 6ft 6in (198cm)

M i

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The story of glass furn i ture is the story of new technology meet ing the market place. Before the n ineteenth

century glass houses could produce large objects as long as they were comparat ively th in . To produce large

thick objects, such as chair legs, requires highly contro l led anneal ing or cool ing, otherwise the glass wi l l

'fly', especially dur ing cut t ing. Thick items of glass need an except ional ly clear metal if they are not to

appear dul l . This was at last achieved by Victor ian chemists in the n ineteenth century.

Highly cut glass furn i ture in the Victor ian style required a part icular kind of taste to appreciate it. Dur ing the

n ineteenth century the market was almost ent irely in the Orient, predominate ly Indian w i th some fur ther

demand in the Midd le East. Only companies f rom countr ies and w i th good access to these markets could

succeed. A t this t ime these parts of the wor ld were div ided up into English and French spheres of inf luence.

F R A N C E

During the n ineteenth century France's boundaries were rather changeable, depending on tha t country 's pol i t ical

and mi l i tary fai lures and successes. In part icular the glass-making area around Liege, in what is now

Belgium, was under French control unt i l 1830, and af ter the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 the area of

Lorraine where the factory of Saint Louis is s i tuated became German. To compl icate matters fur ther a

Frenchman, M. d 'Art igues, f i rst owned Saint Louis, then Voneche in Belgium, then Voneche together w i th

Baccarat, and f ina l ly just Baccarat. Because for a t ime the name of Voneche was more prestigious than

Baccarat, some Baccarat products were sold under the Voneche name.

Probably the most famous glass furn i ture in Europe is the glass armchair and dressing-table in the M U S E E D U

L O U V R E , Paris. These were f i rst i l lustrated in LE M A N U E L D U V E R R I E R by Julia de Fontenelle and publ ished in

Paris in 1829. Apparent ly this dressing-table and chair, together w i th a foots tool wh ich is now missing,

were made for Marie-Louise, the Queen of Spain, to a design of N. H. Jacob. The glass for th is furn i ture was

blown by Voneche, and despite the fal l of the French empire in 1815, this appears to be the Voneche in

Belgium and not the 'Voneche' made by Baccarat. The cu t t ing and metalwork were carried out by L ' E S C A L I E R

DE C R I S T A L , which was founded around 1802 by Madame Desarnaud-Charpentier, whose workshops were in

the Palais Royal. The furn i ture has a steel f rame to which the ormolu and glass is f ixed. The dressing table

has a black and gold verre eglomise table top, and at the t ime of making Mme. Desarnaud-Charpent ier said,

'this dressing table of which all the compartments and all the decorations shine like diamonds contains a

(mechanical) flute playing 13 airs which are repeated one after the other over an hour That is to say that

during the time a pretty woman can decently sit in front of a mirror on her own'.

36

37

A N O R N A T E O I L L A M P A superb ormolu and glass oil lamp on a circular pedestal in ormolu with three

feet. The feet are decorated with silvered masks, the mirrored central plateau

surmounted by three figures of Pegasus, The stem consists of two pieces of

geometrical cutting and is engraved with waterside scenes of herons, sedges and

flying kingfishers. Above the stem is a sphere decorated with further geometric

cutting, at the top of which sit three angels supporting a font. The font itself is

decorated with geometrical cutting and engravings of egrets at the waterside.

Birmingham, England, circa 1880

The metal work attributed to Elkington of Birmingham.

The glass work probably by F&C Osier.

Overall height: 36in (91.5cm)

I T 1 '

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A M O N U M E N T A L CLASS TABLE This Baccarat masterpiece is built up on a silver-plated chassis, the glass

components cast and blown into iron moulds and then cut. The extreme thickness of the glass and the clarity of Baccarat's high lead content crystal gives this table an exceptional brilliance. The mirrored top is the original. This is one of only tw o original examples known, the other being in the Corning Museum of Class, New York.

Baccarat, France, circa 1890

Height: 32/2 in (82.5cm), width: 34in (86cm), length: SB'A in (160cm)

Baccarat is France's most famous glass manufacturer and

named afterthe village of the same name in a remote area

in Eastern France which is the home to their only factory.

Many generations of the same families have lived in the

village and worked as glassmakers. The factory site is

large, storage space is not a problem, so all the moulds

needed for manufacture are kept in perpetuity. In 1885

Baccarat opened a shop in Bombay; at the same time they

extended their outlets in England, Russia, Japan, Mexico,

Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. Some time during the next

decade Baccarat designed their most ambitious item of furniture ever, our table. This required many large

cast-iron moulds and weighs over half a ton. Only two of these tables are believed to have been made. One

is now in the Corning Museum of Class, New York State, where it is now one of the most admired exhibits,

and the other is in this exhibition.

Ours has an interesting history. When made it was exported to Bombay where it was bought by a Maharaja from

Rajastan. In the 1960's or early 1970's, after the granting of independence to India and the subsequent

removal of rights and land from the Maharajas, it was purchased by a New York dealer and brought to the

USA. It eventually entered the ownership of Liberace, the popular musical entertainer. In 1988, after

Liberace's death, his effects were sold at auction and the table was acquired by Asprey of London. It was

sold by them to Mr Arthur Cilbert and put on display in the Los Angeles County Museum, alongside his

loaned collections of outstanding silver, antique boxes and micromosaic objects. The table survived the Los

Angeles earthquake of January 1994 with only the slightest damage. Recently, Arthur Cilbert, an

Englishman who had prospered in Los Angeles, returned to live in England and brought his collections with

him. These collections were made over to a trust, the Heather Trust, and are to be displayed at Somerset

House when renovations there are complete. As this table is so far removed in nature from the rest of the

collection the trustees reluctantly decided to sell it.

In 1989 Baccarat decided to reproduce this table using the original moulds that they had retained. The table is of

such complexity that staff at the factory had to visit Asprey to see the original to check on assembly details.

The resultant table, with a glass and ormolu nef, went on show at Harrods in London and then at a large

department store in Japan with a price tag of one million pounds sterling ($1.65m). It sold within a year.

40

A N E X H I B I T I O N T O R C H E R E A Baccarat twenty-four light candelabrum, each arm hung with long

serrated drops, standing on an elaborately cut and faceted stem

supported on a steel frame and four legs with diamond and floral

cutting. In the Baccarat museum in Lorraine is an identical candelabrum

made by that company for the International Exhibition in Paris in 1878.

In 1880 Baccarat opened a showroom in Bombay and this candelabrum

(marked number 6) must have been one of the main exhibits. Later on in

India it was converted to electricity from candles. This conversion has

recently been improved to comply with modern safety standards.

Baccarat, France, circa 1878

Height: 87in (222cm), diameter: 33/ ; in (85cm)

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The i l lust rat ion (page 40 ) shows the tab le in Harrods guarded by un i formed at tendants as i l lustrated in the

London Evening Standard on Monday 6th November 1989.

E N G L A N D

It is d i f f i cu l t now to realise just how impor tan t India was to the suppl iers of luxury goods in the n ineteenth

century. Many manufacturers opened showrooms in Bombay and Calcutta to cater for both the European

administrators, merchants and soldiers, and the rich native rulers of India and the Princely States. The latter,

in part icular, had tastes much more f lamboyant than tha t of the Europeans and loved large items of glass

which gl is tened in the Indian sun l ight and fe l t cool in the heat of the day.

The major manufacturer of glass furn i ture was F & C Osier of Bi rmingham, founded in 1807. In 1831 the founder 's

son took over the running of the business. The company expanded rapidly and soon had a large showroom

in London's Oxford Street and a showroom in Calcutta. In 1848 Prince A lber t bought a pair of candelabra

nine feet high for his wi fe Queen Victor ia at A N E X H I B I T I O N OF I N D U S T R I A L A R T S A N D M A N U F A C T U R E R S held

at Bingley House, Broad Street, B i rmingham. These candelabra can st i l l be seen in the drawing room of

Osborne House, Isle of Wight . The 1848 exhib i t ion, which was England's f irst large trade fair, was so suc-

cessful t ha t it largely inspired Prince A lber t to promote the 1851 G R E A T E X H I B I T I O N .

Throughout the second half of the n ineteenth century the company cont inued successfully to make table glass,

chandel iers and, for India, glass furni ture. They also retai led china in Oxford Street, and china and other req-

uisites for both ex-patr iots and Indians in Calcutta and Bombay. A l t hough the glass furn i ture was greatly

appreciated by the Maharajas, it was not to everybody's taste. Sir Edwin Lutyens, the great Edwardian archi-

tect, wrote of his visit to Udaipur: 'But the place from an architectural point of view I was disappointed in.

They are so childishly vulgar and their taste is for all that glitters. The cut glass furniture, chairs, beds, tables

and huge looking glasses make one squirm. A four poster bed stuffed with red made with white cut glass of

the worst sort'.

But then Lutyens had all the prejudices of an Edwardian grandee. He imposed European archi tectural designs on

New Delhi, making l i t t le references to indigenous taste or designs. He probably t hough t tha t native

Indians, no matter how well educated, were complete ly lacking in taste despite the great t rad i t ion of Mogu l

architecture. In fact these glass artefacts looked perfect in the context of a palace in a sunny cl imate, w i th

its ta l l cei l ings, large w indows and marble f loors.

T H E POTTERY GAZETTE was the organ of trade gossip dur ing th is period and on June 22nd 1 8 8 4 , in Buyers Notes,

42

From t h e Os ie r a r c h i v e in t h e B i r m i n g h a m M u s e u m a n d A r t G a l l e r y

appeared the fo l lowing: 'On a visit to Stourbridge during the past month, we had the pleasure of seeing in

an advanced state of completion a magnificent glass chandelier made by the Executor of the late Joseph

Webb, ofCoalbourn Hill Class Works. But to adequately describe the beautiful suite of crystal glass furni-

ture, upholstered in crimson satin, that we also saw, would be extremely difficult. The design is of a medieval

kind, and what, under ordinary circumstances, would be a display of artistically carved woodwork is here

represented in chastefully-cut (sic) crystal glass. The harmony in the colours employed for decoration, leaves

nothing to be desired, and the whole reflects the highest credit on the firm producing it, while at the same

time, it is another proof of the rapid strides that are being made in the development of the glass-making

industry We understand that the suite referred to is intended for an oriental court'. T h e chairs in this exhibi -

t ion are not by J o s e p h Webb but by Osier, but the remark stil l appl ies .

T h e product ion of these luxury items was a lways smal l in number, a l t h o u g h , as each item was extremely expen-

sive, they were an important part of Osier's output, both in monetary terms and in terms of prestige. Our

f i f ty l ight chande l ie r came from a DURBAR HALL in Southern India where it was one of several. Th is g ives

some concept of the g r a n d e u r of the Ind ian palaces. Our torcheres by Baccarat would also have come from

such a hall. T h e s e hal ls were where pr incely rulers met their subjects and fu l f i l led the same funct ion as a

majlis in a Middle-Eastern pa lace today. T h e chairs and tab les would have been used in more private areas

of the palace, poss ib ly the Zerena or Hareem but more l ikely in the ruler's own apartments .

In India it must not be t h o u g h t that rul ing was the prerogative of the male. Author i ty could be transmitted

t h r o u g h the female l ine with probably the most f a m o u s e x a m p l e in recent t imes being the BEGUM OF

BHOPAL, the State whence came our green star, taken from a facade, and also our crysta l prayer mat by

Osier, one of many exported to India.

Decorated g l a s s panels were used in the sa lons of the great t ransat lant ic l iners between the wars but the Great

War effect ively b o u g h t to an end the product ions of such items of luxury as g lass furniture. T h e 1 9 3 0 ' s were

years of recession in Europe and A m e r i c a and India was torn with strife, w h i c h was to lead eventual ly in

1947 to Home Rule. Only Rene Lal ique carried on production with his C A a u s T A B L E , which is still in production.

A l t h o u g h wood has a lways been main choice for the product ion of furniture, owing to its ava i lab i l i ty and ease of

work ing , it has never been the only material . Iron has been used, from crude b lacksmith 's work to the exqui-

site work from the craf tsmen of Tula, part icular ly in c a m p a i g n furniture. T h e use of bolts and h inges make it

co l laps ib le and iron is extremely sturdy. Tables have been made from coal and marble seats, benches a n d

t a b l e s are p o p u l a r in o r i e n t a l countr ies , p a r t i c u l a r l y for o u t s i d e use, t h e very best b e i n g i n l a i d w i th

44

A T W E L V E A R M T O R C H E R E A finely cut glass torchere with twelve arms in two layers supported on a

highly cut stem, surmounted by a large s ingle piece finial. This torchere

was supplied by Baccarat to a pavil ion in Istanbul. Many palaces in this city

contain to this day similar torcheres purchased during the reign of Abdul II.

Baccarat, France, circa 1870

The pedestal base of modern simulated marble.

Height: 91 'Ain {233cm), diameter: 4 2 i n (106cm)

semi-precious stones, particularly from the workshops around Agra. Silver, sometimes gilded, has been

used, sometimes solid but more usually as cladding, with the use of repousse work to give surface decora-

tion. This technique is particularly used in throne chairs. During this century plastics have been used.

Thermosetting plastics such as Bakelite were particularly used for such items as radio cabinets.

Thermoplastic plastics such as PVC are used in garden furniture and furniture for the nursery while glass

reinforced plastic is used in contemporary furniture because of its ability to produce flowing lines while

retaining lightness. The only transparent material to be used other than glass is the thermoplastic acrylic,

'perspex' in the UK. This is a very tractable material but it is soft and scratches too easily for every day use.

Class, however, is tough.

It was not until the 1980's that Danny Lane, starting with the approach of a sculptor, redefined what could be

done with this apparently intractable material. Class is the most unforgiving of materials to work with.

When hot it must be worked quickly and when cold any changes are irreversible. The temptation must be to

play safe, but Danny has courage. Technically, virtually all of his pieces could have been made at any time

over the last two hundred years, and conceptually they might have been possible in the 1920's, but Danny

is the first to show us the use of controlled irregularity. His glass is not chipped and broken at random; the

forms are controlled with a sculptor's eye, the functions with a technician's knowledge.

J o h n P S m i t h

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46

A PAI R OF T O R C H E R E S A pair of glass and silver p lated torcheres manufac tu red and s igned by

F&C Osier, B i rmingham, the heavy cast base on three small bun feet

above wh i ch are a series of d i f ferent ly decorated glass segments ,

supported by silver p la ted sleeves and surmounted by a mirrored p lateau.

England, circa 1875

He ight : 45 in (114cm)

48

A P A I R OF T H R O N E C H A I R S These two magnif icent armchairs have been reupholstered in a regal sill< velvet

which copies the original design conceived in 1894, Their solid glass legs are

faceted and richly cut and support steel and wooden frames and ornately faceted

and cut backs. This design appears in the large Osier folio as number 2895B . The

slightly larger chair would have been for the Maharaja or Prince, and the smaller

for his consort.

Birmingham, England circa 1895

CHAIR LEFT: Height: 48in (122cm), width: 26'/i in (67cm), depth: 26'A in (67cm)

CHAIR RIGHT: Height: 46in, (117cm), width: 25/ ; in (65cm), depth: 23/, in (60cm)

49

:

50

S O L O M O N ' S C H A I R O n e o f a limited edition (a maximum of 12 to be made, subject to

availability of the opal glass). The cleaved seat, inspired by Solomon's

split judgement, is made from rare cast opalescent glass. 24 mm cast

opalescent cast glass, steel, 19 mm float glass.

Danny Lane 1998

Height: 47in (120cm), width: 15'A in (40cm), depth: 24in {60cm)

A V E N E T I A N SETTEE A V e n e t i a n la te 19 th c e n t u r y eng raved and m i r ro red glass set tee, t he

back d i v i d e d i n to t h ree beve l led edged pane ls o f f l o ra l e n g r a v i n g ,

f r a m e d w i t h s im i l a r l y eng raved borders , h a v i n g an e l a b o r a t e sc ro l led

c res t ing eng raved w i t h f l o ra l sprays. The arms and f r ieze are m o u n t e d

w i t h pane ls o f m i r ro r d e c o r a t e d w i t h oval and c i r cu la r recessed paterae.

Now u p h o l s t e r e d in g reen si lk ve lve t .

51

Venice, I ta ly , circa 1 8 8 0

H e i g h t : 5 9 i n ( 1 5 0 c m ) , w i d t h : 5 6 i n ( 1 4 2 c m ) , d e p t h : 2 5 i n ( 6 3 c m )

52

T H R E E T O W E R S M A Q U E T T E Maquette for a proposal for Digital Equipment's European headquarters

in Geneva. Three independent sculptures, each twisted around the

vertical axis to form a staggered series that spirals into a single line.

Layered 2 / 3 mm float glass, steel fittings.

Danny Lane 1998

Height: 11 'A in (29cm), length: 20in (51cm), width: S in (20cm)

r

V A R I A B L E T H E M E A new version of this classic Danny Lane console with a pliered and hammer

fractured 25mm float glass top and connecting shelf structure through which

two layered columns o f l 2mm glass spiral with stainless steel fittings.

53

Danny Lane 1986/1998

Height: 35'A in (90.5cm), width: 78'/4 in (200cm), depth: 24in (60cm)

Much of Danny Lane's work is made to commission, sometimes sculpture, sometimes furniture, occasional ly

l ighting. This type of work enables Danny to develop new ideas, tak ing into account the situation in which the

object will be placed. Indeed many of the new works in this exhibit ion took into account Mallett's specif ic

requirements, especial ly with regard to l ighting. We, at Mallett, look forward to new chal lenges and would

welcome working with ourc l ients in the commiss ioning of works in g lass or metal from Danny Lane.

54

R E E L I N G W A L L S M A Q U E T T E Maquette for a post tensioned, layered glass sculpture.

The large version (shown opposite), is in a private col lection, Munich,

Germany. 2mm float glass, hand turned stainless steel f i tt ings on a

25 mm float glass hammer bevelled base.

Danny Lane 1992

Height: 14in (35cm), width: ]9/i in (49.5cm), length: 27in ( 6 9 c m )

56

D I A M O N D M A Q U E T T E Maquette for the Diamond Column, (opposite) . Layered polished 6 mm

float glass, sta inless steel base and t i tan ium top f i tt ing.

Danny Lane 1998

Height: 2O/2 in (52cm) , d iamete ro f base: S in ( 20cm)

D I A M O N D C O L U M N Post tensioned layered glass scu lpture .The 3 0 degree cuts through this

except ional ly bright low iron glass create a prism that breaks up full

spectrum light to reveal rainbows of colour at the sculpture's outer angles.

Danny Lane 1998

Height : 81 in ( 2 0 6 cm), width: I S i n (46cm) , depth: lOin ( 26cm)

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E L E C T R I C S T A N D A R D L A M P A cut glass standard lamp supported on an ormolu base with lion's mask

and classical anthem ion decoration, the stem made of columns of glass

decorated with cross cutting or rope twist. This appears as number E271 in

the Osier catalogue.

Birmingham, England, circa 1895. Height: 62in (157.5cm)

S T A N D S TO R E A S O N A pair of standing lamps in post tensioned float glass. These are the first of

a group of pieces to use low iron glass. Each piece has all its edges arrissed

and highly polished for maximum reflectivity.

Danny Lane 1999. Height: 78.5in (199cm)

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D a n n y L a n e s t u d i o in fu l l s w i n g on t h e m o n u m e n t a l m e t a l w o r k C H I L D OF FAMILY for S o u t h a m p t o n

CD

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r a Q

Danny Lane was born in the USA in 1955 and has hved and worked in England for over twenty years.

P U B L I C C O L L E C T I O N S

Victoria and Albert Museum, London / Mi lwaukee Art Museum / Crafts Council, London Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein / Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris / Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Museum Kiinstlerkolonie, Darmstadt / Rbhsska Konstslojdmuseet, Cbteburg Corning Class Museum, New York / Nationalmuseum, Stockholm / Kunstgewerbemuseum, Dresden

B I O G R A P H I C A L N O T E S 1955 Born Urbana, Illinois, USA

1975 Moves to the UK to study with stained glass artist Patrick Reyntiens 1975-77 Byam Shaw School of Art, London

1977-80 Studies painting at Central School of Art, London with Cecil Collins Develops applied art objects inspired by Isamu Noguchi

1981 Sets up studio in Whitecross Street, London EC l t Moves studio to New North Place 1982 Moves Studio to Metropol i tan Workshops, London N1

11983-85 Opens showroom in Camden Lock

Begins to show work at One Off and collaborates with Ron Arad Begins to develop steel work in collaboration with blacksmith Paul Anderson First showing of work in Italy

1986 Shows work at Themes and Variations and at Crucial galleries, London 11987 Participation in numerous shows and exhibitions 1988-90 Three one-man shows in London and Paris and at Dilmos, Mi lan

Design of tables for manufacture by Fiam Italia Develops work in wood

Late 1989 establishes studio in Hythe Road, north west London Develops range and size of pieces beyond furniture

1991 -93 Large scale sculpture commissions: Edinburgh, London, Barcelona, China Exhibits works at the Economist Plaza, St James's, London One man exhibition 'Sand and Light', Mathi ldenhbe, Darmstadt

1994 Commissioned by the Victoria and Albert Museum to install a balustrade of stacked glass in their New Glass Gallery Large scale architectural and sculpture commissions in London, Middlesborough, Tel Aviv, Munich

One man exhibition in Rbhsska Konstslojdmuseet, Gbteburg, Sweden Large scale sculpture commissions and opens metal workshop Travels to J apan and undertakes architectural commissions in Tokyo and Osaka Presents one-man shows in London and Zurich

1995 Large scale commissions in Southampton, London, Tokyo Exhibitions in Edinburgh, London, Sevres, Paris, Frankfurt, Tokyo

1996 Commission for New Bond Street, London j Commissioned sculpture for Wembley Stadium approach, London, 'Man Catching a Star'

Exhibitions in London, Venice, Scotland, USA, Boston

1997 Commission for farm near Delhi, India, 'Gopis' and 'Shyam' Commission for Bishopsgate, London, 'Simurgh'

1998 Commission for Conrad International Hotel, Cairo, 'Shoraa Ala EL-NiL' Commission for shopping centre Greenford, England, 'Solomon's Column' Commission for Shanghai, China, pair of glass fountains Commission for office building in Ankara, Turkey, Water Fountain

62

1681

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! 3 i l 6 8 0 ' s

LD l A l 1756 r c

c n M— O 1760 's

^ 1 8 0 4 o

+ - 1

X 1807

1819

1 8 2 0

1845

1 8 4 6

1848

1851

1862

1878

1 8 8 0

1 9 0 4

1910

1930 ' s

1981

1994

A t ab le o f glass f u r n i t u r e and cane work , w i t h glass legs, ' th ree and a ha l f pieds long, t w o and a ha l f pieds w ide and t w o pieds f ive pouces h igh, ' appears in an i nven to ry o f Louis XIV of France, now a t t r i b u t e d to Bernard Perrot of Nevers and Or leans

Table of co loured glass made at t he Med ic i glass house f o r C o s i m o III ( 1 6 7 0 - 1 7 2 3 )

Lady Mary Wor t l ey M o n t a g u , w h i l e v i s i t i ng Venice, wr i tes t o her d a u g h t e r conce rn ing 'a set o f f u rn i t u re , in a tas te en t i re l y new...al l o f glass'

Lomonosov makes glass in la id f u r n i t u r e f o r t h e Chinese Palace, O r a n i e n b a u m , St Petersburg, Russia

Andres Vo ronk in des igns tab les w i t h b lue glass tops and amber glass s tands and bases. One is now in t he Pavlosk Palace Museum, St Petersburg, ano the r is in the Co rn ing Museum of Glass, New York State

The f i rm of F&C Osier f o u n d e d

Cr is ta l le r ie de Voneche of Liege and L'Escalier de Cr is ta l o f Paris e x h i b i t a dressing tab le , chai r and s too l o f glass, in Paris

M d 'A r t i gues purchases Baccarat and in t roduces lead-crys ta l glass to the company

Osier opens showroom in Oxford Street, London

Osier sends a representa t ive to Ca lcu t ta , Ind ia

Prince A l b e r t purchases a pair of 8 feet h igh cande labra f rom Osier as a g i f t t o Queen V ic to r ia

Osier produces large f o u n t a i n f o r t h e Great Exh ib i t i on

Osier supp l ies ' s u n l i g h t dishes' fo r the Great Chamber at Windsor Cast le

Osier exh ib i t s a t t he Paris e x h i b i t i o n

The l i g h t - b u l b inven ted s imu l t aneous l y by Swan and Edison

Libby Glass of To ledo Ohio , exh ib i t s a glass t a b l e a t t he St Louis Wor ld 's Fair

K ing of Nepal orders glass longcase clock for Nepal

Rene Lal ique des igns glass d i n i n g tab les

Danny Lane opens his f i r s t glass s tud io in London

V ic to r i a & A l b e r t M u s e u m in London ins ta l ls glass ba lus t rade by Danny Lane

63

The invitation by Mallett to show my work with their collection of remarkable historical glass objects posed a

great challenge to my studio staff and self. Well over half of the works shown are entirely new ideas or

refinements of earlier work.

I have used the exhibition as motivation to push quality and finish to an extreme - also to prove that contemporary

work lives happily alongside the traditional and historical. The real issue is one of integrity of form and

process. In a time when the rhetorical challenges the eye of the heart to disbelieve its true perception, it

remains my intention to create objects of quality and beauty.

Heartfelt thanks to Vincent O'Brien, Martin Shelsher, Paul Booth and Anne Brooks; also OIlie, J J , Little John and

Neville at the studio; Peter Wood and Clive Bartlett for their photography; Howard Brown for the catalogue

design; John Smith, Henry Neville, Ceorgina Orr-Ewing and all at Mallett.

- 2 ) . A Ckyy—^

M A L L E T T PLC Mallett & Son (Antiques) Ltd

141 New Bond Street London W 1 Y O B S Tel 0171 499 7411 Fax 0171 495 3179 Contact: John P Smith

Mallett at Bourdon House

2 Davies Street London W I Y I L J Tel 0171 529 2444 Fax 0171 499 6270 Contact: Henry Neville

Website: www.mallett.co.uk Email: Antiques@mallett.co.uk

64

© M a l l e t t & Son (Antiques) Ltd 1999 Designed by Howard Brown Printed in England by BAS Printers Ltd

Photographs by Clive Bart lett - pages 5-11 j 15 | 21 j 24-27 j 29 j 32-52 j 54 j 56 j 58 j 64 j back cover

Malcolm Crowther - 12 and Peter Wood - front cover j 2 j 17 j 19 | 23 j 28 j 30 j 53 | 55 | 57 | 59 j 60-61

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