Song bird with venetian dew
Material: Blown glass, metal clip, spun glass tail, venetian dew
Size: 16 cm long
Age: ca. 1920
Origin: Germany, Lauscha
Condition:
Very good used condition.
Description:
Rare antique Christmas ornament from Lauscha, dating to around 1920. The silvered glass bird is hand-painted with gelatin-based colours and coated with “Venetian dew.” These tiny glass particles give its surface a delicate, frosted sparkle and highlight the moulded feather details. Red-painted eyes and a long red beak add touches of colour. A fine spun-glass tail complements its elegant shape. Two metal springs connect the bird to a clip for attaching it to the Christmas tree. A rare and highly collectible example of historic Lauscha Christmas decoration with a lovely aged patina. Guaranteed antique – not a reproduction.
Venetian Dew is a decorative technique found on antique Christmas ornaments. It consists of tiny glass beads that were sprinkled onto and fixed to the surface of glass ornaments, creating a sparkling, textured, and highly decorative finish.
Glass ornaments from Lauscha
Since the mid-19th century, glass Christmas tree ornaments were made primarily by cottage workers in Thuringia. According to legend, a poor glassblower from Lauscha invented them in 1847 as a substitute for expensive apples and walnuts. A documented order for six dozen “Christmas baubles” dates to 1848. The construction of the Lauscha gasworks in 1867 enabled glassblowers to produce larger baubles with thinner walls. From around 1870, silver nitrate replaced the hazardous tin-and-lead alloy previously used to create their reflective finish. The ornaments were then hand-painted or dipped in colour and sometimes decorated with glitter. Trading firms in Sonneberg handled distribution. Exports to the United States, notably through F. W. Woolworth from around 1880, helped bring Lauscha Christmas ornaments to an international market.
