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"Grand Seascape with Trees Vase"; ca. 1900; Designed by Clément Massier (French, 1845–1917); Hand-painted and metallic-glazed thrown earthenware

This beautiful vase has a wide range of warm reds that are complemented twice by the warm violet above the reds and warm greens at the below it. Areas on that are neutral are imitating the natural gestures and form of strong trees. To create an object of iridescence like this one, which has a beautiful feeling and intuitive form in addition to detail, must require an artist to invent their own technique and commit to intense labor. Every technique requires effort in order to to evolve it and have great success with it. In other words, pouring extra labor into this their technique is mandatory in all cases. Small objects of iridescence like pearls, God's art, can be converted into a spectacle like any other work of art. It is labor that makes this process possible. This is truly inspiring!

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This beautiful Victorian teapot is made in 19th century, made by Edwin James Drew Bodley.  The spout, handle and edges are decorated with moulded bamboo stalks, with gilding to accentuate their nodes. Bright pink panels feature on two opposing sides, as well as on top.  These individual elements come together to create something that is Chinese in influence, but British in nature. Chinoiserie trend started in the 18th century when porcelain, silk, and lacquerware imported to Europe from these countries became fashionable. As a result, British designers and craftsmen created items such as this teapot for a British market that exuded this aesthetic influence. It is a amazing piece combied western and asian culture. It requires the artist has to familliar with both culture and have the incredible idea at the same time.

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Leaf Pitcher; ca. 1901; Designed by Lajos Mack (Hungarian, 1877–1963)

I think this Leaf Pitcher is amazing. The shape and details of the leaf are perfectly matched with the iridescence. It will give different feelings depending on the light. I’m sure it required a lot of techniques and labor to make this beautiful pitcher. I think creating iridescence is tricky because of randomness. It is not easy to control how it looks compared to other materials. The artist practiced a lot and have many experiments to find out the exact way to make this.

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Sicardo Vase (USA), 1902 - Jacques Sicard
Glazed earthenware 63.8 x 35.6 cm

I chose this vase because of the its iridescence and matte finish. It feels matte yet has an eerie sheen to it. This vase has a subtle texture of eeriness and transcendence through its pattern and texture. I think the earthenware is more labor intensive because of how they create this type of metallic luster finish. After doing some research, it shows that there are glazes that create this kind of luster but its not so simple because, im sure a lot of it was trial and error. Creating a matte finish would be much easier because you could just finish it with one type of glaze vs. trying to create a metallic luster while trying to figure how to create this type dimension through its glaze. I do think there can be a large scale object for the public. It can be more dynamic by creating different types of texture and lust through out the day depending on the type and amount of light it receives in a 24 hour span.

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Leaf Pitcher; Designed by Lajos Mack (Hungarian, 1877–1963); Manufactured by Zsolnay, Pècs Factory (Pécs, Hungary); Pressed and hand-shaped, high-fired eosin-glazed fine white earthenware; Museum purchase from Charles E. Sampson Memorial Fund, 2007-3-1.

As I was looking at this peace, it really stroke me the amount of time and effort it must have taken to create it. I also thought about what it would take to recreate something like this in modern time, and I thought maybe it could be made faster, but the mastery and artistry of a hand made piece would be lost.

Iridescence is such a beautiful part of nature that even fashion artists have tried to recreate in fabric. I hope that we can continue to appreciate this type of sculptural art and that future generations take inspiration from it.

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“Ancient Attraction”, which is an art piece made by Louis Comfort Tiffany in 1916. Tiffany started his earlier experiment of glass in 1973, and he was presiding a large factory in New York as he made this Cypriote vase. His employees were exploring new techniques to perfect the shape, lustre, and formula of glass and glazes. This elliptical vase is made out of glass, and the sheen of the surface highlights artist’s skillful technique of making iridescent pattern. The color of the surface is dim, and there is a leaf pattern in the middle of the vase. According to Jimmy Stewart’s record, the process of making iridescence surface is very complicated. A gather of glass rolls together on a marver and covered with glass fragments. The utilization of chemical element also took a significant role, such as potassium nitrate, which creates the postmarked texture. In the last, the artist need to reheat the whole piece, blown the glass into final form, and give an iridescent treatment.  The process of making a normal glass ornamentas into an art work is very difficult, there are more procedures added. Iridescent effect is not as easy as I thought before, it requires much more labor. Level of attainment, chemical ingredients, and blow technique are all significant.

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KNIFE (FRANCE), CA. 189022.6 x 2.2 x 0.8 cm

This knife was made in 1890. Its medium is silver, mother-of-pearl, with gilding. From an oyster shell, due to the fact that pearl-handled flatwear was at the top of its game in the 19th century, and was very unique and sophisticated. This knife was inspired by Japanese and Chinese culture, and Italian Renaissance art as you can see the engraved decoration on the knife, it is also highlighted with gilding. I think this knife if extravagant and very elegant. You can tell it was from someone of higher power and speaks pleasure when looking at it.

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Leaf Pitcher; ca. 1901; Designed by Lajos Mack (Hungarian, 1877–1963); Manufactured by Zsolnay, Pècs Factory (Pècs, Hungary); Pressed and hand-shaped, high-fired eosin-glazed fine white earthenware.
I like this piece not only because of its unique shape, but also its color, just like a bubble. First of all, this iridescent must be a special technique, and  need extra labor hours. Since the Middle Ages, designers have tried ways to achieve rainbow effects on glass and ceramic surfaces, and incorporate natural iridescent materials (such as mother-of-pearl) into their jewelry and metal products. I think it would be a very difficult to process the new technique during the Middle Ages.
and I would say it will be very shinning if this to be converted into a spectacle.

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Madison Heitner
Leaf Pitcher, ca 1901 pressed and hand shaped, high-fired eosin- gazed fine white earthenware. Museum

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Bowl (Iran), 13th century; glazed earthenware; H x diam.: 9.4 x 20.6 cm (3 11/16 x 8 1/8 in.); Gift of Ephron Gallery; 1958-72-5

Islamic Lustreware such as this 13th century Bowl is especially significant in exhibitions presenting iridescent art, as the use of this decorative technique is said to have originated during the Abbasid Caliphate in the 9th century in what is modern day Iraq. Islamic text forbids the use of silver and gold vessels for eating or drinking, and so the creation of Lustreware was quickly popularized. Although real gold and real silver were not permissible for an individual use, pottery that only appeared silver and gold, or had the attractiveness thereof, could be used by all.

The process of producing Lustreware is a time-consuming feat that involves multiple re-fires of the same potteryware, and a knowledge of science. During the 13th century, potters did not know of the specific scientific workings behind what makes lustreware lustrous, and instead considered it closer to alchemy; however, the knowledge that more or less of a certain substance, differing layers of glaze, or a certain number of refires could alter the final colors in a piece required many years of studying and reworking. Once this knowledge was gained, potters would still have to go through the process of forming the piece (in this case, a bowl), drying, painting, glazing, firing, and refiring. This is no hour-long task. In fact, because artisanry and architecture was so important in Islamic Civilizations, most pieces involved a great deal of fine detail and design, making the task even longer than it would be for a simple design.

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Leaf Pitcher, ca 1901 pressed and hand shaped, high-fired eosin- gazed fine white earthenware. Museum purchase from Charles E. Sampson Memorial Fund. 2007-3-1
The Leaf Pitcher stood out to me as it is very art nouveau style and a very interesting shape for a pitcher, as well as the colors stood out. I liked that you could always see it's vibrant colors and luster as compared to other works where you could only see it at a certain angle. In Hungary, Miklos and Vilmos Zsolnay founded their  ceramic production firm and hired chemists who used a unique and complex glazing process to create the iridescence of this piece. This unique process of glazing was called eosin, in which they would add metallic oxides to the lead glaze. Creating this piece as well as others using the eosin method required strong knowledge of chemistry to understand which elements would need to be mixed together with the glaze in order to create this luster and iridescent quality.

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Vase, 9th-10th century; glass; Overall: 14.2 x 8 cm (5 9/16 x 3 1/8 in.); Museum purchase through gift of Annie I. Kane; 1959-90-1

This piece was created by Arthur J. Nash, an English man, who had moved to New York to produce for Tiffany in 1892. This artwork was produced in a study trying to recreate the artworks made in ancient times all over the world.

This object caught my attention at the exhibition because I believe it is truly iridescent in the way it captures light and is able to have many visible hues unlike others that just appeared to be shiny. To achieve this effect the artist had to dedicate a certain amount of extra labor. Since the material is glass it is extremely sensitive to temperature and needs to be dealt with lot of attention. This deliberate effort was directed with the intention of being a part of a Tiffany, known for having a heavy influence from ancient objects. This artist had to be very precise with all of the science involved with the creation of the object for it to have the right aesthetic. This object is aged and very minutature but I believe if it were to be scaled to be a full sized vase it would still serve as a beautiful piece in someone’s home.

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Jar and Lid, Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, c. 1900, USA, favrile glass, height x diam. (a,b: overall): 14.7 x 8.5 cm (5 13/16 x 3 3/8 in.)

This jar is an example of favrile glassware, a type of iridescent glassware invented by Louis Comfort Tiffany in the late 1800s. I had heard of favrile glass before but never really researched it, so I decided to use this jar for my assignment. L.C. Tiffany (son of the famous jeweler Charles Lewis Tiffany) was actually a painter before he began experimenting with glassblowing techniques in 1875. The result of his labor was a kind of glass that was different than other iridescent glassware because the colors were ingrained into the glass itself rather than just painted on. His glassware became highly sought after in the decades before and after the turn of the 20th century.

I don't know how much labor the actual creation of such works as this favrile glass jar would take compared to other works, but certainly a lot of time and effort went into the invention of the glass itself. I think it is interesting that L.C. Tiffany was originally a painter who then took it upon himself to invent a completely new technique for creating glassware, and his success was certainly rewarded.

In regards to whether a technique like this could be applied to a much larger public work, the question has already been answered because such works do exist. A famous example would be Dream Garden, a stained glass public mural made out of favrile glass that sits in the foyer of the Curtis Publishing Building in Philadelphia. A history of the mural and some pictures can be found here: https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/dream-garden-the/

Unfortunately I don't feel like I'm able to fully perceive the iridescent effects of the favrile glass from the photos, but if I visit Philadelphia any time soon I'll be sure to include this work on my list of things to see.

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GRAND SEASCAPE WITH TREES VASE, CA. 1900.
There were many interesting object in this museum. but I like this one in particular. I think this vase looked very deferent from the rest in the room. According to the website this vase is  one of the largest known pieces by Clément Massier, a master of iridescent glazes at the turn of the twentieth century. Massier studied historical pieces of Spanish lusterware, such as the plate to the right, under the influence of Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer, his collaborator who collected these wares. This bright multidimensional vase uses different combinations of suspension materials that produced variations in color with multiple firings.

Nowadays, Iridescence products seem very common. but, I think the artists in the past had  put a lot time and effort. Reinvent or imitate something of nature is not easy and more when it something new or uncommon at that time. I do not know how to create iridescent even now. so, I believe artist pour extra labor of making this eventhought he was a master.

I specially like the colors and the design of this vase. the artist not only show how good he was with iridescence technique but also his drawing technique.

Its dimensions are H x diam.: 50.8 × 27.3 cm (20 in. × 10 3/4 in.) It has the following markingsCLEMENT MASSIER, GOLFE JUAN (AM) [stamped]

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Jar, 4th–5th century; iridized gold glass; Overall: 7 x 10 cm (2 3/4 x 3 15/16 in.)
It was interesting that probably, this ancient jar got this iridescent effect unintentionally from it's excavation process. I am pretty sure it is small jar but it wasn't easy to make this  fine glass at that time. I believe maker had to mold this super carefully(or they had spinning wheel at that time?) and process many steps from making chemical mixture to baking(I assume this jar made through baking process)
It made me think of people in roman 4th century period already had great decorative pottery making skills but I realized even people in neolithic age knew how to make comb-patterned pottery.
It also needed extra labor and technique to cover the glass with gold without footprint. Attached handle and zigzag decoration took some extra work too.
I wonder what is material under gold covering.
It's always cool iridescent paint applied to fabric to show that cool shiny effect.

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Although the exhibition was small, Vase by Steuben Glass Works caught my eye because of how elegant it looked. Looking at the vase itself, I would not think it is made of glass. I think iridescence require special techniques because the natural glass wielding does not produce this type of shine or luster.  Under the museum’s website, it explains that the Vase was created through this method called “Aurene”. Furthermore, the blue luster like reflection is achieved by combining salt and metallic chloride when refiring the clear glass. I also think it is really thoughtful of how the name “Aurene” was created. “Au-” is the chemical element symbol for gold, and “-rene” is derived from the word sheen, which describes the result of a shiny, reflective surface on regular glass. Additionally, the Tiffany blue shade was executed by adding cobalt oxide to the original, gold Aurene mix. I personally think this will prompt artists to pour extra labor because there are so many different chemical combinations that would produce different results in glass. Of course, it also takes many trials and errors to find a fail-proof method. After a desirable result is created, the artists must also document to remember the specific amounts and conditions in order to replicate the same type of technique.

I would imagine iridescent windows used to create the stained glass windows in a church. The light shining through is bent in many directions, creating a shiny, iridescent look.

Vase (USA), 1920–1929; Manufactured by Steuben Glass Works (United States); glass; Overall: 35 x 21 x 15 cm (13 3/4 x 8 1/4 x 5 7/8 in.); Museum purchase from Mary Blackwelder Memorial Fund; 1977-56-1

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I chose the Leaf Pitcher, CA 1901. Medium in pressed and hand shaped, high-fired eosin-glazed fine white earthenware. Product Design and Decorative Arts department.
I would say yes this would require technology and labor to create. Because in the late 19th and early 20th century, they were using new glazing technology. It was also handcrafted which it takes a long time and hard labor.  Iridescence does require artist to use special technology. For Miklos and his son Vilmos Zslonay they introduced the new glaze technique for the pitcher.
Yes, it would definitely take a very long hard labor to work on a ceramic like this, because it's handcrafted and high fired to glaze this beautiful pitcher.
I imagine that the sunlight would hit the ceramic and create a light or a prism light.
Leaf Pitcher; ca. 1901; Designed by Lajos Mack (Hungarian, 1877–1963); Manufactured by Zsolnay, Pècs Factory (Pècs, Hungary); Pressed and hand-shaped, high-fired eosin-glazed fine white earthenware.

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I chose a Mihrab tile made in Iran around the 13th century. The museum's website explains the following: "Lusterware was a dominant type of ceramic production in medieval Iran, possibly having spread from Egypt in the early 12th century. Within Iran, the town of Kashan was the finest producer of lusterware and manufacture was at its peak during the 12th and 13th centuries."

I have not heard of "lusterware" before. I searched for this technique and learned that "luster" on the surface of tile is produced by metallic oxides in an overglaze finish, which received a second firing at a lower temperature. This is a reverse process when compared with under-glazed porcelain with inscribed patterns of East Asia (Song/Yuan Chinese Blue and White or Goryeo Celadon).

Another round of firing would have required extra labor and time. I assume that this technique of metallic surface on ceramics would have been a monopoly of a certain group of artists. I imagine a view of a mihrab wall with iridescent tiles like this. Under the sunlight or the moonlight, the iridescent scripts would have increased a fantastic or a mystical sensation in a holy place. This is something reminiscent of iridescent make up (theatrical and exaggerated) of dancers and acrobats at the Le Cirque du Soleil shows.

The Metropolitan Museum has an object made in Malaga, Spain in fourteenth century. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/467746. (You can see the similar iridescent blue shimmering effect)

Mihrab Tile (Iran), 13th century; glazed and lustered earthenware, underglaze and underpaint decoration; H x W x D: 19.1 × 37.1 × 4.4 cm (7 1/2 × 14 5/8 × 1 3/4 in.); Gift of Ephron Gallery; 1958-72-1