• WhatsOn Arts and Crafts

Echoes of Light

@ The Bowes Museum

Book Now

The Northern Branch of the Guild of Glass Engravers is the foremost group of glass engravers in the North of England.  The aim of the exhibition is to inform, educate and make the public aware of the art of glass engraving, by exhibiting glass engraved using modern engraving techniques, in the hope that it will arouse their interest in this wonderful medium.

Many exhibits on display will be for sale, and will comprise of different types of glass including  cased coloured glass, vases, bowls, goblets, etc, covering a wide range of subject matter, using a variety of engraving methods, which includes surface, intaglio and stipple engraving.

Methods of engraving the glass include using an electrically driven hand held drill. This method of engraving has enormously expanded the possibilities of decorative engraving, allowing huge projects such as Church screens, windows, and many architectural subjects. Sand blasting and acid etching add to the possibilities.

Copper wheel engraving was the most common method in the 17th and 18th century.  Using a lathe with a diamond or copper wheel, where the glass is presented to a rotating wheel, many effects can be obtained, from deep intaglio to surface engraving. This is extremely skilful and requires many years of practice.

Stipple engravers use a hand held stylus or scriber containing diamond or tungsten carbide fine point, where the design is made up from dots created by tapping the stylus on the glass.  This method was widely used in early Dutch glass of the16th Century but the practice almost disappeared.

Contemporary glass engraving is new to the majority of the public and we have found that visiting an exhibition of engraved glass encourages them to ask questions about it and to appreciate the artistic ability of the engraver.

The Northern Branch members meet quarterly at Patrick Brompton near Bedale to hold engraving sessions, weekend tutorials with invited well-known glass engravers — who possess a lot of knowledge and experience — and to discuss anything to do with glass engraving.  We are delighted to welcome anyone who would like to know more about this magical form of decoration.

The Guild of Glass Engravers is a charitable organisation with worldwide membership, whose main objective is to inform, educate and captivate the public about the art of glass engraving.

---