Christopher Dresser, Clutha – decorative glass, 1889. Glasgow….

Christopher Dresser, Clutha – decorative glass, 1889. Glasgow. Via imm.hu

Dresser (1834–1904) was one of the foremost British designers of his time. He started to take a particular interest in glass as an artistic material in the 1880s, when he designed Clutha glass for James Couper & Sons of Glasgow. The word Clutha is claimed by some sources to have come from the Gaelic name for the River Clyde. Another suggestion is that it comes from the word “cloudy”. Clutha glass was a distinctive product of James Couper & Sons, freeformed blown glass, with characteristic bubble inclusions and coloured in bands. The shape is often twisted and asymmetric.