Lot Essay
cf. Janine Bloch-Dermant, The Art of French Glass 1860-1914, 1974, pp. 168-173 and 177, figs. 166, 270-275 and 282; Noël Daum, La pâte de verre, 1984, pp. 58-74, figs. 61-78; Victor Arwas, Glass, Art Nouveau to Art Deco, 1987, pp. 66-71; and Giuseppe Cappa, L'Europe de l'Art Verrier, 1991, pp. 93-95, fig. 143 for text on and examples of Cros' work.
Henri Cros (1840-1907), a painter, watercolorist, sculptor and ceramist, attempted to revive the antique glass technique of pâte-de-verre in 1882 and was awarded a Medal 3rd Class for his works exhibited in the 1889 salon, as well as a Silver Medal at the International Exhibition in Paris later that year. In 1891, Cros was given a studio and kiln at the Sèvres factory, which hoped to rejuvenate itself through the hire of young talent. Cros' oeuvre included plaques and medallions sculptured in low relief and decorated in colored pastes, as well as large figurative pâte-de-verre panels in relief. His attraction to allegorical and mythological subject matter stemmed from his fascination with classical Greece and ancient Rome. In 1895, Cros received the Order of the French Legion of Honour. He died on January 31, 1907, leaving his glass making techniques and methods unknown to all, but to his son Jean.
Henri Cros (1840-1907), a painter, watercolorist, sculptor and ceramist, attempted to revive the antique glass technique of pâte-de-verre in 1882 and was awarded a Medal 3rd Class for his works exhibited in the 1889 salon, as well as a Silver Medal at the International Exhibition in Paris later that year. In 1891, Cros was given a studio and kiln at the Sèvres factory, which hoped to rejuvenate itself through the hire of young talent. Cros' oeuvre included plaques and medallions sculptured in low relief and decorated in colored pastes, as well as large figurative pâte-de-verre panels in relief. His attraction to allegorical and mythological subject matter stemmed from his fascination with classical Greece and ancient Rome. In 1895, Cros received the Order of the French Legion of Honour. He died on January 31, 1907, leaving his glass making techniques and methods unknown to all, but to his son Jean.