teins, and
bowls with decorative coats of arms upon them in gold or in colored
enamel."
"Oh, I have seen things like that," Jean replied.
"Yes, we have some of those ornamental goblets at home in the
dining-room. They are very rich and handsome. Beside these varieties
the Bohemians have of late revived the making of old white opaque glass
with colored enamel figures on it. But engraved glass is one of the
kinds for which Bohemia is chiefly celebrated. Even very skilful glass
engravers can be had there for little money. They cut fine, delicate
designs upon the glass with a lathe. Some of this is white, but much of
it is of deep red or blue with the pattern engraved on it in white.
Such glass is made in two layers, the outer one being cut away so to
leave the design upon the surface underneath."
"Wasn't it the Bohemians who invented cut glass?" Giusippe asked.
"No. Sometimes people say so, but this is not true. The fact is that
there chanced to be a glass cutter so skilful that he was appointed
lapidary to Rudolph the Second; he had a workshop at Prague, but though
he did some very wonderful glass cutting, which gained him much fame,
he did not invent the art. It was, by the way, one of his workmen who
later migrated to Nuremburg and carried the secret of glass-cutting to
Germany."
"Isn't it queer how one country learned of another?" reflected Jean.
"Yes, and it is especially interesting when we see how hard each tried
not to teach his neighbor anything. There always was somebody, just as
there always is now, who could not keep still and went and told," Mr.
Cabot said. "And while we are speaking of the different kinds of glass
we must not forget to mention the dark red ruby glass perfected in 1680
by Kunckel, the director of the Potsdam glass works, for it is a very
ingenious invention. The deep color is obtained by putting a thin layer
of gold between the white glass and the coating of red."
"What else did the Germans make?" queried Giusippe.
"Well, the Germans, like the other nations, turned out glass which was
suggestive of their people. And that, by the by, is a fact you must
notice when seeing the work of so many different countries. Observe how
the art of each reflects the characteristics of those who made it.
Italy gave us fragile, dainty glass famous for its airy beauty and
delicacy; Germany, on the other hand, fashions a far more massive,
rough, and heavier product--large flasks, steins and goble
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