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Please describe your item(s) in as much detail as possible. Information such as dimensions, what materials the item is made of (i.e. wood, plaster, porcelain), and your item’s current condition are all very helpful for our experts to make an accurate estimate.
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If you’ve never heard the term convex glass until this very moment, not to worry, you aren’t alone. While convex glass was in fact once popularly used within decorative arts, it has since waned in favor.
Within the last century, as glass manufacturing became a simpler process, convex glass has fallen to the wayside.
Fortunately, our experts do still encounter this beautiful material at the studio, both in antiques and in contemporary framing projects.
Okay, so what is convex glass, actually?
Above: a sheet of convex glass from our custom framing studio.
Convex glass is essentially glass that rises up in the center, creating a dome like effect on whatever its encases. Picture a scaled up version of an eyeglass.
Other (albeit incorrect) names you might have come across for this material include curved, bubble or domed glass: misnomers for obvious reasons. While these all have a curved surface like convex glass they are in fact produced with a different method and often used for different purposes.
Curved glass is rounded at two ends, but does not create a full seal around all edges. This was commonly used for china cabinet doors.
While convex glass appears to look quite a lot like a bubble, Bubble glass actually means that the glass was manufactured by a process called drawn glass, which creates “seeds” or elongated bubbles in the glass. Domed glass is another would-be convex glass.
Dome glass is typically used for clocks and has a more pronounced or raised center than typical domed glass.
When to use it? Then and now…
Above: an antique barometer with a convex glass face.
Another antique that commonly used convex glass was in the faces of instruments and clocks. This gilt wood barometer was restored, requiring the replacement of its convex glass panel.
Although convex glass is antique in its appearance, it is still produced today by select fabricators. Not only is this helpful when replacement glass is needed for an antique, but also in offering an interesting and unique effect when framing even contemporary projects.
The curvature of the surface creates an interested effect with light and sense of depth. Convex glass is especially useful in framing three-dimensional or raised artworks, where more space is required to protect the work.
Above: An antique locket with convex glass protecting a lock of hair and portrait.
Interested in learning more about the uses and benefits of convex glass?
Reach out to our custom framing studio today to see if it’s right for your project.
Trefler’s custom framing studio is proud to offer a wide variety of framing solutions to suit almost any style, budget and environment. Moulding vendors such as Roma Moulding, Picture Woods and Larson Juhl provide finely crafted pre-finished moulding that can be used in framing projects to achieve any desired aesthetic from traditional to contemporary, rustic to minimal.
Float frames owe their name to the illusion they create of “floating” a canvas artwork. This simple trick of the eye is no feat of complex engineering, but rather simply, is made possible because the underlying structure of a canvas artwork lends itself to the framing technique. Unlike works on paper, canvases have an internal frame, and are created by stretching a material such as cotton, linen or another fabric of choice across a wooden frame of “stretchers”. These stretchers are what give canvas paintings both depth and rigidity.
Over the course of 2020, we’ve all embarked on our fair share of home organization projects. Whether you’ve banished anything that doesn’t bring you joy, or simply went excavating into the dark depths of your basement, it’s been a period where we’ve had more time than usual at home to take stock of what’s been stored away.
