19,865

In 1863, another Irishman, Thomas G. Hawkes, started to work for John Hoare in the cutting shop of the Brooklyn Flint Glass Works. When Hoare opened his cutting firm in Corning, Hawkes became its superintendent. However, in 1880, Hawkes left to start his own shop. An astute businessman, he built the largest cutting shop in the area. Hawkes was also a skilled designer. This handsome vase cut in the “Venetian” pattern was made by his firm in the 1890s. Colorless glass was overlaid with a layer of turquoise glass, which was then cut away to reveal the colorless glass underneath. Colored objects dating from this period are relatively rare. Catalogs show wineglasses overlaid with red, amber, and green glass, but no other colors are represented. However, a number of turquoise overlay pieces have been found, and most of them are attributed to Corning firms.