Last Updated: May 01, 2020     Views: 1132

Franz Grosz was an artist who worked in a variety of media, including glass. He did not work for a glass firm, but purchased blanks, and sold them through his own firm, and through his agent Mary Ryan. A brief look at the books on Tiffin glass, who supplied his blanks, was not productive. Searching the Internet, especially Ebay, will yield some additional examples of his work. Dates of the firm have not been determined. The Rakow Library has the 1951 Red Book, issued by the periodical China, Glass and Decorative Accessories, which includes a listing for the firm in Elmhurst, NY, owned by Joseph F. Grosz and Robert Bodkin: “decorators of glass for giftware and decorative architectural purposes.” The next directory the Rakow Library has is from 1955, which does not list the firm.

We do have a few resources in the Library's collection on Grosz and Groszart Glass Company:

  • “An Explanatory Note on Groszart.” Tiffin Glassmasters 9.3 (Fall 1994): 12-13. (Notes: Sand-carved pieces by Franz Grosz, with an unidentified ad “Groszart carved glass by Franz Grosz” as carried by Mary Ryan.  This ad did appear in China and Glass, Aug. 1945. Location: Periodicals NK5112.9.T5.T56g
  • Brothers, J. Stanley. [Collection of papers on glass decorating firms] Folder: Groszart Ads and articles from 1944-1946, from China and Glass; Gift and Art Buyer. Location: Microfiche F-13,568
  • Groszart Glass Co. Corona, LI, NY, USA. Groszart Carved Glass by Franz Grosz: Carved Glass as Shown by Mary Ryan. Corona, L.I. Mary Ryan 1946. Notes: Filmed with letter of transmittal 10-17-46. -- Mary Ryan was a sales agent for Grosz's work. -- J. Stanley Brothers states that the blanks for Grosz's work were supplied by U.S. Glass. Location: Microforms F-13972T
  • Groszart Glass Company, Corona, N.Y., USA. Groszart: Original Creations in Fine Glass. Chicago: Mary Ryan, [1951?]. Notes: Trade catalog. Spiral bound. Decorative carved glass: bowls, vases, plates, centerpieces, plaques, trays, cigarette box, picture frames, decanter, ash trays, and more. Some in color, all signed by Franz Grosz. Location: Microform / Trade Catalogs, Tableware: Groszart Glass Company, Corona, NY, USA (F-2185T)
  • Who Was Who in American Art. Falk, 1999. Volume 2, p. 1390.

If you would like to borrow copies of library items, please contact your local library. The Rakow Research Library will send copies of articles and will also loan certain books and microform in response to interlibrary loan (ILL) requests from other libraries. For further information about our ILL policies and procedures, please see our web page: https://www.cmog.org/research/library/visit/services/loan.

As a non-profit, cultural institution, The Museum cannot offer appraisal services. If you wish to determine the value of your glass piece, you may want to consult a reliable local antique dealer, or send a photograph of the object to a reputable auction house (see ArtNet’s directory of auction houses worldwide, https://www.artnet.com/auctionhousedirectory/index.aspx).

You can also find appraisers through several professional organizations: The American Society of Appraisers (phone) 1-800-ASA-VALU (online) https://www.appraisers.org; The Appraisers Association of America (phone) 212-889-5404 ext. 14 (online) https://www.appraisersassoc.org; and The International Society of Appraisers (phone) 312-981-6778 (online) https://www.isa-appraisers.org. 

Your local library may have a subscription to Maloney’s Antiques and Collectibles Resource Directory, which provides listings of appraisers by type of collectible.

 

 

 

 

Ask a Glass Question

Ask a Glass Question

Please note: The Corning Museum of Glass is a non-profit, educational institute and, as such, cannot answer questions about rarity or value of your glass. For more information about appraisal services, see our curatorial FAQs.

Provide Your Contact Information
Fields marked with * are required.