In her foreword, Marie-Christine Joulin explains her passion for the works of Charles Schneider and how this book gives insight to position his works in the eminent place his work deserves in the history of 20th-century art and decorative art. The Preface is written by the granddaughter of Charles Schneider, Marie-Thérèse Decker (born Schneider), describing her family and her uncle’s and father’s creation of La Christallerie Schneider and sketching the nature at the garden of her grandfather in southern Brittany or at Epinay, the flora to be recognized in Charles Schneider’s works.
The first chapter portrays the Schneider family, the education and working of Charles Schneider on the line Le Verre Français and the Schneider line, the influence of the Great Depression on the liquidation and bankruptcy in 1938.
Packed with photos on glass objects, drawings, graphical material and photos on workers from the Scheider Archives, the vast oeuvre is pictured chronologically and divided in the pages on Charles Schneider A Glass Pyrotechnist, Schneider, Le Verre Français and closes with a glossaire (glossary) on the different techniques used and a Bibliography.
Tiny Esveld and Marie-Christine Joulin did a great job to bring so much material so well-organized in this well-made book. Even when some photos are not sharp or blown-up too large for the pixels, every collector of Art Deco Glass needs to study this book to understand the importance of Charles Schneider.
Angela van der Burght
