To our benefit, the Montreal area was a beacon for emigrant glass blowers hailing from Murano. These artists brought with them different cultural traditions, which then melded with the experiences and broader opportunities of living in a new country. The glass they produced in their new home reflected this; taking blown glass in a fascinating new artistic direction evident in pieces created by techniques rooted in Venetian tradition which went on to evolve into free-form hand worked “stretch” translations of the art form.

The glass houses of that era were only slightly less encumbered by the rigid hierarchical glass blowing class structure that had been firmly established in Murano. Even visiting Murano today and touring the glass houses, one will find that an atmosphere of secrecy and privilege still prevails. Certainly, none of the Italian Canadian glass blowing houses of this era could be viewed as “collectives or studios.” All directions came from top down with colour formulas and design choices being treated as closely guarded secrets. In the words of Angelo Tedesco, “It was sacred to make our own formulas.” It was these formulas that were among Chalet’s most closely guarded secrets. As Chalet was also a business, creativity was always measured against value. Production costs and timelines as well as the retail demand for a piece were foremost considerations when the Chalet owners determined direction or inventory.

Due to long hours working with dangerous materials and extreme heat as well as the demand for dedication, the art of glass making was not, and is not, for the faint of heart. Most of Chalet’s artists had worked with glass as apprentices from their pre-teen years famous Venetian Maestri (Masters) such as: Archimedes Seguso, Itamo Pustetto, Mario Fuga, Paolo Venini, Alfredo Barbini, Nino D’Este and Aldo Fuga. In referring to the list of Chalet glass blowers above, it is easy to see how entwined the dynastic traditions in glass blowing are and how the way in which they persevere despite geographical divides – continuing even on a different continent.

Preparation for work for a day’s work began at the end of the previous day. Soda ash, lime, tons of sand, and other ingredients were mixed into crucibles to melt at 1800°C overnight for twelve hours. Recipes, using differing quantities of lead oxide, uranium oxide, cobaltic, sulphur, virgin gold, silver, antimuonium, magnesium and copper, were closely guarded trade secrets. This is where the “magic” began as the art of Chalet’s glass depended as much upon vibrancy of colour as on fantastical shape. Sergio Pagnin, the factory chemist, as well as master glass blower, created the colour combinations that were and still are benchmarks for Chalet pieces. Chalet had 4 crucibles – one always held clear crystal, one always held cranberry colour, one was for blue and the last rotated colour every 3-4 days. By 1972, seven furnaces were in production and nearly 70 people worked at Chalet Artistic Glass.

Typically, production began in the early morning hours and ended in the early afternoon as the heat generated by the furnaces was too intense to endure by mid-afternoon. Runs were determined by type and number of product orders. Each Chalet team was able to create an average of 20 works an hour resulting in a total daily factory output of roughly 700 to 800 pieces. However, it was standard that 25 per cent of these pieces were determined to be seconds, which were offered for sale in the factory’s showroom. It was in the showroom that the general public was able to purchase pieces on site. Buyers from local jewelry stores such as Warren-Pommier, which still operates in Cornwall today, would also visit the factory showroom in order to restock their Chalet inventory.

 Master glass blowers and their assistants usually worked in teams of up to five or six artists depending on the size and difficulty of the piece that was being worked on. The artistic team operated under a strict skill level hierarchy which, top down, included: the Maestro, the servante, the servantino and the garzone. If the Maestro was away, the servante moved up the chain of command to become a temporary Maestro in the accredited Maestro’s absence. The Maestro was responsible for the finishing touches of the piece and it was he, and he alone, that decided if a piece was “Not good glass.”

If a glass blower completed their quota and another team was still working, they would then assist the others. Such collaboration resulted in the Chalet artists broadening their overall skills in a variety of styles and this refining of diverse skills was how artists eventually gained the level of skill required to achieve Maestro status. In 1962, when the company changed both name and direction, Luigi Tedesco and Sergio Pagnin were already Master glass blowers. Bruno Panizzon and Giulio Gatto achieved Master glass blower status while at Chalet, and later Angelo Rossi would also rise to this rank under these already accredited Maestri. In the years, following Chalet’s closure, Giovanni Voltolina and Gian Paolo Bastianello also went on to achieve Maestro status.

Although characteristic pieces of Chalet were mouth blown and then hand worked, some pieces - mainly the clear crystal fruit and the cranberry apples - were completely mouth blown. When a production run ended, the artists were occasionally allowed to give rein to their creativity or, in other instances, received direction to create an “artist’s sample.” The end results were new production designs, fabulous and intriguing one-of-a-kind pieces and the “piccoli” (small ones). While these pieces were never given the white Chalet inventory label, many were either signed or stickered. There are also superb pieces, albeit rare, of mouth blown vases and bottles. Other pieces, such as crystal wine carafes, the bomboniere and ribbed CH pieces, were blown into moulds to achieve the necessary shape and then hand finished to enhance the design. Tableware and glassware were produced by entirely different teams of glass blowers and these lines were kept strictly apart from the heavy crystal, decorative molded cranberry and end of day lines. Very occasionally gold and silver dust, kerosene, cold water and acid were manipulated at end stages to achieve various special effects and finishes.

 The Art

“…destined to be tomorrow’s collector’s item.” Quoted from Chalet’s ‘Canadiana Cranberry’ hang tag – and a prophecy come true. But not just true about the cranberry as all lines of Chalet art glass are sought after. Chalet glass has been collectible from the start – put into embassies and sent worldwide with diplomats and delegates. In the last decade, its global exposure exploded with the Internet, online selling and social media collectors’ groups. And once more, Chalet is again being placed in Canadian embassies. So, its allure has not diminished in the 45 years since Chalet’s closure.

Chalet did not ‘name’ their pieces – they were given only production and inventory numbers. Here is the earliest company catalogue sheet that I know of to date As you can see, all the pieces here are listed by a number only. It is fascinating to look at this “Items Available” and see which pieces you have from it in your personal collection. It is also fascinating to see what pieces did not go forward into later production years and/or those which evolved into slightly different designs.