(b. 1931)
Born in Hungary, Ferenc Albert initially studied at the Budapest Institute of Technology, where he specialised in scientific glassblowing. After moving to the USA in 1956, at the age of 25, he joined IBM, where he headed their glassblowing lab. Later turning to miniature glassblowing, he joined IGMA (the top accreditation for any miniature artisan) and produced a wide range of beautiful pieces modelled on full-size antique glass. He has also collaborated widely with a range of other artisans, making chandelier glass for Phyllis Tucker, Bruce Phillips, and Scott Hughes, and working closely with silversmith Pete Acquisto, for whom he has made carafes and other glassware.
I am not sure if Ferenc is still producing new work – I doubt it – but his pieces are fortunately still available in American dealers’ shops, so I hope we might have the opportunity to build up our collection of his work a little more. I’m grateful to Miniature Cottage for the biography that I used as the basis for the above, as there doesn’t seem to be much other information about him online.
Here are the works by Ferenc in the Quartermaine Hall collection so far:
Ship’s Decanter
A beautifully patterned ship’s decanter with a stopper by Ferenc Albert (2022.099)
Quartermaine Hall 