Georges Briard Glassware History and Pattern Recognition Information

History of Georges Briard: Jakub Brojdo was born in the Ukraine and raised in Poland. He changed his name to Jascha (Yascha) Brojdo when he moved to Chicago in 1937 to study at the Art Institute of Chicago, where he earned his MFA.

After serving in the U.S. Army throughout World War II he moved to New York and began painting metal serving trays signing them Brodjo. (quite a nice find for a collector). He was hired by his friend Max Wille, to create designs for the M. Wille Company, who came up with the name Georges Briard to mark commercial pieces. Brodjo was also a painter and would use his real name on his art pieces.

As Georges Briard, Brodjo became an American award-winning designer, his designs stocked at high end department stores, such as Neiman Marcus and Bonwit Teller.

Georges Briard designs became hugely popular throughout the 1950s to 70s, so it is prominent through many eras, but is most notable for the Mid Century Modern, Atomic & later 70s Kitsch designs. The Georges Briard signature can be found on everything from glass, ceramics, metal, wood, glasses, trays, coffee pots, dishes & more...

In 2004, Brodjo was awarded the Frank S. Child Lifetime Achievement Award by The Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorators, in honor of his extraordinary contributions to the glass and ceramic decorating industry.

Brodjo died in 2005, in New York at age 88

Pictured above are glassware designs often carried in my etsy shop Lightly Sauced Retro.

Georges Briard Pattern Information:

Firenza Pattern 1960s - 70s: Blue Green with a Gold Cross Fleury themed after Italian Renaissance architecture in Florence Italy, is one of my favorite patterns. It can be found in highballs and lowball glasses. I have only once seen this pattern on slanted glasses, but can find no record of it in my books or anywhere else.

Butterflies Pattern 1950s - 1960s: Gold butterflies on clear glasses, can be also found on white milky glass and on platters cups, mugs and other serveware.

Europa Pattern 1960s - 70s: Part of his more abstract Art Nouveau style. With Green & Blue geometric patterns, framed in gold squiggled lines. Found on many various shapes and sizes of glassware and copied by Starlight Glass in a very similar pattern, found in White and Gold, Blue & Gold & Green & Gold. It is unknown if Brodjo had a hand in this pattern for Starlight or not.

Art Nouveau Pattern 1960s - 70s: Blue Purple & Gold scrolling abstract pattern shown here can be found in different colors and there is a similar pattern called Art Nouveau 2