Brilliance and a Blaze of Colour. The Dubs-Huwyler collection of reverse glass painting

The Dubs-Huwyler collection comprises 56 reverse glass paintings, which are kept in a stately building in Steinen in the canton of Schwyz. The collection focuses on reverse glass paintings from the 18th century, supplemented by further works from the first half of the 19th century. Particularly noteworthy is the work produced in central Switzerland, including outstanding reverse glass paintings by Anna Maria Barbara Abesch, Johann Peter Abesch, Johann Crescenz Meyer, Franz Thaddäus Menteler and Anna Maria Franziska Pfyffer von Altishofen-von Sonnenberg. The collection also contains reverse glass paintings from Italy, Tyrol, France, Germany, the Netherlands and China, thereby documenting the diversity of this art form in Europe and beyond. The project aims to highlight the unique value of this collection and to make an important research contribution to a little-known art genre. The results will be presented in both a printed and an open-access publication in the “Glass Art” series by the Vitrocentre Romont (De Gruyter).

Project duration: 2025–2026