Bendheim Celebrates Important Distinction from UNESCO

International Agency Recognizes Handmade Glass as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Along with our near century-old partner Lamberts®, we are celebrating UNESCO’s recent announcement recognizing handmade mouth-blown and rolled glass as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, declared handmade glass production to be an “intangible cultural heritage of humanity.” We have been the North American representative and distributor for Lamberts® mouth-blown glass for more than 80 years. Their glass is used extensively in ecclesiastical, secular, restoration and historical applications.

Mouth-blown glass production at Glashütte Lamberts, Germany

The traditional craft of handmade glass production was nominated for the UNESCO award by Germany, France, Spain Finland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. The intangible cultural heritage of humanity includes living traditions in dance, theater, music, oral traditions, natural knowledge and craft techniques.

Restoration Glass® and “stained” glass from Lamberts have been included in a wide variety of projects, including religious buildings, airports, schools of education and historical institutions such as The White House, Monticello and Mount Vernon.

Lamberts® has partnered with Bendheim since the company was founded in 1927. Mouth-blown glass is available in hundreds of transparent and translucent colors, and offers a distinct, humanizing character. Each sheet of Restoration Glass® is handmade utilizing centuries-old techniques and hand-selected at the factory to ensure the finest quality.

Restoration Glass® is mouth-blown by Glashütte Lamberts in accordance with centuries-long tradition

“We are eternally grateful for the recognition of handmade glass production as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity,” explained Georg Goes from the Glashütte Baruth Museum, Katrin Holthaus from the LWL Museum Glashütte Gernheim and Rainer Schmitt from the Lamberts Glassworks. “It is a groundbreaking award for those who carry this traditional craft practice and is an incentive for us to continue to preserve this tradition and make it better known. In the coming years, we are planning international projects to maintain manual glass production together with our partners from the other applicant nations.”

“The hand and breath of the glassblower can be felt in the mouth-blown glass of Lamberts®. This glass with a soul, brings its unique personality to our technology-driven world.’’ Bendheim Partner Robert Jayson said. “For nearly 100 years, Bendheim and Lamberts® have worked together to bring the finest mouth-blown sheet glass to North America. We take great pride in having the ability to provide this special glass to our market.”

Stained glass installation at the Children’s Hospital of Alabama, Birmingham, AL by Guy Kemper. Photo by James Steinkamp

UNESCO has been supporting the protection, documentation and preservation of living culture for 20 years. Individual elements from the national registers of intangible cultural heritage of the contracting states can be proposed for one of three international UNESCO lists. Around 700 customs, performing arts, craft techniques and forms of natural knowledge are currently on these lists. The Intergovernmental Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage decides annually on the inclusion of new cultural forms on the UNESCO lists.

Click here to learn more about UNESCO and Intangible Cultural Heritage. Click here to learn more about Lamberts Glass.