Higgins Glass Studio Decorative Fused Glass Plate. Milky sunburst pattern from the center of the clear plate, with a spiraling golden hued line throughout. At the end of the spiral is the name Higgins in the same gold tone on the underside. 

Condition: Great. 

Size: 1 x 12 1/4 in. 

Michael and Frances Higgins met at the Chicago Institute of Design in 1955, where they bonded over a love of the ancient art of glass fusing. Because the process is extremely labor-intensive compared to glassblowing and no local facilities would let them experiment, they began operating out of their apartment, with miniature kilns set up behind their sofa. Using geometric lines and bold colors, they began making bowls, plates, and other household items that quickly found a following in the American Midwest when they were distributed by Marshall Field’s and Bullock’s Wilshire. They partnered with Dearborn Glass Company in 1957, producing a line called “Higginsware” that included tableware, lamps, candleholders, and ashtrays. In the early 1960s their line expanded to include Christmas ornaments, glass-topped tables and dishes, bookends, clocks, and more. Their popularity soared, and led them to a brief period working for Haeger Potteries before setting up their own private Higgins Glass Studio in Riverside, Illinois in 1966. Thousands of new items from paperweights to full exterior ornamentation followed over the decades, and after Michael died in 1999 and Frances died in 2004 the studio came under the ownership of mother-and-son design associates Louise and Jonathan Wimmer, who had worked with the Higgins since 1978. Early Higgins pieces are included in the collections of the Smithsonian Institute, the Metropolitan Museum, and the Corning Glass Museum, among others, and are highly sought by collectors to this day. 

Great.