Collection: Cristalleria Artistica Toscana (Empoli, Italy)
Cristalleria Artistica Toscana, usually abbreviated to C.A.T., is identified in specialist glass references as a manufacturer operating in or near Empoli, Tuscany, during the 1960s and later. The published account of the factory draws on collector research and testimony from a family involved in Empoli glassmaking, rather than a comprehensive surviving factory catalogue.
Glass attributed to C.A.T. includes colourful decorative vases, jugs and bottles with spiralling opaque-white stripes against translucent coloured glass. Often described by collectors as candy-stripe or candy-swirl glass, these pieces combine strong colour contrasts with tall or rounded forms. The striped appearance is a useful description of the design, but is not sufficient by itself to identify the maker.
An important part of the attribution history concerns Alrose, an American importer of Italian glass and pottery. Examples now attributed to C.A.T. were previously illustrated under the Alrose name in Leslie Pina’s Italian Glass: Century 20. This distinction matters: an importer’s label records how a piece was marketed, not necessarily the factory that produced it.
Related examples have also been recorded with Hans Geismar import labels in Britain and small red labels reading Italian Glass. Such labels help place a piece within the international trade in Empoli glass, but a generic Italian label does not establish C.A.T. manufacture on its own. Comparison with well-documented examples remains important.
C.A.T. belongs within the wider glassmaking history of the Empoli region, which produced both traditional green glass and brightly coloured decorative wares. That regional context should not be confused with a complete account of this individual factory: precise founding and closure dates, the full product range and many design attributions remain insufficiently documented in the references used here.
Read the specialist C.A.T. attribution account here.
Read more about Italian Empoli glass production here.
