Topic: Does anyone recognise this old vase please?

[Tina]

Bearing in mind that I am a complete novice....I think this has a few decades to it.

Other than that, I'm clueless. Does anyone recognise it please?

[Ivo]

I think more than a few decades may be an understatement. Looks like French Opaline from the Nap XIII period - so end of the 19th century. It may have been made in France or in Bohemia (one should never be to certain in these matters) or even in England. It should have a stopper - if you feel inside the neck you can probably feel the ground out stopper seat. The underside (I'm guessing here) has a beautifully ground and polished pontil mark, right? Lastly, check if the gilding in the mitres is intact; it looks a bit bright so may have been painted over. The gilding on the enamel scrolling seems to have disappeared.

[Tina]

Hi, thanks for your help with this Ivo, very much appreciated.

I don't think it had a stopper, the glass inside the neck is very narrow and completely smooth. The underside also, no pontil but evidence of wear.

The gold on the upper part hasn't disappeared, just the poor quality photo. It's all intact.

The gold inside the mitres (as you put it) is quite worn, it's patchy in parts. I've taken a couple more photo's. You can see it's quite worn.

[Tina]

This is the underside of the base

Thanks again!

[Tina]

I should have said...this stands about 6.5 inches tall and measures only 1 inch across the top rim. The opening in the neck is perhaps one quarter of an inch.

[Lustrousstone]

At that size it's probably either purely decorative or a specimen vase. Using vases for flowers is a relatively modern thing, they started off as ornaments.

[Tina]

I doubt there's ever been a flower in this.  It looks as if you'd have to trim the thorns from the rose first