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Author Topic: Long-standing mystery vase - Polish? Czech? ID = Hortensja, Poland  (Read 7016 times)

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Offline chopin-liszt

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 :hi:

I asked about this wonderful textured vase a very long time ago, nobody knew anything, but perhaps it's time to try again, with so many more knowledgeable folk around.
I bought it quite a long time ago (from Alsretro, in person). Since then, I know of one which was bought in Portobello Road, London, and I saw one, full of roses, in the window of a cafe in Krakow a few years ago.
It is beautifully moulded, with the big bubble shapes going into the body, but the tiny "bubbles" stick out from it. There are two patterns, the opposite sides match each other. The top of the rim and the base are polished, the squared-off edges are moulded. There is a "bird-bath" shaped well in the base - quite deep.

The only odd thing about it is that the actual colour of the metal is quite poor - a greeny yellowy shade.
There are the usual few "creases" which appear in the surface of moulded glass.

Can anybody please shed any light on it's origin? maker? designer? age?
I still love it.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b227/chopin-liszt/wave/SGS/bumpy7.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b227/chopin-liszt/wave/SGS/bumpy6.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b227/chopin-liszt/wave/SGS/bumpy5.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b227/chopin-liszt/wave/SGS/bumpy4.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b227/chopin-liszt/wave/SGS/bumpy8.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b227/chopin-liszt/wave/SGS/bumpy3.jpg



Cheers, Sue M. (she/her)

‘For every problem there is a solution: neat, plausible and wrong’. H.L.Mencken

Offline Alsretro

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Re: Long-standing mystery vase - Polish? Czech?
« Reply #1 on: July 29, 2010, 07:00:59 PM »
Great provenance  :hi:

Offline Anik R

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Re: Long-standing mystery vase - Polish? Czech?
« Reply #2 on: July 29, 2010, 07:42:27 PM »
Hi Sue,

We discussed this vase here:  http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,34616.msg187623.html#msg187623

I've also got one...  at the moment, there are three available on Allegro (where I also got mine some time ago) -- because of that, I think it's 100% Polish, although I don't know the maker...

All the best!

Anik

Offline chopin-liszt

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Re: Long-standing mystery vase - Polish? Czech?
« Reply #3 on: July 30, 2010, 09:56:42 AM »
I didn't read that thread, Anik, sorry - I can't read everything!
But it hasn't got us any further forward, has it?

The moulding is complex and detailed, despite the "flat" surfaces not being smooth, the knobbly bits which stick out are very finely done. I haven't yet found any mould seams. It is a sophisticated and wonderful design.
It's one of the very few pieces of pressed glass I do like, it "spoke" to me from right across Alistair's shop.  :thup:

I had wondered if it was Polish myself, on the grounds of seeing one in everyday use, in Krakow.
Would the use of poor quality metal in combination with this outstanding design not be something which might actually help pin down it's origin?
Making a mould for something like this does suggest a big production was at least intended, even if it didn't happen in the end, although it doesn't seem to be that scarce a piece after all.

And somebody went to the trouble of polishing the rim and base.
Cheers, Sue M. (she/her)

‘For every problem there is a solution: neat, plausible and wrong’. H.L.Mencken

Offline Anik R

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Re: Long-standing mystery vase - Polish? Czech?
« Reply #4 on: March 05, 2017, 05:48:46 AM »
Hi Sue,

Mystery solved!  The vase is Polish and was produced by Hortensja.  It can be found in the 1970 catalogue, made available on pressglas-korrespondenz...  scroll down to the second-to-last page here.

Anik :D

Offline chopin-liszt

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Re: Long-standing mystery vase - Polish? Czech?
« Reply #5 on: March 05, 2017, 01:08:40 PM »
Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful. ;D
I'm so pleased, Anik. Hortensja is a name I already know, I have a beautiful blue goblet and amber candlestick from the silver salt surface decorated range.
I know it's an extremely good maker.
Even if the glass is not of the best colour, the moulding and pressing is fantastic.
But now I need to get proper images and post them to the board directly.
You've made my day. :-*
I've always felt there was something a bit special about this vase. :)

(the image is on page 39 in the link, you need to scroll past the Asteroid which is not it)
Cheers, Sue M. (she/her)

‘For every problem there is a solution: neat, plausible and wrong’. H.L.Mencken

Offline Anik R

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Re: Long-standing mystery vase - Polish? Czech?
« Reply #6 on: March 05, 2017, 01:26:56 PM »
Just for clarity, your vase is on the very last page of the PDF document.  :)

Offline chopin-liszt

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Re: Long-standing mystery vase - Polish? Czech?
« Reply #7 on: March 05, 2017, 02:59:33 PM »
I found it. ;D
 :-*
Cheers, Sue M. (she/her)

‘For every problem there is a solution: neat, plausible and wrong’. H.L.Mencken

Offline chopin-liszt

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Re: Long-standing mystery vase - Polish? Czech?
« Reply #8 on: March 05, 2017, 04:12:00 PM »
I've also found your posting of the same vase. I don't know why I didn't see that. :-[
And I do need to correct my statement about the actual pressing being good, because it's not, there are wrinkles.
But the mould quality was excellent. There are tiny bits, and they stick inwards and outwards. It's a very complex mould.
Cheers, Sue M. (she/her)

‘For every problem there is a solution: neat, plausible and wrong’. H.L.Mencken

 

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