Topic: Possibly Loetz Chine? ID - Wilhem Kralik iridescent vase

[Cathy B]

Thanks everyone for your input!

Frank, that archive site you suggested is just marvelous. I found a reference to the website that used to have information about the new fake Loetz pieces, on an old Glass News from Angela. http://www.glassnewsletter.com/010825news.html
It used to be here: http://jwartglass.com/  but it seems that Jeff Weller's site had a huge crash in September and he still isn't up to speed yet.

However, the site is archived on http://www.archive.org/web/web.php, albeit without pictures. It seems to me that the fakes referred to were shades. Anyway, I will write to Jeff Weller and ask his advice. I never really took notice because I never thought I'd see this sort of thing in anything approaching my price bracket!

Leni and B&M, I agree with you that the primary approach to collecting should be asthetic: of course we should collect what we appreciate! It's also be best excuse when you collect something that some people dismiss as awful or ugly.  :wink:  :wink:

However, don't forget the sense of history and the thrill of the hunt.

Then there's the sheer joy of feeling one's money slip back into the economy where it will do some good, as dictated by the invisible hand of monetarism (you know the one, it pokes you in the back and says "So what if there's nowhere in the house for it and you'll have to sell one of the kids into slavery, BUY it BUY IT NOW!")

The only problem I see with letting your aesthetics guide your purchase options is if your taste and judgment is as bad as mine! With my luck, I will spend the small fortune and it will turn out that this is a bad 70s chinese vase, pockmarked and irridesced through years of sitting in some child's sandpit! ;-)

Thanks again everyone

[Cathy B]

Oh well, I liked it so I bought it (Must translate that to latin one day - it seems like a good motto

I can't take a photograph of the vase at the moment because every time I recharge my camera batteries the kids steal them for their Xmas toys. However, my vase is almost identical to this one:
http://cgi.liveauctions.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=6598710365&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT

except that it has tropfen decoration rather than spirals. It's not the best example of Bohemian glass, but it is pretty, no?

[B & M]

Hello Cathy, good to hear that that you bought the vase. And thanks Leni, it's good to know that I'm not alone in my views either!  

Interestingly the vase shown in the ebay link doesn't look like Loetz to me, it's certainly not Chine as the texture is moulded rather than threaded. My best guess would be Kralik but I'm no great expert on this type of glass so perhaps somebody else could help.

Many similar pieces were also made in the UK though; Richardson made a range of a such items I think under the name 'Opal Irridescent'. I have a few (same colour but undecorated), they look very similar to the Austro-Bohemian examples but are cased in clear glass. Some are shown in Cyril Manley's book Decorative Victorian Glass and am pretty certain some have tropfen but I don't have a of the book to be able to confirm this.

What I can say is that you certainly needn't worry about it being:

a bad 70s chinese vase, pockmarked and irridesced through years of sitting in some child's sandpit!

 :wink:  

It certainly would appear to be a nice old example, though I would appreciate it if you could post a picture when you get the chance!

Steven