Topic: Kralik Swirls and Spots

[Mac]

I wanted to share a really nice piece of glass I acquired last week that is attributed to Kralik. This JIP form is 5” tall. The décor is called Swirls and Spots and my understanding is they are not often seen. I have never handled this décor before and I have to say I am quite taken by the quality. In fact I would say that the quality of this piece is comparable to quality of any Loetz piece I have handled.

[glassobsessed]

Very nice, never seen one in the flesh but have looked before at the variations shown on Craig's site: http://www.kralik-glass.com/kralikswirlsspotsarray.html

What do you think in terms of a date for them?

John

[Mac]

John I am guessing - 1920's? There is some folks out there who question whether Kralik is the producer. Frankly I have not done the research like our Craig has so I will leave it as Kralik until otherwise shown the evidence. They did make another decor called Crocus which also has doubters as to whether Kralik made that as well. I am lucky enough to have an example. Again the quality of the piece is superb. 

[glassobsessed]

Kralik until we know different I guess, attribution can be a bit like that. 'Nature abhors a vacuum'. We all want a name, buyers to buy with confidence, sellers to command a better price...

The Crocus looks lovely too. If I had to choose between the two it would be the Crocus, very fine.

I bought a bit of Helios recently, thought it was beautifully made, very tactile finish too. This photo does not do it justice, the orange chips had subtle twists worked in, a lovely effect.

I wondered if it too was a bit later in date, more 1920s than 1900s. The texture and general 'feel' of the Helios reminded me of the two vases on the right in the group photo.

[Mac]

John, I didn't consider Helios as one of the better made Kralik decors but you are right. Yours in particular is a nice example. Helios it is quite beautiful to have in hand. I have a smaller one, shown here.

Kralik also made Wave decor and although I consider it a nice decor - I wouldn't consider it to be in the same league as the ones we have been discussing. However I did manage to find an example that I would consider excellent. This one has an opaline or iridescent pearl glass interior with as you can see, colourful waves on the outside.

For those of you who may not know, some of Kralik's decors have been attributed to Poschinger and Heckert and probably other houses. I guess this becomes the problem when documentation becomes lost in the shuffle of a country's borders.