Topic: Query on a pair of carnival 2 handled vases

[chuggy]

With my taste for buying bits of carnival around the boot fairs, this could be where I, ve come unstuck. I bought this pair of vases completely blind at a local auction merely off the web description. Now I can't find them in my limited reference books, so appealing for help please Glen or anyone else. I've never seen the pattern before, they stand 6.25" high and appear to have been moulded in 4 sections. Good irridecence and nice definition and some straw marks also, so they do appear to be quite old, so here's hoping.

http://i5.tinypic.com/20icupu.jpg

Paul

[Glen]

The vases are in the pattern known as Mary Ann, that was made by Dugan in Classic old Carnival. They are lovely vases - congratulations.

The pattern has been reproduced. But it's not all bad news as they are easily identifiable. Steve and I purchased one of the first re-issues about five years ago, and we worked hard to figure out how to identify the classic old version from the new repros (results published in our "Carnival NetworK" #29, 2001).

I'll cut out most of the intervening and substantiating observations etc., and cut to the chase! Your pair of vases are genuine old examples. The new versions (Mosser - using an old mould) have 10 scallops and 2 mould seams. There was an original version like this, but it's rare. Most early ones have 8 scallops and 4 mould seams.

The colours in the repros include vivid purple, orange/amber, vaseline and vaseline opal and pearl/white. Possibly others too now. You'll see them on eBay, and they are often referred to as "Mary Dugan" vase.

Another way to tell if it's a repro is to check the base. Most of the repros we've handled have had iridescence on the base.

Here's a link to Rosso's - the Mary Ann repro can be seen there.
http://www.wholesale-glass-dealer.com/products/vase/vase.htm

Glen

[chuggy]

Thanks Glen
I was looking at the flowers trying to figure out what to find the pattern under. They are certainly a very nice looking pair of vases and will go well with my other bits.
Paul