Topic: Clear-cased pale green vase with mica inclusions

[Anne]

(With thanks to Della for suggesting the subject line as I had no idea what to call it!)

This vase has me puzzled. It was filthy and needed a good soak and some gentle scrubbing to get it clean. Now clean, I can see it is pale green glass with silver (mica?) inclusions, the whole being cased in clear glass outside.  Inside it feels bumpy from the inclusions. Outside is smooth.

Height: 5" (127mm), Diameter: 3¾" (95mm) across the top, 5½" (140mm) across its widest part,

Top rim is cut flat and ground, not polished, as if it should have a top cap or grill on it, but there are no scratches to the glass where this would have sat.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how old it might be and any thoughts on maker please?

[Frank]

A close of the 'mica' would be interesting

[Hotglass]

My guess by process of elimination would be French 1930's. No idea of maker. Ed.

[Anne]

It's quite difficult to get the "mica" to show up properly as it reflects the light, but on the large version of the whole vase you can see the speckles of it and I've tried to get a closeup as well - see below, also a view of the top.

They are definitely silver flakes rather than grains/granules, and not gold or copper like I've seen in other glass.

[Frank]

Mica is iridescent and translucent, embedded in glass it looks like silver. But silver flakes could also be used, chopped up bits of silver foil. Comparing the two the difference is obvious. Often sheets of silver are used and these break into smaller pieces as the parison is blown, but you can still see the straight edges of the sheet. Quite commonly found in Italian with both gold and silver being used. But if chopped up for marvering then it becomes much harder to tell. Mica has a longish crystalline structure/graining but silver will be totally smooth.

French, German or Bohemian seem possible, to me, for the piece.

[Ivo]

looks like a rose vase with its grill missing, and in that case I would go with Bohemian, perhaps Kralik. Not French - I've never come across this shape in France.

[Andy]

Just wondering, bear with me, Gold Leaf is gold , i presume , as you can get White Gold,
you can get White Gold Leaf
Not suggesting its used in this vase, just trying to think out loud!

Andy
 

Here we go,
http://www.habberleymeadows.co.uk/products.htm
lots of different kinds, i wonder if any used in glass manufacture? I would presume so.

[Anne]

Thanks for the thoughts, yes Ivo I think it should have a grill of some kind but it looks like that was removed early in its life as there wasn't a scuff mark of a tide mark where one would have been. I wondered about Kralik but thought they were fancier than this... not that I know anything about Kralik at all (was just an impression I'd formed!)

[Hotglass]

I had similar thoughts Anne.
This looks plainer, simpler, heavier and finer than Kralik or Bohemian generally of this shape.
The collar looks deeper and the base looks solid. Bohemian bun feet are most often hollow. I won't say always.

I don't recall seeing mica used in Bohemian of the period, even going back to the turn of the century. Nothing indexed in either Truitt's for "Mica" or "spangle". I've even had a look through to be sure.

I have found a photo of a fancy vase attributed to Boh/Czech with mica. However it's colours look brash, it's shape exaggerated & and it's rim carelessly over-frilled. Despite the black rim I am unconvinced. It lies at the opposite end of the taste spectrum to Anne's vase so, all in all, probably not helpful.
 
I usually associate mica with earlier, Victorian Vasa Murrhina and Fenton's 1960's-80's homages. Maybe Fenton ?
A quick google shows that they have used mica with plain cased colours. Ed.

[Anne]

Ed thanks for your thoughts. It's proving a real problem to pin down is this one.