Topic: Pair crenellated vases.

[Anne E.B.]

Any ideas please on this pair of 9.5" high vases which seem to be painted.  They have a strange lustre/sheen, with gold at the bottom of the crenellated edges.  Seem to be quite old with wear on base (slightly concave).  Possibly Bohemian???  Many thanks.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y195/glassie/redcrenellatedvases001.jpg

* The glass is quite thin - ranging in places from 2mm to 3mm thickness on each vase.
* Both vases weigh 300g.
* There is no join at the centre (and no seams seen anywhere else).
* There is a concave dotted area in the middle of the base with a little roughness on one.  http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y195/glassie/bohemian005.jpg  One is less concave and slightly flatter than the other.
* The base is the same colour.
* Clear glass is seen at the top where it appears to have been scratched.  I think these scratches are on the exterior.  http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y195/glassie/c292686f.jpg  The interior colour is a lighter shade of red than the exterior, and does not have a lustre.  I rather jumped to the conclusion that it was painted because of the scratches revealing clear glass.
* No evidence of two layers of glass when viewed from top. However, gold is seen at the bottom of the crenellated edges and sides (worn in areas). http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y195/glassie/bohemian006.jpg
* The rim edges are smooth with no sharpness/roughness.
* vases weigh 300g each.

Regards - Anne E.B. 

[Ivo]

Bohemian is a solid guess, other than that I have never seen anything quite like it. Technique looks copper flashed, same as for cut-to-clear. I have a large piece in the same vein, copper flashing was a cheap way of getting dark ruby, not just for clear decoration.  It was used ca. 1860s-1890s  but he shape! Good heavens....


copper flash is usually very thin & lightweight; your photograph of the underside confirms copper flash - same as the scratches in the red  around the edge.
Bulb vase would only be true if you can stick three fingers in the hole - always such an elegant gesture when trawling the stalls!  The edges could be construed as intended to hold a wire frame to support the stem - except the gilding on the cut edge contradicts that.
All in all, the whole things screams gothic revival. Have you noticed both items were made in a different mould?

[Anne E.B.]

Many thanks Ivo.  Much appreciated.   I have to agree about the shape, they are one crazy pair of vases - and I've never seen anything quite like them before either!   I am sure they are really old as they have a fair old amount of wear on the base.

I don't think it would be possible to place three fingers in the aperture, as this only appears to be about 1" diameter, even if you could place your fingers down low enough to reach. I think they may have been each made in a different mould. The darker vase (pictured on the right earlier) has a less accentuated band around its 'waist', being more rounded than the other. In fact these bands are very different from one another. This darker vase also has a deeper concave base. I'm not too sure on what else I should be looking for, for evidence of different moulds being used. The crenellated tops seem to match.

Can it be roughly dated if as you say Ivo, it screams gothic revival? What period of time would that be? Would it tie in with the period in which the copper flashed technique was used in 1860s-1890s ? I quite like the idea of them being Gothic. They seem quite archetectural in design - rather like strange castle turrets, or even chess pieces.


Regards - Anne E.B. :wink:

[Ivo]

There have been at least 3 Gothic revivals, the first one around 1840, the second one in the 186os and after that everyone lost count of the neo-neo-neo styles which came in thick and fast. I would guess yours is 1870s - but could be as late as the 1890s