Topic: Big 30s Blown Cased Glass Vase With Bubbles, etc. WMF? Czech?

[Mosquito]

I recently purchased this lovely vase which I couldn't resist, even though I've told myself only to buy small items!

It stands approximately 35 cm (13 3/4 inches) tall. It has splashes of red towards the base, shading into a green with random bubbles towards the rim. The bubbled area also has small black inclusions which I presume are charcoal used to create the bubbles.

The green colour and the general arrangement of the pattern into vertical stripes (12 in total, if I've counted right...) all look very WMF to me, however, the base finish isn't quite consistent with other WMF vases I've owned, all of which had a ground base with a smooth ground pontil. This vase has a pontil mark which has been largely ground out (though a remnant of the scar remains in the centre of the depression) and left with a smooth, bright, but unpolished finish.

So I'd be very grateful if anyone has any ideas as to who might have made the vase.

Thanks,
Steven

[Ivo]

I agree finish is not consistent with WMF and it is also missing the crackle. Could be Schneider or Prachen, perhaps?

[John Smith]

Mosquito Steve, I totally agree witrh your own doubts as this vase being WMF. It's overall happazard glas patternation combined wih it's size and base pontil would suggest a different studio. The pics, also, suggest a different maker, i.e. the glass itself, which appears to be cased crystal.  It has however, been mould blown (hence it's ribbed exterior) and has been produced by an accomplished maker, but some of then colouratinons/air trapped bubbles and the likes, are an indication which sugests this to being a "one-off" "end of day" item  and could perhaps be attributed to being Murano, date unknown.  It is most certainly NOT a commercial piece and has been fashioned using marvered inclusions of glass.  The fact that it has THEN received some degree of pontil-base polishing, certainly points to Murano, but Maker?  Hope this helps. 

[John Smith]

... Incidently, the black patternation & the bubbles etc, are produce using chalk and is not controllable.  It is quite literally, luck-by chance! The black glass inclusions are however controlled to a certain degree, in so much as they are produced using Manganese in high volumes, which must be adjusted for compatibilty to the other glass "ingredients".  one has to be a type of chemist to get to grips with this (particulualry when working with any glass of iridescent qualities) and it is not until the item has cooled (after anealing) that one can truly see what one has tried to achieve!  That is, as a glass maker-blower!  It is the fractions of HEAT, other than the colourants used, which shall achieve an end result. SUCH IS GLASS! 

[Lustrousstone]

one-off" "end of day" item  and could perhaps be attributed to being Murano, date unknown.  It is most certainly NOT a commercial piece

I'm afraid I have to disagree with most of this. These spatter designs are not "end of day," which is an urban myth.You only have to look at old Bohemian catalogues to find them. A non-commercial piece would not have a mould made specially for it, although this piece may have been made in 100s not 1000s.  Murano pontil marks are generally highly polished, rather than semi-polished.

black patternation & the bubbles etc, are produce using chalk

As a chemist it seems to me that chalk if was used to create the bubbles it would not go black; rather it would stay white and produce a more cloudy bubbly appearance than the clear with black bits bubbly appearance. Steven and Ivo but have many years of wide-ranging experience of handling and studying glass from many countries and know a lot about what goes into it and how it is made.

[flying free]

I think I have found a match to the decor on this vase -
Millers Art Deco published by DK
Page 98
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Zxxw0K79dpUC&pg=PA6&dq=collector's+guide+art+deco+miller&hl=en&sa=X&ei=m7uNT53uBInV8gPa9ZSnCw&ved=0CGEQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=collector's%20guide%20art%20deco%20miller&f=false

The vase is a different Deco shape but has the same decor.  You can also see the vertical stripes in the green in the vase in the book. Possibly a different green, but I wonder if the photo may have intensified the colours as both the red and the green look to have a hint of blue in that the one on this thread doesn't have.  It is also a huge vase.
Id'd as WMF of Geislingen in the book.
m

[flying free]

The book title is
DK Collector's Guides ART DECO by Judith Miller

[Ivo]

Neither the shape nor the apple green colour can be found in the Burschel/ Scheiffele book on WMF and I'm not convinced the ID is correct.

[flying free]

thank you for looking Ivo - the book is on my wishlist.  I've just ordered 7 books (including this ART DECO book) from the library, and hope to order that one to buy, next month.

I agree with you, instinctively (since I have no books to judge) the only thing that feels right about it is the use of red and green and the size.  I have not been able to find another in that particular decor or either of those shapes. I do think both are the same decor though which is good, since I haven't ever been able to find another before.
 I think this could be a Kralik piece and perhaps the one in the book is as well.  I'll have a good look through the Kralik shapes now and see if I can find a match for that book shape. 

I've done another link to a WMF vase with a similar apple green, just in case as colours are terrible to judge on screen where it all depends on the lighting. You need to scroll down to find it -
http://home.arcor.de/g.geser/SpirituelleKunst/e0cc1397270da6d01/index.html

I do have a WMF Ikora vase.  Given the size difference I wouldn't say there is a huge difference between the feel of the two vases although the larger one is much larger (35cm) than my Ikora (23cm) and is slightly thicker glass I think.  mmm, I'm not so confident it isn't WMF now, having had another direct compare.  I'll keep searching though.

Thank you again
m

[flying free]

Some similarities with this bowl - perhaps that is where their id came from? 
http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/1646862
This is 33cm in diameter so I guess the spots are fairly representative of what it looks like.  The spots are green which can be seen, and apparently have violet as well but I couldn't see that.
m