Topic: Smoky dark blue, seriously masculine, pressed vase - French or Czech or ???????

[chopin-liszt]

 :sun:
I'm a fish out of water with pressed glass, it rarely appeals to me, but today, I bought this beast. It's going to be my "one shining example of quality pressed glass in this vein".

In some ways - possibly the huge lumps sticking out, it reminds me of Verlys, but it's not as flared as the Verlys bits I've seen.... or as floral.

It has a bit of a "Darth Vader" feeling about it.

The images have made the blue look far too sapphire which sadly, emasculates it a bit - the one showing the rim is closest to reality.

It has been made in a 4 part mould - the really fascinating thing about that is the mould lines are not straight - they follow the design edges, weaving around the leaves, a feature which tells me somebody has put serious effort into making it to the best of their abilities.

There are bubbles in the glass, to be expected with something of some age, and tons of wear (and a bit of damage) to the bird-bath sort of base.

It is a single pattern all around - no repeats.

thanks for any comments! :hi:

Mod: Images with inaccurate colour rendition removed as requested. Sue has added better photos below.

[glassobsessed]

I wondered about Barolac (did not see it on the Sklo Union Art Before industry CD database).

How big is it Sue?

John

[chopin-liszt]

 :hi:
It's 7" tall, and 5" wide at the rim of the body - but some of the leaves stick out about a half inch.
I've managed to get some better pics - funnily enough, under artifical light, it has come out in it's true colours. I've named it my Darth Vader vase.  :bat:
I know next to nothing about pressed stuff - the only Barolac I've paid any attention to is opalescent - I'm lost, don't know where or how to start. :spls:

I know Barolac have done some wonderful sculptural pieces - but this seems far bolder, more modernist, somehow.

At least these pics show the true colour, the poor thing has had it's masculinity restored.  :smg:

[antiquerose123]

Might they be Lily Pad flowers around it   Click Here :huh:   Merely a Guess.....

[flying free]

Rose that's what I was trying to think of  :hiclp: the other being a sweetheart plant?  dont' know what else a sweetheart plant is really called though.
Sue I love the revised colour - it's a stunning vase and I can see why you've chosen it as 'the one'.
m

[chopin-liszt]

I think it's bindweed, Rose - given the coiled stems.  :thup:  thanks for the link and taking an interest.

(posting at the same time, m - sweetheart plant is bindweed, I believe. It used to be used in love potions.
And yes, the proper colour is SO important, I don't know where that sapphire colour came from at all, but it completely spoils it.)

I kind of like the way the the stem, as it goes into the leaf, has those strange sections to it -  makes it look a little bit like old horror film special effects of disembodied brains and spinal cords which used to leap through the air and strangle folk!
There's nothing pretty about it at all.

[chopin-liszt]

I've had another go at a base shot in morning light - now the pics have got purples in it that do not exist.  :spls:

 :help: Dear mods, please, please, could you remove the pics in my first posting?
I got over-excited and dived in with them, but they do not remotely resemble the piece.
The correct colour is of ultimate importance in how the design works.

[ahremck]

Did you take the original photos in sunlight and the second "Greener" ones under artificial light?  If so I would suggest you might have some neodymium in the glass.  It seems to turn blue in some cases and greener in others whilst being amethysty purple in daylight.

Just a thought, Sue.  By the way, I reckon it is a very interesting vase - and I am not into that type of vase myself.

Ross

[chopin-liszt]

Absolutely NO neodynum, honest, Ross.
(I hate neodynum)
I think what is happening is the camera is picking up refracted wavelenghts of light, because of the various thicknesses and multiple surface angles of the glass - so the colours the pic actually shows are the colours that do not exist in it.

It is practically black, with hints of (mostly) very dark inky navy blue and a tiny bit of deep olivey green.
I've turned it and looked at it in loads of different angles and lights.
There is NO sapphire or purple in it at all, in any light, HONEST!!!!

Evening light produced blue pics, morning light produced purple.

Fluorescent strip lighting, once the camrea had got itself out of yellowishness, produced a pic of the correct colour.

It has to be something to do with the light being split anyway. The odd colours only ever appear on the camera screen and in pics. The camera is lying.
It's not my normal sort of thing either - but it is something quite special, and quite different.

[chopin-liszt]

 :24:
We are not alone, it's good to know that!

however, :hi:

We seem to have gone completely off-topic and I'm now wondering if I can bother a moderator to cafe the camera lack-of-instruction manuals and moans,  :t:

so we could please, please, get back to my fabulous vase!