Topic: What have I bought? Glass Cherry Tree - what is it for & where is it from?

[jakgene]

I could not resist this and bought it a week or so ago - it just arrived today. It is 25 cm or approx 10 inches tall - (arranged as I have it - leaves and cherries are wired so they can be moved about to a certain extent so it could be taller  ) . and approx 20 cm or 8 inches wide.

Bought here in Australia, so given our migrant population it could have originated anywhere. It is from a deceased estate, is absolutely filthy -I can scrape muck off with a fingernail -  I will have to take a toothbrush to each leaf and cherry separately to get it clean I think - so has been standing somewhere for quite a long time. No markings anywhere that I can see.
Each leaf seems to be shaped individually - cannot see any two identical . Cherries look as if they have been made in a little mould - like sweets - but again each one is slightly different.
Base is not quite a perfect circle - looks hand made rather than perfectly moulded. The tree "trunk" is not centred perfectly either - the impressed circle with the raised dots is not quite in the centre of the green base .

I think it is gorgeous - whatever it is! But would love to know anything about it - age, origin, purpose!
regards
JAK

[jakgene]

one more photo - base shot
Not much visible base wear

[rosieposie]

Well, that is fabulous Jak!!.....I have seen them with cherry blossom and in 'tubs' and even with the flowers and leaves made from semi precious stones, but I have never seen one quite like yours.  There is one on Worthpoint, that describes yours well,  but no picture.

http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/glass-bonsai-cherry-tree-jade-green-leaves-rust

I wonder if you contact them if they might be able to tell you more?

[antiquerose123]

Nice item...  :thup: :thup:

Not sure if this is related or not, but I had a couple of these *types of items (never thought of posting them).    The ones I had - had a base pot.  We see a lot of these over here at Antiques shows.  So they are collectible.  I think I had one that had a gold oval label on it that just said *CHINA* on it.  

Here is an example (from Ebay) of the type that I had, and mean:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270770711205&clk_rvr_id=248811860089

It is called there (on Ebay) a Peking Glass Bonsai Tree, cherry Blossoms.

Again the ones that I have had have a base pot like in the picture from Ebay......Now yours might ? be related to those types of designs, EXCEPT yours was done with a different type of base......or I guess it is possible that yours might have had a base that got broken and this is what the base looks like within ?? the pot.  Since the pot usually hides the bottom of the tree,  Hard to know what the bottom does  look like.



Either way, I believe yours in along this same idea just made maybe without a flower pot.  Again, see many of these at Antiques shows here (had a couple myself that I used outside on the patio table) and they are collectible.  The price in the Ebay ad of $59 for it -- would be about the same I see here at antiques shows.  They are nice, and when you move them (or the breeze hits them if used outside in a covered area) the Glass leaves make a nice *tinkle* sound as they lightly hit together.  Again I had used mine in the enclosed Gabazbo outside (as I did not want to weather them) but then they need no Sun to grow, and shade does not bother them -- so they made a nice *decorative item* (for me  ) to use outside......both of mine got sold by me because a lady saw them on my patio table and wanted them (badly) -- so I had sold mine.  

Gee, I had never though of posting those here   :thud: and DUH ...

Hope that helps some.....highly collectible around here, and again always at Antiques Shows.  So I think an older Import item from maybe the 70's era

[jakgene]

Thanks Rosie and Rose for your thoughts and comments

I have looked at the items you mentioned but don't think they are very similar. The description of how leaves etc are connected in the Worthpoint one is not anything like mine, and the one with flowers is altogether more delicate than this one I think. The trunk and stems on this are made of fairly thick wire wound round fully and thickly to give bark like texture with a black tape - almost plasticky like insulating tape  - they are not glass at all. The leaves and cherries both have the wire inserted in a loop quite deep into the glass - presumably when they were still molten?  It all looks original. In fact from the dirt ingrained on it I'd say it hasn't been touched for years!

I do not think it ever had a pot - the base width is appropriate to balance it as it is, and shows no marks of ever having been in a container. I have been cleaning it over the past hour or so and have discovered that the leaves and base are green glass, but that the cherries seem to be clear glass "painted" with red in some way rather than red glass all through - like the early ruby flashed or ruby stained  glasses I have seen. I have just been reading that Bohemian glassmakers used this staining technique in Europe in the early 20th century - so perhaps Bohemian?  Most migrants to Australia were from Europe rather than USA where I read that sort of glass was also popular. A new field for me !  The whole feel of it for me is more about 1930's to 50's or even earlier perhaps?  I have googled images and found several photos of one that matched exactly - then found they were from ebay from when I bought it a few weeks ago - so have found nothing else even remotely like it.  . It was inexpensive -  it is not about  the value - I just would like to know more about it. 
Thanks, JAK

[rosieposie]

Hi again Jak,  I wonder if the fact that there is very little wear to the base, despite the obvious age, means that this was originally sunk into a pot?  I just thought that if at sometime, it had got knocked over and the pot broken, it would no longer be the item the original owner loved, so it might have got sold on or even thrown out and recovered by someone else, and so you are seeing it as it is now for the first time, but this might not be how it was originally. Just a thought....I think this is Oriental, older perhaps than I originally thought, but a nice piece that wold look lovely with some of my little glass animals round the base.

I'll keep looking anyway....'cos it is what I do!!

[antiquerose123]

Hi Jakgene:

Having owned a couple different ones of these (and see them here at Shows) there were many different variation of *type* of flowers done, shapes, designs, and leaves on them.  Sorry I did not keep any pictures of mine as that was in the early days of collecting and not knowing how to load pics on the computer.  Having owned 2 (different) styles myself -- I would say that yours (IMHO) are in the same line.  One of my trees had like a resin type of trunk, and another had that plastic type of black tape on it too.  There are several variations (as with any glass) on flowers, leaves, buds, blossoms, bark texture, shape, and size. 

Again the leaves on mine *looked* exactly like the leaf you had posted here in your post -- Ohhhh, I wish I had kept pics of mine....to show you.

I verify believe that it is a older china import (that is not a bad thing) , but they are highly collectible as they are older, made of glass -- and have some great detail in them.  I have never seen one out of a Pot myself -- Lord know what the tree base looks like in the pot -- but I imagine there are variations to this (some in pot, some out of pot) just like some vases have legs, some have none -- some have 3 legs, and some have 5 legs.

What is important here more than the maker (and IMHO) why I believe they are so collectible -- is it is a form of Art that the China is known for producing that makes it collectible.  They would take time to make the glass items, and then to arrange them by hand  to form a tree, or plant of whatever design.

Just my 2 cents worth    and since everything is so much like the ones I held in my hands here, I am going by that......of course, Yes, do take my suggestion with a grain of salt. Lord knows, I have been wrong before....So just merely my suggestion as to maker.  That is all, just a suggestion

 :kissy:   :kissy:

[Frank]

Bohemian is most likely with 1900s to 50s possible, but look at the differences with a confirmed Czech set from the 50s I responded to the other day. I would likely date these earlier rather than later and your observations on the staining fit too. Almost certainly a homeworker lampwork piece.

[rosieposie]

Have a look at this one Jak....I think it is the same as yours??  :X:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/art-glass-tree-made-philippines-/370473930471

[Frank]

I don't agree rosie, there are a lot of similarities but also fundamental differences. Trouble with this type of thing is it could have been made anywhere with limited facilities.