Topic: Art Nouveau Vase Mystery

[flying free]

Your photos are very small and difficult to see any detail at all on unfortunately.
It would help enormously if you posted pictures that are 600 x 400 pixels and that show the entire base.
It looks as though it has a ground but not polished pontil mark?  Is there any wear on the base at all please?
And also,is it possible to post a clear picture of the actual glass itself.  It's difficult to tell on the photo what colour the vase is.
many thanks
m

[Favrile]

Good afternoon, flying free.

I had to resize the images almost to nothing since there is a limit on image size on the forum. I'll see if I can create a link to an external site.

F.

[flying free]

Hi, if you resize them using pixels and do it to 600 x 400 they should upload under 125 anyway and then enlarge so the detail can be seen
I hope this helps
m

[Favrile]

Here's the link to the auction catalogue it was purchased from. Clicking on the image allows one to zoom. As far as the base is concerned, it  is shaved but not completely polished. There is also the remains of what looked like a sticker (although this could have been a price sticker rather than the the bearer of a manufacturer/factory mark).There are lots of fine feathery abrasions on the base where you would hope to find them suggesting accumulated wear and therefore of some age.

Anyway, feel free to zoom and let me know what you think.

http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/lockdales/catalogue-id-lo10054/lot-80741922-7976-4790-ba9c-a556010aa945

Many thanks again.

F.

[chopin-liszt]

The vase itself is a sort of swirly amber colour - with darker brown swirls in it, not too different to Davidson Cloud glass, but an ambery colour rather than brown - and much thicker.
I'm sure it was done with coloured glass, not with the use of saltsto produce colour. I don't remember much evidence of age-related wear. The iridescent blue glass is also very thick and blobby. It looks the pretty much the same whether light is coming through or reflected off it.
The base finish was somewhat haphazard, geared to what they had to work on, not aspiring to anything consistent or routine.

It looks just like the pictures, and it doesn't change much, even when you've got it in your hands and move it around.

[Favrile]

I have lived with it a couple of weeks now and can confirm that the colour does change depending on the light - sometimes quite dramatically.  There are marks of wear to the base but I agree its not as sinuously elegant as other vases in the art nouveau style. It's this sculptural quality that first attracted me to it.

[chopin-liszt]

I bow to your superior experience and chance to see it under different lighting conditions.
The antiques shop where it was, was a converted church, the light inside wasn't always the best. This vase was locked up in a cabinet, you had to ask to see it, and hang around by the cabinet with the chap, I only really saw it under artificial lighting conditions.
Not the best of circumstances to see everything it can do. 

[Jay]

Maybe a long shot... but could the signature be 'Biarritz'?

[flying free]

Biarritz brings up this
http://www.toutes-les-infos.fr/biarritz/694.html