Topic: help identifying vase

[cdm1christopher]

Hi All
my last post was terrible.  So I'll try again.  Just bought this vase and it's quite a beauty.  It looks like Bohemian poss moser Val St Lambert unfortunately there is so much wear to the base it's impossible to see if it was ever marked.
Its multifaceted with amber overlay quite thick.  The rim and base are polished and the wheat engraving appears to be wheel cut.  The engraving is perfect no flaws so I would assume a quality piece.  Date not sure poss 19th century due to wear on base and its around 12 inches tall quite heavy.
If anyone could help in identification would really appreciate it.
I'll post some pics.
Cheers Chris

[Paul S.]

hello Chris  -  good pix, though have to say I thought your first effort not bad either - welcome to the GMB by the way.

I've just blown your pix up, and whilst I could be wrong, am I seeing rows of very small notches cut on the sharp arises, where cut flat meets cut flat, if that makes sense ............  of course it might just be my screen misleading me.
When people say VSL, I always think of those very-pricey-high-end-to-die-for overlay/cut vases - which this isn't, but I've really no idea as to whether they did or didn't do pieces like this.            As to whether Moser, we have people here who are talented in that area so fingers crossed they might recognize your vase.

Do you think the cutting/engraving is perhaps barley rather than wheat  -  those very long fibres from the top of the ear remind me more of barley.

I would have thought unlikely to be Victorian, despite your comments about wear  -  vases used frequently can acquire much wear in only a few decades, which can be misleading  -  for some reason this piece is suggesting Czechoslovakian, and a date of somewhere between the two wars  -  which appreciate is rather vague, but at least this might get others who hopefully know more to look in.            I agree very decorative and attractive.

[cdm1christopher]

Hi Paul
Thanks for reply.
There are no additional cuts apart to the base where vase meets foot these are circles.
The more I look at it def not Victorian and like you looking between the wars.  I thought maybe Val st lambert due to the scalloped rim which they have produced whereas moser I have  not come across any with this design apart from the cut panels which def similar.
Whom ever made this I think wanted to show of their skill as an engraver as the cuts are incredibly deep which is no easy task and no over cuts anywhere, which you tend to see on majority of Bohemian export ware.  So was it a one off or commissioned for someone?  If it was made for export I'm sure there would be plenty of similar items around.
I think this maybe a have no idea vase.
One thing which struck me as odd is the base it tends to sit slightly high in the middle not excessive but just slightly.

Looking at the wear to base it must have been moved around on a hard surface as scratches are deep with some pitting.  No it's not Been sandpaper ha.

Cheers Paul.

Chris

[KevinH]

In case anyone else is wondering about an apparent "notched" edging to the vase, as queried by Paul:

I've just blown your pix up, and whilst I could be wrong, am I seeing rows of very small notches cut on the sharp arises, where cut flat meets cut flat, if that makes sense ............  of course it might just be my screen misleading me.

and as replied by Chris:

There are no additional cuts apart to the base where vase meets foot these are circles.

A "notched" effect can be seen, especially when the image is enlarged but this is simply pixelation of the image edges and applies not only to all "lines" of the vase itself but to the curved lines on the cut decoration, and also on the edges of the remote control unit on the table! It is a result of the image having been substantially reduced from a larger - but not fully "high quality" original.

[Paul S.]

thanks for that Kevin  -  I had in fact come to the conclusion myself that the 'suspected' notching was being caused by a pixelation problem.