Topic: Help needed with this blue 'optic' vase

[seanduxbury]

Hi - hope someone can help.  I bought this vase off ebay simply described as a 'blue glass vase' initially thing it could be Whitefriars but now having received it I'm fairly certain it isn't.  Originally I thought it could be shape 9094 but the blue is too 'blue' for Whitefriars - I believe they only produced in sapphire blue.   It measures 19.5 cm tall (7.75 inches) x 15 cm in diameter at the rim (almost 6 inches) x 11 cm in diameter at the base (4.25 inches) and weighs 1080 gms.  The optic effect has been created by the 'ripples' being on the inside of the vase (4 in total) which go from the base for about 2/3's of the vase - the outside is smooth.  In addition there is a polished pontil on the base.  If anyone can help id it would be much appreciated. 

[Lustrousstone]

Actually optic ripples are created by blowing into a rippled mould, then they are smoothed away on the outside to create the optical effect

[essi]

Nice vase Sean,i like optic ribbed glass.
I looked at Kosta optic ribbed vases on google and went over to the images page. on there was a vase that was the subject of an enquiry by collectors weekly.
There seemed to be plenty of information concerning optic ribbed vases.
Sorry i could not link the page.
Tim

[seanduxbury]

I've finally emerged from the rabbit hole of optic vases and to be honest it's a minefield, but thanks to Lustrousstone and Essi (Tim) for their help.  So far I've found that this style of 'optic' glass appears to have become popular in Scandinavian and the UK in the 1930's - the earliest pieces I've found are by Stevens & Williams and Whitefriars and have also found references to Nazeing amongst others UK producers (can't find any examples though).  Around the same time in Sweden Elis Bergh (Kosta) and Orrefors (Edward Hald) were also producing optic vases and the style continued to be popular through the 1940's to the 70's in Scandinavia and the UK but I've not found much after that.  I've also found this example in the Whitefriars Wannabies Optic glass section http://whitefriarsglasswannabees.blogspot.com/2010/08/optic-ribbed-vases.html that shows this vase next to a Whitefriars 9094 with the captio of it being a Scandinavian vase but unfortunately no label etc on the vase.  So not much further forward I'm afraid except to be sure it's not Whitefriars but possibly Scandinavian.  Hey Ho - down the rabbit hole again I suppose