Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Topic started by: uphoosier on July 08, 2009, 02:41:35 AM
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I think American, late Victorian on this vase, but I am always interested in the opinions of others. The pontil is rough and dirty. It glows bright orange with sunlight goind through it. It appears to be cased, with clear over white. Note the peach color is only on the inside, and fades away from the edge going into the vase while the outside is completely white. Is this effect achieved like opalescence, except the treatment is only on the clear layer? I need a real glass expert to explain this to me. Thanks for looking.
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-9/385128/P1060737.JPG)
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-9/385128/P1060738.JPG
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-9/385128/P1060739.JPG
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-9/385128/P1060741.JPG
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Possibly Czech and by Kralik.... The orange strikes me as a little off for US production. You may want to look at the images of the vase in this thread that I posted, and it turned out to be Czech, Kralik actually..... I thought for years it was English glass, or possibly early American.....
You vase has similar feet, similar casing at the mouth and Kralik was masterful with opalescent glass. The pontil is also amazingly similar.....
I would also be interested in an image of your vase from the side to see the form and proportions.......
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,26052.0.html
Craig
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That is surprising - and there are several key elements identical. I'll take a side pic in the morning, and check the feet with a blacklight as well. Thanks much. Do you know how they manage to do the peach opalescent effect on only one layer of glass?
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Hello, My understanding is that the opalescence, and some color changes and fading are a byproduct of reheating the glass. I would think that glass layers are applied, and after the layering and forming is done, the glass is reheated and the color change appears as a byproduct of the heat. I believe it is similar to the heat process used to make early peachblow, such as Wild Rose by New England Glass. In this case the glass fades from a vivid pink at the top to a white glass at the base. The amount of color change is determined by the extent of the heat applied in an area of the glass. The fading from strong color at the rim as it fades to the foot is the result of heat differences at the varying points on the surface..... The difference between the top and the underside could be the result of two types of glass, and/or also heat applied more directly and briefly to the upper portion of the vase where the color appears.....
If anyone knows differently, please comment ........ If my understanding is incorrect I would like to know..... I have derived this from reading, among other things, about Sabino Opalescent figures, and also reading on unlined peachblow and the process used to create color fading in the glass.
Craig
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it is possible that it is simply a thin narrow layer of orange glass applied before reshaping. I have one or two vases from this period where the coloured mouth only just extends inside the vase and, where it has been reshaped, the white pokes through the colour a little, as does the orange here. These are quite broad colour bands so that you don't realise that the interior is still white, but there is no reason why the technique couldn't have been applied to a narrow band. It doesn't have to be a result of reheating.
The feet and the scabby pontil mark (it's iron I think) could be English, but I would go with Czech I think.
Very nice
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Thank you all for the assistance. Craig, here's a profile picture.
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-9/385128/P1060796.JPG)
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Did you try it under a UV light?
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The feet and pontil style are what made me think mine was most likely English for many years. I had not really encountered any Czech glass in this style that I was aware of, although hindsight makes me think I have seen more than I realize.....
I had not sent any images of mine to Alfredo at all, as I was so convinced it was English. After posting it here, and Christine dug it up again, I sent him the images to look at and was shocked when he responded with the image of his Kralik piece which confirmed the attribution as Kralik.
In re-examining the images of the color, I agree with Christine. In this case it appears the color has been stretched, as opposed to a change from applied heat.
I do believe the piece to be Czech, and Kralik is the most likely attribution, as they were masters with opalescent glass. Additionally, the feet are, other than color, almost identical.......
It is a nice piece of glass.
Craig
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And the feet do glow. Thanks to all for the help
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I don't think the color is "applied." I think this is a controlled fade process ... something like what we do here. Would you like to know how it's done?
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Please.... I would love to know the process.... Craig
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Yes, James. I can't understand how the color could only be on one side of the glass if not applied. But then, I can't even ice a cake
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Here's the procedure for the controlled fade:
Gather a very small quantity of colored glass on a blowpipe. Shape at finisher's bench by using a tool that looks like an ice cream scoop (we call this a "hand block"). Then, introduce compressed air into the the blowpipe until the colored glass literally "pops".
Next, gather heat sensitive opalescent glass (contains bone ash) over the colored glass. This is the typical casing procedure (you could use opaque white "Milk Glass" also). Shape and cool the glass in a larger block (not hand held, it's usually set on a marver).
After warming in, blow gently and, at the bench, use the traditional jacks tool to create the essentially globular shape of this vase (very simple operation, even I can do it). The area nearest the blowpipe is now pretty narrow.
While the glass is still on the blowpipe, a bit of another glass is brought over and the skilled glassworker pulls out and shapes those feet (this happens quickly and takes skill and a good eye--I can't even come close to doing it!). Then a punty rod is used to stick up the piece right amongst the feet and the piece is cracked off the blowpipe (cool the narrow area with a bit of water; we use an ordinary bottled water bottle with the cap on and a tiny hole in the cap to squeeze out a stream of just a few drops).
Warm-in at glory hole to get that narrow top area hot and then use tools to flare it out, create the crimping, and the jack in the pulpit shape. Crack off the punty rod and carry-in the piece to the lehr.
There may be more warming-in steps than I've indicated. The chilling and subsequent warming-in will cause that heat sensitive opalescent glass to strike and become nearly opaque white (if you heat it a little too much, then it starts to become translucent on the way to transparent, but subsequent chilling and reheating will bring back the opacity).
The key to the controlled fade is the first step, i. e., getting the gather of the small amount of colored glass to pop. If it doesn't pop, the next gather will result in regular cased glass which has a the colored interior top to bottom of the finished piece. The result of this is that the colored glass is only on the "inside" of the piece near the top and it "fades" into the color that has been gathered over it.
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Thank You, I learned something that is actually quite interesting... I would not have imagined it to be done that way......
Craig
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Yes, thank you. Makes me wonder if the "pop" technique was a stroke of genius, or just serendipity.