Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Topic started by: Helen on October 04, 2011, 02:36:57 PM
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Hello all
This square vase really caught my eye in a charity shop a while back as it reflects the light beautifully. To begin with (wearing my 'just learning about glass' hat), I thought it was just a cheap and cheerful piece but now I'm beginning to wonder if it's something a little more sophisticated. I've looked and looked but haven't been able to find anything similar so I thought I would call upon other people's (much more) expert eye. It's quite heavy at just over 900 grams (or 2 lbs), is 6 inches high, 2 1/4 wide, the rim is 1/3 of an inch thick and it has a well inside. I hope the pictures can give you a good enough impression of the pattern / style.
As always, any thoughts or leads would be greatly appreciated.
Kind regards
Helen
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And just one more picture as I attached the wrong one in my first post!
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hello Helen - regret I can't give you an attribution - but might ask you please to clarify one or two points, which just possibly might help. Assume we are looking at a piece of cut glass - need to ask, as sometimes pressed pieces can be very deceptive. The presence (or othewise) of base wear might help. You don't mention any marks, so assume you have looked and are unable to see anything.
Regret I'm unable to see you pix at any magnification beyond the posted size, and bearing in mind that clear glass is difficult to image cleary in the first place - might you be able to upload larger images. I think your black background is possibly the best colour, but lighting does play an improtant part in helping with these clear pieces. Sorry this is not of any real help.
Excuse my ignorance, but what is "a well inside".?? :)
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Hi Paul
Thanks for having a look and I will take some more pictures tomorrow in better light to try to provide a clearer representation of the piece. To get the images down to 125k, I always have to shrink them but I appreciate that with this piece, it doesn't really help. Watch this space!
I've just had another look at the vase and I think it may be pressed glass. There are a few ripple-like flaws in the circular and oval sections which I suppose wouldn't happen if it was cut. I can't see any makers marks on the base and there is a little bit of wear but nothing substantial.
In the second picture (and I will try to capture it better in the new pictures), my reference to the 'well' is the section inside the vase that you can just see. The inside section where you put the water starts from about 2 inches up (below that it's just solid glass). I hope that makes sense... but it probably doesn't given the long day I've had with two little ones!
Thanks for the request for more clarification and I'll get the new pictures taken as soon as possible.
Best wishes
Helen
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You don't need to shrink them so much, you have 125kb per picture and yours are only 12kb. Try making the longest dimension about 700 pixels.
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Thank you so much for pointing out my rather foolish picture size error, Christine. Anyway, with brain properly engaged, here are some (hopefully) better photos.
Your patience is appreciated!
Regards
Helen
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?????????
Not sure, but maybe cristal d'arques ?? :huh: :huh:
????
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This looks very much like a vase I have in my collection. That one has a label attached, which identifies it as German, though I wouldn't know the factory. I can't see it very clearly on your pictures - is it the same pattern? The translation of the label (in German): "Real lead crystal, cut by hand".
Astrid
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I thought we had established that Helen's piece was pressed rather than cut glass. Yes - No ??
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sorry, rushing a bit there - the pattern does look identical, so maybe Helen's thoughts that this was pressed were unfounded. Looks as though the match is good. :)
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I don't have the know-how to establish whether a particular piece is hand-cut or pressed, I'm afraid. I'm guessing this would be a German 50s-60s piece - hand labour wasn't as expensive then, and there was a long tradition of cutting this type of (layered) glass by hand in Germany. One reason why almost the entire German glass industry perished in the 80s and 90s was probably because they stuck to techniques that required handwork for too long.
I have no idea whether it would make sense to press a piece first, then put a coloured layer on it and cut away only that layer by hand. It sounds like more work than simply cutting the layer and the shape at the same time.
Astrid
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Astrid, mine is exactly the same pattern as yours so I think that solves part of the mystery. I'm still slightly confused (and realising how much I still need to learn) as I've looked, felt, looked again and was still thinking it was a pressed piece. But I suppose if it was hand cut, then that may explain a little why in places, it didn't seem quite perfect.
It's currently displaying the last few blooms from the garden and looking rather splendid...
Kind regards
Helen
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In my previous searches, the nearest thing I found in style was this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-SQUARE-CRYSTAL-AVON-VASE-FOSTORIA-1980-/120597254343#ht_1471wt_1110
It's got the same 'well' inside and the thickness of glass with the 'cut' effect (although the base is different). It seems like this was way off the mark though, given the sticker on yours. The search will continue, with a German slant me thinks.
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don't know how infallible these comments are, but...............even on good quality 'cut' material it is possible, usually, to detect the faintest of grinding lines which remain, even after polishing. On largish areas slight undulations on the surface (almost like facets) may sometimes be seen - and where repeat patterns exist, it should be possible to detect a lack of identical size, shape or pattern. I have heard the comment that much modern cut glass is 'over fire-polished' which may imply that sharpness is lost, thereby perhaps creating confusion with pressed glass. The bottom of the piece should also provide a clue as to whether one or the other, and pressed glass often exhibits those slight swirl marks, which indicate that the glass did not make perfect contact with the mould....... "there are a few ripple-like flaws in the circular and oval sections which I suppose wouldn't happen if it was cut". just some thoughts, which may or may not help :)