Topic: Cut lead crystal flower or hyacinth bulb vase for ID please

[chilternhills]

I got this flower or hyacinth bulb vase today. It's heavy lead crystal with precise and sharp cutting. The bottom part is octagonal with flat sides. The top is also octagonal, with the sides lined up with the corners of the base. The underside of the base has a smooth concave pontil mark. The vase stands 15 cm high, 10 cm across the widest part, the base is 7.5 cm across corner to corner, the neck is 2.5 cm high, and the top is 7.5 cm across corner to corner. There are no maker's marks on the piece that I can see.

It is a quality piece with apparently some age. There is some wear to the base and a couple of minute flea bites, but otherwise in excellent condition.

I know there are collectors for flower bulb vases. I know of the book by Patricia Coccoris, but don't have a copy. Can anyone help identify this vase? Thanks in advance.

Anton

[glassobsessed]

Has the inside of the neck been ground for a stopper to fit? Either way it is not meant to be a hyacinth vase, the opening into the body is way to small for a bulbs roots.

John

[Keith Mick]

It's fairly small, could it be a cruet or perhaps a perfume?

[chilternhills]

There is no sign of the vase ever having a stopper. The neck is absolutely smooth inside, without a scratch. It measures 15mm in diameter.

Agreed, the vase would be too small for a hyacinth bulb. I mention hyacinths only because that is what most associate this kind of vase. Patricia Coccoris mentions muscari, crocus, snowdrops, leucojum, and scilla in her book that have much smaller bulbs than hyacinth. Her book is available here: https://www.hyacinthbulbvases.com/. I just bought a copy.

[chilternhills]

By the way, I've emailed Patricia and await her reply.

[thewingedsphinx]

When I first saw this post I thought surely not a hyacinth vase as it look very thick in construction and being of cut glass unlikely. Also the polished out pontil makes me think 1810 ish.
I just looked in my Phelps Warren book on Irish glass and there are some examples of Prussian shaped decanters with a large wide opening for a bulb to sit in on the top. They appear larger than this with far more decorative cutting styles. But this one could very well be an early flower vase from around 1810 ish.
Possibly Irish ?
Mike

[chilternhills]

Thanks Mike. Interesting. You mean that the stopper might not have a stem and simply be a globe? I have several books on Irish glass in the museum library, but not the one by Phelps Warren. I'll have a look tomorrow. My thing is contemporary studio glass. If this piece is around 1810 I'm struggling to know anything much ;-) So thanks for the pointer.

[Ekimp]

In my Phelps Warren, plate 85A shows a vase very similar to yours in shape although the top part is more cylindrical. It is 7 inches tall and he calls it a hyacinth vase. It does look like a decanter body and neck but there is no mention of it being a decanter, just a hyacinth vase. Lucky the top survived, should think these are genuinely rare.

[thewingedsphinx]

Anton, if you would like a picture from the book you are welcome to message me. The Phelps Warren book is a good book on early cut table glass and worth getting a copy.

[Ekimp]

Paul S. always recommended getting the revised and expanded edition from 1981 (not the 1970 first edition).