ShareThisDear Helaine and Joe: The attached pictures show a pair of antique vases that my mother obtained in the late 1930s or early 1940s. There are no markings, and the bottoms of the vases are milky white. Could you tell me about them -- age, origin, maker and value (if any)? -- B.W., Randolph, Mass.
Dear B.W.: We want so desperately for things to be signed by the manufacturer, but when it comes to glass, this is seldom the case -- which may be a good thing.
Signed pieces of glass are often the products of companies with artistic aspirations, and most of these signatures can be easily faked. A number of works marked with the logos of Tiffany, Steuben, Durand and so forth have been fraudulently signed, and those who buy such pieces need to be able to separate the spurious from the genuine.
In the case of the vases in today's question, these unsigned items are generally called "Bristol glass." Now this can be confusing because there are two types of Bristol glass -- one variety can be rather pricey, while the other category is not (as a general rule).
Some history: Bristol, located on the Severn Estuary in southwest England, is about 105 miles west of London. Granted a royal charter in 1155, it gained county status in 1373. Bristol became a glassmaking center as early as the 17th century, and became renowned for quality glassware, especially its transparent blue and transparent green varieties.
Fine opaque white glass was also manufactured there, but, unfortunately, the name "Bristol" has become synonymous with a lesser-quality opaque white glass. This lesser glass is a semi-opaque opaline decorated with hand-painted flowers, landscapes and portraits; it was actually manufactured in a variety of places, primarily Bohemia (the modern-day Czech Republic), France, Germany and the United States.
Most often, the surface of the opaline (white) base glass has been tinted with enamel that often shades from one color at the top to another at the bottom. The vases belonging to B.W. are all one color -- the letter says purple, but it looks red to us in the photos.
Anyway, these attractive vases are decorated with large, bold floral designs that are meant to capture people's attention; they are not restrained or artistic. These products were probably made in Bohemia and meant for use as mantel decorations.
At one time, there may have been several more of these vases in various sizes and shapes to make a mantel-garniture set. If so, they are now gone, but that is not surprising because these pieces shatter easily.
This type of Bristol glass -- which was never made in the town of Bristol, England -- is generally from the mid- to late-Victorian period, and we believe this pair is probably circa 1885. Such vases are not uncommon, and the insurance-replacement value for this pair of "Bristol glass" vases is $150 to $175 if they are more than 9 inches tall; smaller sizes are less valuable.
(Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson are the authors of "Price It Yourself" (HarperResource, $19.95). Contact them at Treasures in Your Attic, P.O. Box 27540, Knoxville, TN 37927. E-mail them at treasures(at)knology.net.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
TREASURES IN YOUR ATTIC
Post new comment