Q: My sister was given these two vases. We love them both but have no clue what they are. Can you help?
A: This reader sent 11 images for a look-see. We only had to view a few to ID the genre of the vases. The type is clear, excuse the pun.
Both are cased glass; more on that later. One, 12-inches high, has a mottled brown/gold tapered body descending to a flat clear circular base. The other, of electric green inner glass cased with white and an outer layer with dark stripes, stands 14-inches high.
Free-form, untraditional shapes and bright color, especially in the tall vase, pegs the pieces as mid-century glass. The elongated neck of the green piece is another giveaway. Some call the look Retro or ’50s-’60s glass.
Alternately called overlay, cased glass is formed in layers so that another color(s) is laid on a base color. Pieces can be molded or blown, though tall vases of ‘50s glass are most often blown.
As the vases were made, a glass artisan pulled the heated glass, creating ripples and raised dimples, also striations and other effects in the glass.
Smart collectors know that during the period, master glassmakers worldwide produced pieces that are collected today. Italian and Scandinavian glassmakers led the way. Italian masters included Paulo Venini and other Murano glassmakers who became celebrated for intricate stripes, lattice work, and glass ribbons embedded in pieces.
Scandinavian glass was more austere, with emphasis on form as done in clear glass.
In the U.S., glassworks including Morgantown, Blenko, Tiffin Glass, Viking Glass and New Martinsville clustered around the Ohio River Valley. Retro glass was also made in China and Europe for export.
I spot the reader’s vases as artisan blown by one of many independent glass makers of the time. The pieces are not traceable to a specific factory or artisan, design or style-wise.
Mid-century glass waxes and wanes in popularity. It’s currently in a flat period except for the best. That means examples traceable to a known maker or standouts because of design or the bright colors characteristic of the time. Standouts of U.S. factory made glass are also collected because we will never again see the heyday of what was once a flourishing glass industry.
I suggest that the reader look on eBay and liveauctioneers.com for comparable pieces. Looking over databases, we saw sales averaging $40 to under $100. Stellar examples bring more.
Colors in the reader’s glass are not vibrant enough to shout “ ’50s glass!” but the forms fit the bill.
Will those vases ever become more valuable? If I knew, I’d be buying examples. For sure, there is a market for the glass, particularly among young buyers.
I’m glad that you like the vases. That’s what successful collecting is all about.
