Fenton Mulberry Diamond Optic Hand Vase

Now here's a rare one - a large Mulberry Diamond Optic hand vase made by Fenton in 1942. It is an overlay colour which was made by putting blue over gold ruby glass. This colour was discontinued soon after it began due to production problems. Few of these hand vases exist. Purple is also a very unusual hand vase colour. I am lucky to be able to add this one to my collection.

Here it is (below) flanked by two other vases made by Fenton in the 1940's.



SIX MORE!

Six more hand vases (above) arrived today - all newer vases made by Fenton.

Here are five more mini-hand vases (above) - note the frosted hand on the second vase (blue) from the left. I now have 11 mini fenton hand vases (below).

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This vase (above) is new and has FENTON stamped in the glass on the bottom. It is similar in colour to an older cornucopia vase (pictured with it below) but features a frosted hand and different rim.

CARNIVAL GLASS Hand Vases - JAIN and FENTON

A few carnival glass hand vases (above) were made by the Jain factory in India in the 1930's. These vases are marigold graduated to clear glass. In Hindu iconography the lifted hand protects both the conscious and unconscious order of the creation. 

This small Jain carnival hand vase (above) features a wrist watch on the cuff!

Fenton has made a few new hand vases (below) with iridescent finishes that some collectors classify as carnival glass.



New Additions!

Here are 4 new additions (above) to my collection, increasing the number of  hand vases to 147 with several more on the way.

This is a delicate pair (above) of small "Chunky" vases - hand-painted, definitely Victorian.

This is an unusal Murano hand vase (above) - unusual because of the inclusion of white. These vases are usually mixtures of green and blue.

Here is a small orange and white Akro Agate vase (above), often referred to as a toothpick holder.

White Hand Vases

Next to blue, white is the second most common colour of hand vases.

 

These 4 smaller hand vases (below) are very delicate, most definitely from the mid to late 1800's and were probably made in France.

Frequently, Victorian era white vases feature hand-painted decorations (below).

These two large white hand vases were made by Fenton - black rose (left) and peach crest (right). 

PARIAN WARE

Parian ware is porcelain introduced around1840 by Copeland & Garrett in England in imitation of Sèvres biscuit (fired but unglazed porcelain). Its name is derived from its resemblance to Parian marble. Many figures of various sizes were made in this medium. Most of them consist of either sentimental subjects or classical nudes which were popular in Victorian art.

We have a small collection (above and below) of parian figures on the ebonized desk in the master bedroom - including two Bennington hand vases.

These two large figures (below) belonged to Eric's mother. They are not parian.

More Carnival Glass Vases

Here are some more of the carnival glass vases I inherited from my grandmother.

Gramma's Carnival Glass Vases

Gramma Iris Mels, my mother's mother, was a serious carnival glass collector. She amassed a collection in the 1970's and then sold it, only to begin another collection of carnival vases. Upon her death, her collection of over 600 vases was divided between her children and grandchildren.

A grouping of green carnival vases (below) looks especially nice in the livingroom displayed on a rosewood table. Included is an ice green banana boat - a piece Eric coveted years ago when he first saw Gramma's collection.

Gramma had quite a few funeral vases. The huge vase (below) on the left was a present we gave to her one year for Christmas - a rare and reasonable cheap ($145) find at an antique show in Toronto. I can still picture Gramma clutching her chest and gasping when she unwrapped it. I received it back when she died - my name was on a slip of paper inside of it that read "THANK YOU".

The 18inch Rustic vase (above right) was made by Fenton.

Collecting STAFFORDSHIRE

Staffordshire pottery figures were made in Staffordshire, England from the late 1700's to late 1800's. Most of our Staffordshire collection is displayed in a curio cabinet, as well as on shelves flanking the fireplace in the livingroom.