COLOURFUL HAND VASES

Hand vases come in a variety of colours. There's no better proof of that than this collection of vases made in the 1960's and 70's (probably of Asian origin).

This blue cased-glass vase was the very first hand vase I bought almost 18 years ago.

Note that this brown/amber vase is not cased-glass. It is transparent.

I have also seen (but not purchased YET)  these vases in matte blue and green finishes. As hand vases go, these are the most common and reasonably priced.

JACK IN THE PULPIT Vases

I love the quirky look of Jack in the Pulpit hand vases (above). They feature a raised/pointed section at the back of the rim of the vase and resemble a "jack in the pulpit" flower/plant (below) which grows in the forests of Ontario.

As is true with most hand vases, these 4 Jack in the Pulpit hand vases in my collection are unmarked. They were probably made by Vallerysthal Glassworks in France.

MURANO?

These spatter glass, multi-coloured hand vases are often referred to as Murano and were probably produced in the later 1900's (perhaps in Romania according to Marinka Bozzec - hand vase expert)  and were popular in England.  They seem to be similar in shape/mold to the "chunky" hand vases produced in the Victorian era.

We purchased this unusual green vase at an antiques fair in London, England.

This pair of blue vases (below) were a find here in Canada at the Aberfoyle Antiques Market south of Guelph, Ontario.

Murano or not, I love them!

MY SHELL ART COLLECTION

Shell art became popular in the 1830's and remained so until the turn of the century. I have accumulated a small collection of shell art pieces ranging from boxes and letter holders to picture frames and a snowglobe.

AMBER HAND VASES

Amber is not one of the most popular hand vase colours, but I have a few of them. In the photos below, note the small amber hand vase to your right. It was a recent purchase. The shape is unusual (more torch than horn, flower or cornucopia) and the maker is unknown.

Beaded Watermelon

I recently added another slice of beaded watermelon to my collection!



Gillinder Hand Vases

Gillinder hand vases (photo above) were produced in 1876 to celebrate the centennial of the United States. The 7" vase was made of heavy lead crystal featuring a hand holding a sheath of wheat and bearing lettering on the base/cuff reading "Centennial 1876". Reproductions began appearing in the 1990's (photo below).  Gillinder "style" hand vases frequently appear on eBay in ice blue, green, pink, cobalt blue and clear/unfrosted glass. These reproductions are of unknown origin (probably China) and are often erroneously referred to as depression glass and antique/vintage. They can be spotted quite easily. They are slighlty shorter, more crudely molded and lack the "Centennial 1876" lettering on the base (comparison photo below).