Exhibit Antiques has dated these Victorian Cobalt Glass Vases to the Victorian era.
This is an independent date report produced by Sellingantiques using its own proprietary system. The process uses the photographs shown on this page. The system is never told the date the dealer has declared. This report shows that the two dates corroborate.
Each vase has a long, slender trumpet-shaped neck rising from a globular body, supported on a clear glass stem and circular foot.
The rich cobalt blue glass is beautifully decorated with Japanese-inspired chrysanthemums and trailing foliage in gold. The large chrysanthemum on each body, together with the smaller flower heads extending up the necks, has been executed in finely detailed raised gilding, giving the individual petals and flower centres considerable depth and texture.
In contrast, the leaves and flowing stems are decorated in flatter gilding, creating a wonderful balance between the highly detailed flowers and the more delicate surrounding foliage.
Fine gilded bands complete the rims.
The three vases share the same decorative design, with gildiing variations in their individual forms.
Date & Origin
France, c1880, Period of Queen Victoria.
Condition
Excellent. No chips, cracks or restoration. Gilding in fantastic condition with only minor wear to the rims.
Dimensions
Height: 15.2cm
Diameter: 4cm
Weight: 228 grams
Historical Context
During the second half of the 19th century, European glassmakers became increasingly influenced by Japanese art and design, a movement known as Japonisme. Following Japan's opening to international trade, Japanese decorative arts attracted considerable attention at the great European exhibitions, particularly in Paris.
Chrysanthemums, flowering branches and naturalistic foliage became popular decorative subjects, often arranged asymmetrically in a manner quite different from traditional European floral designs.
The famous French crystal manufacturer Baccarat was among the leading glassworks to embrace this style during the 1870s and 1880s, producing finely decorated glass with raised gold flowers and foliage.
Documented Baccarat examples from c1880 include vases decorated with raised-gold flowering branches, while a pair of chrysanthemum vases dating to c1890 demonstrates the factory's use of this particular floral subject.
The decoration on these three cobalt blue vases is especially interesting. Unlike examples where the design was first engraved into the glass and subsequently gilded, the chrysanthemum flower heads have been executed directly in detailed raised gold, contrasting with the simpler flat gilding of the leaves and stems.
This technique and the Japanese-inspired floral design bear similarities to documented Baccarat work of the period, although an exact factory pattern has not yet been identified.
The three vases are fine examples of the Japanese influence on late 19th-century European decorative glass, combining rich cobalt blue with particularly accomplished gilded floral decoration.
Exhibit Antiques has dated these Victorian Cobalt Glass Vases to the Victorian era.
This is an independent date report produced by Sellingantiques using its own proprietary system. The process uses the photographs shown on this page. The system is never told the date the dealer has declared. This report shows that the two dates corroborate.
Specialists in 18th & 19th century antique glass
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Three Victorian Aesthetic Movement Cobalt Blue Glass Vases with Gilded Chrysanthemums C1880
