Category Archives: Galle

The Arlington Racetrack Antiques Show opens this Friday, October 14, 2011

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I have less time to write about the interesting things happening in the antiques world since the fall shows started, so I am posting new blog entries once or twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. If you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.

Rare Galle box with 2 dragonflies

The Arlington Park Racetrack Antiques Show opens this Friday, October 14th at 11:00 AM and runs until 5:00 PM on Sunday, October 16th. The show is not as big as it once was, but that’s the case for most shows nowadays. The quality is still very good and worth a trip from anywhere in the Greater Chicago area.

Tiffany 14 inch diameter Dragonfly table lamp with great color

We went on a successful buying trip to France in early September, so we have some very fine French cameo glass by Daum and Gallé that is fresh to the market. Additionally, we were able to purchase a small collection of Tiffany lamps, so we’ll have some new ones that you haven’t seen before. Sales of Tiffany lamps have been strong in the last few weeks, so I’m glad to be able to offer some fresh ones.

The promoter of the show, Shawn Hastings, has been quite ill for a month now. His wife and staff will be running the show. Let’s all pray for a speedy and full recovery for him.

Very fine color on this beautiful and rare Galle blue floral vase

In the meantime, check the listings on my website, which I will update as often as I can. I’ll be photographing all my new Gallé and Daum purchases and listing them on my website. Recently I listed quite a few Tiffany, Handel and Pairpoint lamps and some very rare Louis Icart etchings including Melody Hour and Mardi Gras. There are also several fine Daum vases; a Daum lamp; several Galle vases; and several more Tiffany Favrile vases. Coming soon will be several wonderful European ceramic items by Clement Massier, Zsolnay and Amphora. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

Excellent results for French cameo glass at Brunk Auctions, September 24-25, 2011

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I have less time to write about the interesting things happening in the antiques world since the fall shows started, so I am posting new blog entries once or twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. If you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday. There will be a post this Thursday about the Leslie Hindman auction of October 2-3, 2011.

Outstanding Galle polar bear vase, Brunk lot #734

Brunk Auctions of Asheville, NC, held a decorative arts auction on September 24-25, 2011. Included in the sale were a couple of outstanding French cameo vases. Lot 734 was a huge Galle polar bear vase, 14¼”, with exceptional color. It carried a pre-sale estimate of $20,000-30,000. It sold for almost twice the low estimate, realizing $45,600, including buyer’s premium.

Outstanding Daum crocus vase, Brunk lot #737

Also in the sale was a superior Daum crocus vase. The sophisticated techniques used in the making are called padding and carving. First the flowers were padded, meaning they were applied from molten colored glass rods. When the vase cooled, the flowers were hand-carved, also called wheel-carving. On one side of the vase, there is a deep orange flower and on the other, a deep purple flower — both with better color than the usual example. Selling as lot 737, it brought $15,600, against a conservative pre-sale estimate of $6,000-10,000.

To search the results of the sale, click on the following link. Search Brunk. Choose the September 24-25, 2011 dates and a keyword.

The best Daum scenic blownout vase

In the meantime, check the listings on my website, which I will update often. I’ll be photographing all my new Gallé and Daum purchases and listing them on my website. Recently I listed quite a few Tiffany, Handel and Pairpoint lamps and some very rare Louis Icart etchings including Melody Hour and Mardi Gras. There are also several fine Daum vases; a Daum lamp; several Galle vases; and several more Tiffany Favrile vases. Coming soon will be several wonderful European ceramic items by Clement Massier, Zsolnay and Amphora. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

The AVENUE Antiques at the Armory show opens this Thursday, September 22, 2011 and runs until Sunday

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I have less time to write about the interesting things happening in the antiques world since the fall shows started, so I am posting new blog entries once or twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. If you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.

The AVENUE show will be open September 22-25, 2011

The AVENUE Antiques at the Armory show is one of New York City’s finest antique shows. This will be my first time there. I visited the show last spring and it looked great. Check back on Monday and I’ll let you know how I did. In the meantime, I’ve got my fingers crossed.

A killer Daum fall scenic boudoir table lamp

If you follow my blog, you know that we’ve been working hard to bring you the finest selection of antiques we’ve ever brought to a show. Some of the new items that we’ve just acquired are a great selection of Tiffany lamps, including a Dragonfly, a Tulip, a Pansy and a 10-light lily.

A rare and very fine Daum swan tumbler

In French glass, we’ll be bringing the best Daum boudoir lamp ever; a Daum scenic blownout vase; a gorgeous Gallé blue floral vase and several wonderful miniature Daum vases, including a rare rain scenic.

A Gallé floral vase with extraordinary color

The show opens on Wednesday evening, with a preview party (always my favorite, UGH!). The one at the LA Antiques Show was good, so maybe I shouldn’t be such a skeptic. There will be plenty of competition at the show, so hopefully there will be enough motivated buyers to go around. Wish me luck!

The best Daum scenic blownout vase

Check my website daily this week. I’ll be photographing all my new Gallé and Daum purchases and listing them on my website. Recently I listed quite a few Tiffany, Handel and Pairpoint lamps and some very rare Louis Icart etchings including Melody Hour and Mardi Gras. There are also several fine Daum vases; a Daum lamp; several Galle vases; and several more Tiffany Favrile vases. Coming soon will be several wonderful European ceramic items by Clement Massier, Zsolnay and Amphora. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

On a buying trip in France, September 1-9, 2011, part II

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The fall season begins soon with the AVENUE show at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City on Thursday, September 22nd. Since I have less time to write about the interesting things happening in the antiques world, I am posting new blog entries once or twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. If you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.

TGV. Photo courtesy of Reuters

I’m writing this blog post again from the TGV (Train à Grand Vitesse), but this time we’re traveling north at 150 mph. By the time you read this, we’ll already be back in New York.

A very fine Daum vase. More to be posted shortly on my website

We’ve just about finished our trip, with all the good and the bad that goes with it. The good part is that we were successful buying. What we didn’t expect was for so many things to go wrong. This has been our toughest trip to France. Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.

One of the many unusual items at the fair -- an 8 foot artist's easel

We gave ourselves plenty of time on Sunday for it to be a relaxing travel day. We took a taxi from our hotel to Gare de Lyon. There were few available luggage carts to carry our trunk and suitcases, so we allowed an unofficial porter to use his luggage cart to help us first to a restaurant and then to the train. When I tipped him, he informed us that we should give him double. I refused, and that was the start of a bad day.

An automaton that looks like it could have come from the 1964 World's Fair

Three-quarters of the way to Montpellier, the TGV broke down. What were the odds? We had to back up to a station and transfer our baggage to another car, where the train decoupled from the broken car. We continued on our way after a 2½ hour delay. When we arrived in Montpellier, we were let out on the second floor platform, where it became an adventure to find the bathroom as the signs were no help. (It was 2 levels down and a u-turn onto one of the platforms). 50¢. What if I didn’t have any cash?

Absolutely the best Daum lamp I've ever owned

Finding the location of the car rental agency was the next adventure. It was approximately ¼ mile away, with insufficient signage along the route. This time there were no luggage carts of any kind, so we had to carry the trunk and carry-ons, as well as roll our suitcases. Can I impress upon you how difficult that was? When we got to the car rental building at 7:45PM, all of the rental agencies were closed, including Hertz and Avis. Only ours, SIXT, was open for 15 more minutes. Whew!! We arranged for our car, which was at the farthest end (of course) of a large parking lot. I got in and could not start the car for 5 minutes, until I figured out the trick (depress the clutch, step on the brake, press the key case in its slot). Then I couldn’t get the car to move because the parking brake was locked. Grr!! I had to walk back to the agency from the end of the parking lot, where luckily I caught the agent just as he was leaving. He had to walk back with me (to the end of the parking lot) to show me how to release the brake (it was a button on the center console).

I have no idea what we would have done if SIXT had been closed. We would have missed our room and missed the fair — a complete disaster. Thank goodness a few things went as planned.

A great early bicycle

OK, now we were off to our B&B on the outskirts of the city. I programmed my portable GPS as best I could, but it took us down a dead-end road and told us to go straight. We could not find the B&B. Lia suggested we try the built-in GPS in the Audi, in French. It’s not an intuitive device, but we were finally able to program it. The first GPS had taken us several miles away from the correct destination. The Audi GPS got us close, but could not locate the exact place, so we drove around aimlessly, looking for a human. At 9:30 PM on Sunday night, in the small town of Lavérune, there are no people on the streets. I mean none. Finally we found a person getting into a car. He knew the location of the B&B and finally we arrived.

I was concerned that no one would be there on our arrival because we were hours late, but Helène greeted us and let us into our room. The lock on the sliding glass door to the outside did not lock, so it was jury-rigged with a pin. The curtains were too small, so they could not be closed for privacy. I won’t bore you with the details of the other things wrong in the room.

I'm busy looking for a treasure

Now we had to find a restaurant open late on Sunday. We drove around and found an Italian restaurant, but there was no entrance in the front, only the side. We drove round and round trying to find the side entrance, but could not. If you couldn’t find the secret entrance, you couldn’t eat there and we couldn’t. Finally we found an American-style country music restaurant, where we were greeted by a life-size plastic John Wayne. This restaurant would have been a good joke in the USA, but I wasn’t sure if the French were laughing. The food was pretty bad, but we were beggars and beggars don’t choose.

Finally back to the B&B for a few hours sleep and the end of a bad day. We had exceeded our limits. We got up at 4 AM to get to the fair on time and hopefully the start of a better day.

A few days later we had a horrific time catching the TGV northbound. I just can’t get into the details. They’re too fresh and painful as I write this. There were innumerable additional problems on the trip, mainly with driving on poorly marked streets and medieval narrow streets. Oh, did I mention the speeding ticket on the way to the TGV station? My kids claim I’m the slowest driver they know, but I got two speeding tickets in France – one by a road camera and one by the gendarmerie.

Hopefully my stories will give you a greater appreciation of the work that goes into setting up a top quality booth at my shows. Believe me, the merchandise does not fall into our laps.

Fantastic Burgun & Schverer internally decorated vase

Check my website daily this week. I’ll be photographing all my new Gallé and Daum purchases and listing them on my website. Recently I listed quite a few Tiffany, Handel and Pairpoint lamps and some very rare Louis Icart etchings including Melody Hour and Mardi Gras. There are also several fine Daum vases; a Daum lamp; several Galle vases; and several more Tiffany Favrile vases. Coming soon will be several wonderful European ceramic items by Clement Massier, Zsolnay and Amphora. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

On a buying trip in France, September 1-9, 2011

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The Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair ended the summer show season. The fall season will begin with the AVENUE show at the Park Avenue Armory on Thursday, September 22nd. Since I have less time to write about the interesting things happening in the antiques world, I am posting new blog entries once or twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. If you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.

The high speed TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse)

I’m writing this blog post from the TGV, a high-speed train, traveling south from Paris at 150 mph. We’re in France on a buying trip that has been somewhat successful thus far.

A Daum fall scenic vase, similar to the lamp I just purchased

Last minute tickets from New York to Paris were extremely expensive. Many flights from JFK were canceled because of Hurricane Irene, so passengers had to be rebooked, leaving very few seats available. We had to first fly to Helsinki, Finland, to get an expensive, but not ridiculous fare. The flight was full, so some people were upgraded to business class. Miraculously we were two of them. What a difference that made. Among other amenities, the seats reclined flat for sleeping.

Marché Dauphine on Rue des Rosiers

Saturday, we visited the flea markets, where you can get lucky or not. We were lucky. Considering that many of the shops were closed (I guess because some of the dealers were at the fairs in the south and others weren’t back from vacation), we were able to buy some truly outstanding objects, including an extremely rare and beautiful Daum acid-etched and enameled fall scenic lamp. I’ve had quite a few fall scenic vases over the years, but this is the first lamp. I don’t have a photo at this time, but I’ll post one on my website or blog as soon as I’m able.

A Daum swan miniature vase with the same decoration as the larger tumbler I just purchased

We were also able to purchase a super Daum tumbler with swan decoration, a Daum rain miniature pillow vase, a fabulous Daum scenic blownout vase (haven’t had one in many years), a beautiful Daum footed vase with bright yellow flowers, a rare Galle box with two dragonflies on the lid, a gorgeous triangular Galle vase with blue flowers on yellow (windowpane technique), an R. Lalique Monnaie du Pape vase and finally an R. Lalique half-moon shaped clock with birds and rare enameled glass ATO face. I’ll try to post photos on my website, but failing that, they will all be for sale at the upcoming AVENUE show starting September 22.

Now we’re off to the fairs, which are a bigger crapshoot. We could wind up buying some fabulous items or nothing. Plus there’s lots of competition. I’ll let you know the results in my next blog post. The whole trip is really a crapshoot. The expenses are high and the chances of success are variable. Not to mention, pounding the pavement for days on end. There’s lots of hard work involved. The objects don’t magically appear in my booth at the shows. But at least the hard work is in France. Not a bad place to spend time working, especially with my honey!

Fantastic Burgun & Schverer internally decorated vase

Check out my new acquisitions. I recently listed quite a few Tiffany, Handel and Pairpoint lamps. I also listed some very rare Louis Icart etchings including Melody Hour and Mardi Gras; several fine Daum vases; a Daum lamp; several Galle vases; and several more Tiffany Favrile vases. Also coming soon will be several wonderful European ceramic items by Clement Massier, Zsolnay and Amphora. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

Results of the Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair, August 25-28, 2011

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The Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair ended the summer show season. The fall season will begin with the AVENUE show at the Park Avenue Armory on Thursday, September 22nd. Since I have less time to write about the interesting things happening in the antiques world, I am posting new blog entries once or twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. If you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.

My new booth at the Baltimore Show

We exhibit at so many shows that most of them blend together. Every once in a while, one becomes memorable. This Baltimore show was that one. Allow me to explain. I can’t name a show that began with an earthquake, ended with a hurricane, and had plenty of business in the middle.

My booth

We started setting up the show on Tuesday. In the middle of a telephone call regarding the purchase of a Tiffany lamp, the ground started shaking. I knew immediately it was an earthquake and told the person on the phone. He couldn’t believe it. Most East Coasters are not familiar with earthquakes, but having experienced two of them in California, I knew what was happening. It was fairly gentle and didn’t seem to last more than 10-15 seconds, so I continued doing my business as if nothing had happened. Ten minutes later, they evacuated the entire building. Thirty minutes later, we were permitted back into the building and continued working.

Saturday afternoon at the show

Attendance at the show seemed lighter than usual, but that’s not what counts. Who shows up is much more important than how many people show up. For us, the right people showed up. Interest and sales were excellent, with most of it coming in, guess what? — Tiffany lamps and French glass. If you follow my blog, that will come as no surprise.

The hurricane hit Baltimore in the middle of the night — great timing. We slept through most of it. I thought no one would show up on Saturday because the hurricane was bearing down on Baltimore. But I was wrong. There were lots of people at the show and sales were best on Saturday. Never would have guessed that. What made it even better was that the sales were all to new clients. In asking around, most dealers had very good shows. I did hear a few complaints, but that was expected. There’s never a show where 100% of the dealers do well.

Sunday afternoon at the show

Didn’t think anyone would show up on Sunday, but as the weather cleared, quite a few people showed up. No sales on Sunday, but you won’t hear any complaints from me. That’s two fabulous shows in a row.

Fantastic Burgun & Schverer internally decorated vase

Check out my new acquisitions. I recently listed quite a few Tiffany, Handel and Pairpoint lamps. I also listed some very rare Louis Icart etchings including Melody Hour and Mardi Gras; several fine Daum vases; a Daum lamp; several Galle vases; and several more Tiffany Favrile vases. Also coming soon will be several wonderful European ceramic items by Clement Massier, Zsolnay and Amphora. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

The results of the Chicago Summer Antiques Show, August 19-21, 2011

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The summer show season will end with the Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair this week, Thursday, August 25 – Sunday, August 28. The fall season will begin with the AVENUE show at the Park Avenue Armory on Thursday, September 22nd. Since I have less time to write about the interesting things happening in the antiques world, I am posting new blog entries once or twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. If you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.

Sunday afternoon, about 2 PM

What a difference a day (city) makes! (Click this link to sing the song along with me and Dinah Washington.) The difference between Southern California and Rosemont, IL, is much greater than the 2000 miles that separates them. Changing cities from Pasadena to Rosemont felt more like changing decades, not cities. Although attendance wasn’t great, those who did attend were serious. Most of the dealers I spoke to were very pleased with their results. Personally, I had an excellent show, with the most interest and sales in Tiffany lamps and French cameo glass — the same areas that have been strong for a long time. One furniture dealer told me he didn’t do well, but that seems to be a trend that is continuing. Buyers prefer newer designs, by artists like Sam Maloof and George Nakashima. Their works continue to sell well, especially at auction.

My booth at the Chicago Summer Antiques Show

Serendipitously, the ANA annual coin show was held at exactly the same time as the antique show, in the same building. Most coin dealers I know are bored with coins, but they love antiques. They visited the antique show and made more than a few dealers happy. Next August, the ANA show will be held in Philadelphia, but the following four years, the ANA show will be held in Rosemont. Rosemary Krieger, the promoter of the antique show, told me that she has linked her show dates from 2013 – 2016 to the coin show. It’s a great idea and all the exhibiting dealers will benefit. For those dealers who have stopped exhibiting in Rosemont in August, I suggest you change your minds and try it again. You missed out on a good show this time.

The Baltimore Inner Harbor at night

Now we’re on our way to Baltimore for the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show. It’s the biggest and the best show of the summer, and one of the best of the year. First, it’s huge. Second, it’s deep in quality. Third, it’s held at the Baltimore Convention Center, in the heart of the Inner Harbor — a great area for restaurants, shops, museums, hotels, and the National Aquarium. Buyers fly in from all over the world, including Japan and Europe, to attend this show. If you were hesitating, don’t. Make your plans and come. The show is open from this Thursday, August 25th, at noon, to Sunday, August 28th, at 6 PM. (The Yankees will be in town and you can see them against the Orioles in Camden Yards, just a couple of blocks away.)

Killer Tiffany Studios 7-light lily lamp with great shades and patina

Check out my new acquisitions. I recently listed quite a few Tiffany, Handel and Pairpoint lamps. I also listed some very rare Louis Icart etchings including Melody Hour and Mardi Gras; several fine Daum vases; a Daum lamp; several Galle vases; and several more Tiffany Favrile vases. Also coming soon will be several wonderful European ceramic items by Clement Massier, Zsolnay and Amphora. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

The Chicago Summer Antiques Show starts this week and the Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair starts next week

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The summer show season is in full gear. In July and early August, we exhibited at the Redondo Beach Antiques Show and the Pasadena Antique Show in California. In mid to late August, we’ll be in Rosemont, Illinois, for the Chicago Summer Antiques Show and then Baltimore for the Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair. Since I have less time to write about the interesting things happening in the antiques world, I am posting new blog entries once or twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. If you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.

A wonderful Martin Brothers face jug. One of the many new items I am bringing to the shows.

This week we’ll be exhibiting at the Chicago Summer Antiques Fair, which takes place at the Rosemont Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. It’s adjacent to O’Hare Airport, so it’s quite convenient if you want to fly in to visit the show. It’s not a big show, but it’s very nice quality, so it’s surely worth a visit if you live anywhere in the Greater Chicago area. The show opens this Friday, August 19, at noon and continues until Sunday, August 21, at 5 PM. I’m bringing the largest and best selection of Tiffany, Handel and Pairpoint lamps that I’ve brought to any show in many years, including a gorgeous Tiffany Studios 7-light lily and a super Tiffany Studios 20″ diameter Arrowroot. Additionally, I’m bringing a deep selection of the finest in French cameo glass by Daum Nancy and Emile Galle, and American glass by Tiffany Studios, Quezal, and Steuben. I will also have a great selection of American ceramics by Rookwood, Grueby, Van Briggle and others, as well as an amazing collection of Louis Icart etchings, including some extremely rare ones, including Mardi Gras, Melody Hour, Miss America and others.

A very rare Tiffany Studios 7-inch diameter blue Favrile counterbalance table lamp

The following week, the whole antiques world moves to Baltimore for the biggest and best show of the summer. The Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair is not only huge, but super high quality, with some of the best antique dealers in the country, some of whom exhibit at very few shows during the entire year. Thousands of buyers travel to this show from all over the world, including many from Europe and Japan. If they can travel to Baltimore from Japan, you can travel to the show from anywhere.

A view of a small portion of the exhibitors at the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show

Not only is the show exciting, but the downtown area of Baltimore has undergone an a complete revival in the twenty years since I’ve been doing the show. It’s almost unrecognizable from what it used to be. There’s lots to do at the Inner Harbor, the National Aquarium, the Maryland Science Center, Harborplace and the Gallery, cruises on the Inner Harbor, Little Italy, etc., etc. And don’t forget to eat crabs at world-famous Obrycki’s of Baltimore.

The Baltimore Aquarium at night in the Inner Harbor

Very rare Louis Icart etching entitled Mardi Gras

Check out my new acquisitions. I just listed quite a few Tiffany, Handel and Pairpoint lamps. I also listed some very rare Louis Icart etchings including Miss America and Mardi Gras; a gorgeous Daum Nancy pink floral vase; several fine Daum vases; a Daum lamp; several Galle vases; and several more Tiffany Favrile vases. Soon I’ll be listing a wonderful Tiffany Studios 7-light lily lamp with beautiful shades and a fine patina. Also coming soon will be several wonderful European ceramic items by Clement Massier, Zsolnay and Amphora. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

The summer antiques show season begins July 29, 2011, in Redondo Beach, CA

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The show season is starting again, with our first show this week in Redondo Beach, CA, July 29-31, 2011. Since I will have less time to write about the interesting things happening in the antiques world, I will be posting new blog entries once or twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. If you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so look for a new one the following Monday.

The Redondo Beach Antiques Show isn’t big. It’s more like a boutique show — small, but high quality. I’d like to think I’m one of the high quality dealers who will be exhibiting there. The show opens to the public this Friday at 11 AM, and continues until 5 PM on Sunday. It’s surely worth a visit if you live anywhere in the greater Los Angeles area.

I’ve spent the last several months scouring the country and the world buying some extraordinary antiques. I’ll have them on exhibit for the first time at the Redondo Beach show this weekend.

Tiffany Studios 20-inch diam. Arrowroot table lamp

Tops in the lamp category is a really fine Tiffany 20″ diameter Arrowroot table lamp, with great color. In addition, I’m bringing a great assortment of fresh to the market Tiffany, Handel and Pairpoint puffy lamps.

Very rare Tiffany Studios Favrile Agate vase

In American glass, I’m bringing some great items, including a fabulous Tiffany Studios Favrile Agate vase — very rare and very fine.

One of two Daum Nancy vases with mushroom decoration

For French glass, I’m bringing fabulous Daum Nancy and Gallé vases, including two exceptional Daum examples with very rare and sophisticated mushroom decoration.

In addition, I’ll have the usual fabulous assortment of original Louis Icart etchings, great American art pottery with fine examples by George Ohr, Van Briggle and Rookwood.

Make the time to visit me at the show, and I’ll show you some great antiques that you’ll love.

Rare Louis Icart etching Miss America

Check out my new acquisitions. I just listed a very rare Louis Icart etching, entitled “Miss America”, plus a gorgeous Daum Nancy pink floral vase; a rare Tiffany Studios desk lamp in the Spanish pattern; several fine Daum vases; a Daum lamp; several Galle vases; and several more Tiffany Favrile vases. Soon I’ll be listing a wonderful Tiffany Studios 7-light lily lamp with beautiful shades and a fine patina. Also coming soon will be several wonderful European ceramic items by Clement Massier, Zsolnay and Amphora. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

Are any two French cameo glass vases identical?

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I try to mix up my blog posts. Today’s is a teaching post with an interesting lesson about French cameo glass — one of my favorite topics. Today’s question is “Are any two French cameo glass vases identical?”

Three Gallé banjo scenic vases

Take a look at the photos above. They are each examples of Gallé scenic banjo vases, meant to be the same. If you look carefully, you can see that although the scenes are very similar, they are not identical. The easiest detail to note are the birds in the sky. The vase on the left has two birds, the one in the center, three birds and the one on the right, five birds. Upon very close inspection, there are many small differences in the trees, branches, reflections, etc. The glass artists started with a prototype that was the standard to copy, but were given latitude to make minor changes, as they saw fit. The colors also varied quite a bit, depending on the applied glass layers.

Two examples of Gallé water lily scenic vases

The differences in the two vases above are more difficult to spot, but if you spend enough time, you’ll find plenty. (Kind of like the two similar photos side by side in People magazine.) The easiest place to spot differences are in the tips of the leaves. They are more curled in the vase on the right. These vases are another example that shows that no two French cameo vases are identical.

Lalique vases can be identical because they were cast from the same mold. French cameo vases were not molded, except for blownout vases. Even those vases were not identical because they were acid-etched after being mold-blown. Small differences occurred during the etching process.

What I find most striking are not the minor differences, but rather the major similarities. There are so many similarities that it appears to me that perhaps the artists started with stencils and then used hand tools to refine the details, which make for the various differences. I can’t prove my hypothesis, but give me a better explanation and I’ll listen.

Regardless, the total process of producing a quality French cameo glass vase by Gallé, Daum or others was very time consuming. It required many steps and many hours to produce any vase and much more time to produce special vases. I’m very pleased with the continuing popularity of French cameo glass. The earliest French cameo glass vases, produced in the 1890s, are closing in on 125 years old. There are so many collecting areas that have fallen out of favor, that today’s popularity is a tribute to the French artists of yesteryear.

Check out my new Tiffany, Daum, and Gallé acquisitions. I’ll be listing several fine Tiffany lamps in the next few weeks. First to be listed will be a fine Tiffany Studios 7-light lily lamp with beautiful shades and a fine patina. Later I’ll be getting a 20″ Dragonfly and several floral lamps. Also coming soon will be a gorgeous 7″ diam. blue Favrile counterbalance desk lamp. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com