Here’s why Daum Nancy miniature vases are treasures worth owning

Posted on September 18, 2017 by Philip Chasen

Sorry I wasn’t able to post a new blog on Monday. We were in Europe on a buying trip and just got back. I’ll start to list some of the new items in the next few days.

My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, readership slows down in the summer, so I will only publish on Mondays until the weather gets cold and readership picks up.

Daum scenic miniature Broken Egg

Daum Nancy French cameo glass is very much in favor and has been for many years, for good reason. The quality, workmanship and beauty are exceptional. There is no modern glass that rivals antique Daum. Aficionados worldwide, including the US, Europe, Australia, Japan, Brazil, and Canada have amassed impressive collections.

This lovely acid-etched, enameled, and gilded miniature tumbler, dated 1906, is available for under $1,000

Attention to detail is one of the enduring qualities of Daum glass. One might think that the detail would get lost on a miniature, but it’s the opposite. Daum miniatures are tiny works of art, under 2″ tall, with the same subject matter as the larger examples, including all varieties of flowers, forest and marine scenes, and birds. They also come in a wide variety of shapes, so it’s possible to find the same subject matter on different shapes. That makes for an interesting way to collect if one has a particular fondness for a certain decoration.

A rare Daum miniature Swan vase

Rarities include Blackbirds, Rain, and Swans, none of which I have to offer, unfortunately, as they really are rare and easy to sell.

Dutch Winter is a lovely decoration for a miniature vase

The quality of Daum miniatures has not changed over time, however prices have. The market has softened for them in the last few years by about 30%, while the rest of the Daum market has gone up. Seems like a great time to add to your collection or start a new one. Many models range in price from $750 to $2,000, with most in the $1,000-$1,500 range. Very rare examples still sell in the $2,000-$5,000 range.

All of the Daum Nancy miniature vases are presently available for sale

I’m assisting Art & Antiques Magazine with a feature article on Daum Nancy glass for an upcoming issue. It’s possible that the publicity will generate further interest and boost prices. That’s pure speculation on my part, but good publicity never hurts.

October 20-22, 2017

Our next show will be in Denver, October 20-22, 2017. We’re giving Denver one last shot to prove it’s worthwhile traveling all the way from New York. If the show doesn’t go well, goodbye Denver. The following week we’ll be in Southfield, Michigan, for the Southfield Pavilion Antiques, Art, & Modernism Show. That’s another show that has to go well for us to return. Then we’ll be in Winnetka, Illinois, the following week for the Antiques + Modernism Winnetka show. That’s one show we don’t have to worry about. We have great clients in the greater Chicago area, so we really look forward to seeing our old friends.

Click Philip Chasen’s new items to check my website for the latest items and to look around. I recently added several new items and I’ll be adding more this week. They’re some of the best items I’ve ever had, so please take a look.

I will update it as often as time permits. We’re still very much in business between shows, so please don’t hesitate to email or call. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

Gallé blownout vases are treasures worth owning

Posted on September 11, 2017 by Philip Chasen

Rare and exceptional Gallé Apple blownout vase

Emile Gallé never lived to see the innovations that took place at his factory after his death in 1904. In the 1920s compressed air was used to inject molten glass into molds (just like Lalique vases). These vases are referred to as blownout, mold-blown, or soufflé — all interchangeable terms.

Red Gallé Plum blownout vase

Blue-purple Gallé Plum blownout vase

Green and yellow Gallé Plum blownout vase

After the vase was formed in the mold, it was treated like other cameo vases. Layers of colored glass were applied to the molten vase, one on top of another. Upon cooling, artists used wax resists and hydrofluoric acid to etch the designs and reveal the colors below. This meant that the same model could be made in many color combinations.

A rare Gallé Elephant blownout vase

I estimate there are approximately 50 different models of Gallé blownout vases, with the Elephant and Rhododendron models the rarest and most valuable.

Prices vary over time and not always up. Prices for the more common models have softened in the last year, so it’s a really good time to add to your collection. It’s similar to the stock market. I add to my portfolio when a stock I like goes on sale. This is your opportunity. Today’s prices range from under $10,000 to over $200,000. Most models are under $20,000.

Let’s examine a reproduction Gallé marquetry vase

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Philip Chasen

My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, 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.

Reproduction Gallé marquetry vase

In my duties as a consultant to various auction houses, I was asked to authenticate a “Gallé” marquetry vase. Following are some photos of it and an authentic Gallé marquetry vase.

The marquetry technique involved applying molten glass to a vase and then pressing the applications into the vase. After the vase cooled, the applied glass was detailed by wheel-carving, except for some Gallé study vases marked Étude. The marquetry technique also refers to wood, where a veneer was cut into shapes and glued to the surface to create a design. Marquetry decoration in both glass and wood is neither raised nor depressed, but flat. The term inlaid is appropriate.

Gallé marquetry table

The reproduction vase signature

Let’s examine some of the details of the reproduction vase (first photo above). Observe the primary colors. Authentic Gallé colors are more refined and subtle. Then notice the acid-etched leaves on the vase. Authentic marquetry vases do not have any acid-etched design. The fancy Oriental signature (above) is just a trick to throw a potential buyer off the track. After all, how can a reproduction vase have such an impressive signature? Then examine the photo below of the real McCoy. Notice the beautiful colors and the fine detail from wheel-carving. To the trained eye, the differences are huge. This lesson should help the untrained eye.

Authentic Gallé marquetry vase

The contemporary glass market is alive and well, which is where the maker of this vase should have used his/her talent.

The revived Chicago Antiques + Art + Design Show at the Chicago Merchandise Mart opens to the public next Friday, May 19th. I was quite sad when the original show folded a few years ago, as it was always one of my favorite shows. The new edition will have a new promoter, Dolphin Promotions, headed by Rosemary Krieger. There hasn’t been an antique show in downtown Chicago for several years, so I’m hoping this one will be met with a lot of enthusiasm. The show runs from May 19-21, 2017, with a preview party the night of the 18th.

I recently listed over 15 new items on my website and I’ll be listing more in the near future. Please check my site as often as you can.

Click here to check my website for the latest items and to look around. I will update it as often as time permits. We’re still very much in business between shows, so please don’t hesitate to email or call. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

How to spot a fake Argy-Rousseau moth paperweight

Posted on May 4, 2017 by Philip Chasen

Reproduction Argy-Rousseau moth paperweight

A colleague/dealer from California was suspicious about an “Argy-Rousseau” pâte-de-verre moth paperweight he had purchased, so he emailed me photos for authentication.

The signature on the fake paperweight

The easiest way to tell a fake is the signature. Take a look above at the poorly hand-engraved letters of different thicknesses and matte finish. Now take a look at the photo below of an authentic signature. Each letter is shiny, with even width and depth. The signature was in the mold and not hand-engraved.

An authentic Argy-Rousseau signature (from a vase)

An authentic Argy-Rousseau moth paperweight

Now go back to the first photograph and take a look at the rest of the fake paperweight. It has a dull semi-matte finish with a grainy texture to the moths, unlike the shinier, smoother authentic paperweight. If you could hold both of them in your hands, the differences would be even more striking. And now you know the rest of the story. (Spoken slowly and with emphasis by Paul Harvey.)

Monday’s blog will be another lesson on French glass fakes. This time the subject will be a “Gallé” marquetry vase.

It’s almost time to travel to Chicago for our next show, the revived Chicago Antiques + Art + Design Show at the Chicago Merchandise Mart. I was quite sad when it folded a few years ago as it was always one of my favorite shows. The new edition will have a new promoter, Dolphin Promotions, headed by Rosemary Krieger. There hasn’t been an antique show in downtown Chicago for several years, so I’m hoping this one will be met with a lot of enthusiasm. The show runs from May 18-21, 2017.

I recently listed over 15 new items on my website and I’ll be listing more in the near future. Please check my site as often as you can.

Think your unsigned vase is Tiffany Favrile? Think twice. It might be Trevaise.

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Philip Chasen

Trevaise glass from the collection of Frank W. Ford

Vases exist that look an awful lot like Tiffany Favrile glass, with good reason. Here’s the story.

This Tiffany Favrile vase has a button pontil

The Alton Mfg. Co. of New York bought the old Sandwich Glassworks, which had closed in 1888. They hired a talented gaffer, James H. Grady, who had worked at Tiffany Studios in Corona, NY, to come to Sandwich, MA, to head a team to produce “High Class Glassware”, to be called Trevaise. Production began sometime in May 1907, but stopped by the end of the year when the glassworks was closed for extensive repairs. Work was supposed to resume after the holidays, but never did. In February, 1908, C.F. King, the president of Alton Mfg. Co. disappeared with the proceeds of the company. He was later arrested and convicted of 27 counts of larceny. The Alton Mfg. Co. permanently closed. Therefore Trevaise glass was only made for a few months, from mid-May, 1907, to the end of the year.

Another Trevaise vase from the collection of Frank W. Ford

Here are some characteristics of Trevaise glass. Mostly vases were produced without handles. The vases always have button pontils and they are never signed. Of course, there have been unscrupulous people over the years who’ve decided it was easier to sell these vases with Tiffany signatures, so some of them are found today with spurious signatures. The glass is usually thicker than authentic Tiffany Favrile vases, so they’re often heavier than similar examples from Tiffany.

Many thanks to Frank W. Ford for his assistance in the preparation of this post.

Click on this image to buy tickets

Our next show is approaching quickly. We’ll be in Glencoe, IL, for the Garden, Antique & Design Show, at the Chicago Botanic Garden, starting April 15th. It’s a beautiful show, with both antiques and gardening, that you’ll absolutely enjoy. We only have two remaining shows in the greater Chicago area, so come and say hi!

If you’re selling, please let me know. If you have what I’m looking for, I’m paying the highest prices. My decisions are quick and my payments just as quick. Just snap a photo and email it to me.

I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. I will continue to list more as often as possible. Please click here to take a look.There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

No two French cameo vases are identical

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Philip Chasen

Pair of Gallé Magnolia floral vases

Take a careful look at the photo above. The pair of vases were made at the same time at the Gallé factory, but they’re not identical. If you look carefully, you can see small differences, like the detail within the central flower. The glass artists started with a prototype that was the standard to copy, most likely a stencil, but were given latitude to make minor changes, as they saw fit. Scrutinize the photo above and you’ll find other minor differences.

Pair of Le Verre Francais Orchidées vases

The two vases above, by Le Verre Français, were also made at the same time and display small differences. The easiest to see is the difference in height, but there are also differences in the decoration. The easiest ones to spot are the tips of the petals at the very top.

Cutting the pattern into the waxy resist used to cover the vase was all done by hand. Each time the artist repeated the design, he/she made slight changes to the decoration, so they were never identical.

Lalique vases can be identical because they were cast in molds. French cameo vases were not molded, except for blownout vases. Even those vases were not identical because the designs were carved by hand after being mold-blown. Small differences occurred during the process, making each one unique.

nyc-big-flea-9-2015 Our next show will be The Big Flea Market at Pier 94 in New York City, September 26-27. Last year was the first time for this show and it was good. The attendees were completely different than the established Pier Antique Show that takes place in November and March each year, making it a totally different experience.

Who was B.S.? (Daum Nancy’s best artist)

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Philip Chasen

Extraordinary Daum 24″ Fall scenic vase

Even the signature is a work of art

Daum is famous for vases that are both acid-etched and hand-enamel-painted. It’s what gives much of their work its distinctive look. Sometimes a vase is exceptional and more often than not, the artist will be “B.S.”. Only a small percentage of Daum vases were artist initialed, and of those, the very best were signed “B.S.”. I don’t know if I’ll ever find out the true name of B.S., but this post is to honor his/her work. All of the vases pictured in this post were painted by him (or her).

Daum Farm scenic vase

Another great example

Daum’s Farm scenic vases are all rare and beautiful. The yellow flowers are rapeseed in bloom (used to produce canola oil). I think B.S. was the only artist who painted this scene. I really love them.

Very rare and beautiful Daum scenic pillow vase

I devoted an entire post to a special Daum scenic vase that I’d never seen before, with a woman picking flowers. It’s extraordinary and of course B.S. painted it. Click here if you’d like to read it.

I look forward to acquiring additional Daum vases by B.S and one day being lucky enough to find out his/her name. Please write to me if you have any information.

Click here to check my website for the latest items and to look around. There’s more coming this week because we’re back from vacation, including two important Daum Nancy Blackbird vases, two large Tiffany Favrile Jack-in-the-Pulpit vases, two Gallé Magnolia vases and lots more. Keep checking my site, as I will be updating it often. We’re still very much in business between shows, so please don’t hesitate to email or call. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

I just bought (and sold) the rarest and most beautiful Daum Nancy vase

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Philip Chasen

The front

A friend of mine turned me onto a very rare Daum vase — a model I’ve never seen before and had no idea existed. After seeing hundreds of thousands of Daum vases over the course of 40+ years, it was pretty exciting. There are rarities that are ugly, so who cares, but this one was gorgeous. Wow! Only one problem — a 3″ crack. Ordinarily I run in the other direction when I hear that, but this vase was so beautiful and so rare, I presented the photos to a good client. He decided he needed it for his collection because of its scarcity and its beauty and I agreed.

daum-scenic-with-person-2 The shape is classical — a 5″ pillow vase. The decoration is not — bright spring colors and a woman picking flowers on a country path. Fabulous!! Technically there’s another detail that thrills me, but would bore most collectors. The trees go from being raised (by acid-etching) above the flower line to being recessed below it. I don’t have the vase in front of me, so I can’t tell if it was accomplished by acid-etching or wheel-carving. Sorry, but it’s a very cool detail that I’ve never seen before – that’s two extreme rarities in one vase.

The back

This is a win-win situation. The seller is happy to make the sale. I’m happy to make the purchase and the sale. My friend is happy with her commission. And finally the buyer is happy to add an incredible vase to his collection. I can hear the birds singing.

Next week we’re off to Chicago for the Garden, Antique & Design Show at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, IL, (a north suburb of Chicago), April 17-19, 2015. We’re down to only two shows in the greater Chicago area, so don’t wait for the Merchandise Mart or the Navy Pier. They don’t exist anymore. Come and visit us in Glencoe or you’ll be out of luck until we return to Winnetka in the fall.

Click here to check my website for the latest items and to look around. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

Why Do Vases Sell for More Than Bowls?

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Philip Chasen

Today’s guest post is by David Rago, republished with permission from Bidsquare. David Rago is Partner and Co-Director of the 20th/21st C. Design Department of the Rago Arts & Auction Center in Lambertville, New Jersey.

Unless you’re selling gold ingots or diamonds, most fine objects don’t have intrinsic monetary value. So why would anyone pay tens of thousands of dollars for a Tiffany vase? To truly understand value, you have to understand the mindset of a collector.

Tiffany Studios, Fine Favrile pottery bowl with tomatoes, green and ivory glaze, New York, ca. 1900. Sale Price: $13,750, Rago Arts & Auction Center

Tiffany Studios, Rare glazed earthenware milkweed vase, New York, 1900s. Sale Price: $42,500, Rago Arts & Auction Center

Let’s start by comparing vases and bowls. To simplify this exercise, assume you have a bowl and a vase made of the same material (pottery or glass, for example) by the same company, the same year, decorated by the same artist or one of similar value, in the same condition, and even the same size, though one is measured in height and the other in width. We’re pretty much talking about the same piece with that one notable exception. Would the value really be different?

Grueby, Large low bowl carved with leaves, Boston, MA, ca. 1905. Sale Price: $1,625, Rago Arts & Auction Center

Grueby, Vase with buds and leaves, Boston, MA, ca. 1905. Sale Price: $2,125, Rago Arts & Auction Center

For starters, a bowl takes up nearly twice as much space on a collector’s shelf than a vase. Few people have unlimited yardage in their china cabinets or fireplace mantels, and many collectors eventually trade bowls for thinner works.

Second, and this is no small factor, a bowl doesn’t show off an artist’s work as well as a vase. If you don’t have a vase and a bowl sitting in front of you, envision how the vertical flow of the artistry is easier to read on a vase. Even if an artist “works with the form” when decorating a bowl, choosing a trailing vine or a lyrical floral design, the decoration has to wind around the bottom of the piece, at best rising just a few inches above the shelf.

Additionally, because most bowls flare as they rise, and since most light sources shine from above, the decoration on a bowl is usually not lit nearly as well as it would be on a vase form. A collector has to be very sensitive to lighting and placement to show off a bowl properly if for no other reason than this.

Unusual Rookwood Wax Matte bowl painted by Louise Abel with red blossoms on a mustard ground, the interior covered in a mottled burnt sienna glaze, 1924. Sale Price: $764, Rago Arts & Auction Center

Rookwood Wax Matte vase painted by Mary Helen McDonald and/or Louise Abel with purple nicotina plants on a raspberry ground, 1922. Sale Price: $1,920, Rago Arts & Auction Center

Finally, bowls are more easily damaged than vases. A blow from above will often glance off of a straight sided vase. But the shape of a bowl, broad and flat, will often absorb the same level of impact, resulting in a chip or a crack. And bowls are more often employed in a way that can increase the likelihood of benign neglect. How many people have you seen force narcissus bulbs in a vase? Bowls are often available with flower frogs for this express purpose. The safest place for a valuable pot is in a cabinet or a high shelf, not the dining room table.

No shows until November, when we have four in a row. We’ll start in New Jersey at the Morristown Armory, then travel to Chicago for the Antiques + Modernism Winnetka show, followed by the Kansas City Antiques Expo, ending up back at the Pier in NYC for the usual November show. Remember to check my website for the latest items and keep reading my blog. We’ll spend a lot of time finding some great new items for our November circuit.

Click here to view our new website and look around. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps.

Ever wonder how a Lalique vase is made?

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Philip Chasen

Lalique Bacchantes mold

Lalique vases are made in molds, as opposed to French cameo vases that are usually hand-blown. That means that a sculptor first has to hand-sculpt an original, usually of clay. From there several molds are cast until the final iron version is ready. Molten glass is injected into the mold and then cooled very slowly, usually over 24 hours or more. The process is called annealing and its purpose is to remove stress from the glass, so it doesn’t crack. After the cold vase is removed from the mold, it goes to a glass finisher who grinds the rim, the base and any irregularities until the vase is smooth and sits flat. Finally the vase is signed and ready for sale.

Lalique Bacchantes vase

Different glass can be injected into the same mold to create variations, which may include different colors or opalescence. Many modern collectors look to obtain colored variations of the same vase, which always command premium prices over their colorless cousins. Certain rarer colors, like red, are the most sought after.

Three variations of R. Lalique Ronces vases

The show will be held in the white building on the left, September 27-28, 2014

Our next show is new to our schedule and almost upon us. The NYC Big Flea Market will run two weekends from now, September 27-28. The new promoters, D’Amore Promotions, will be using the same Pier 94 that is used by USA Antique Shows for their November and March shows. This one will be substantially different, with an entirely new cast of dealers. Click here for more information. I’m bringing a lot of special items, so come and visit me at the show.

Philip Chasen Antiques

The blog for chasenantiques.com

Category Archives: Lessons