I just bought a great collection of French cameo glass

Posted on August 10, 2015 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.

Last Thursday I flew out of town to purchase a collection of French cameo glass that I helped assemble in the 1980s and 1990s. There were some really great items, so I was very pleased to repurchase them.

Rare and beautiful Daum vase with applied snails and grapes

It’s hard to put them in order of importance, but I’ll try. First would have to be a 10¼” Daum vase with two applied snails and eight applied grapes. What can I say about this vase except that it’s really great and important!

Rare Daum Nancy Weeping Willow vase

Second place is probably a multiple tie, but I sure like a Daum scenic vase with willow trees, a canoe and a mallard. It’s not only extremely rare, but gorgeous too, with incredible color and detail. I’ve only seen the tri-lobed shape a few times ever, making it equally rare to the decoration. Nice size at 5½” tall x 5″ diameter.

Rare Daum Wheat vase

Wheat is one of Daum’s rarest and most desirable decorations. What’s especially nice and unusual is that the wheat sheaves were gilded first and then the detail was hand-painted on top — a real rarity. Most of the time gilding was used for fine detail, as well as decoration on the bases and rims of vases. This 11″ vase also has highly intricate gilded decoration on the foot.

There’s more, including a Daum Farm vase, a monumental Daum vase with wild orchids and four bees, a super rare early Gallé Crystallerie box with original sterling silver fitted tray, etc. By the time you read this, some of the vases may already be sold, so they won’t even make it to my website, but others will, so please take a look.

baltimore-8-2015 The Baltimore Summer Antiques Show is just around the corner. It opens to the public on Thursday, August 20th, at noon and continues until Sunday, August 23 at 6 PM. If you haven’t made plans yet, there’s still time. I just checked hotwire.com and unbelievably there are 4½-star rooms in the Inner Harbor available for $85/night. Wow! The show is the best summer antique show in the entire United States, so it’s worth a trip from anywhere. Hope to see you there!

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.

A primer on Gallé blownout vases

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Philip Chasen

Gorgeous Gallé Water Lily blownout vase

It is believed that the firm of Emile Gallé did not start to produce blownout vases until after WWI, which was also after Gallé’s death in 1904. If that’s true, then Gallé himself never saw some of the most interesting and valuable vases the firm produced. These vases are referred to as blownout, or mold-blown, or soufflé. The terms are interchangeable.

Monumental Gallé Calla Lily blownout vase

The technique in producing these vases was similar to standard acid-etched vases, but with one major difference — first the glass was blown into a mold using compressed air. Then the design was cut into the vase using hydrofluoric acid. My rough estimation is that there are approximately 50 different models of Gallé blownout vases.

Gallé purple Fuchsia blownout vase

Gallé pink Fuchsia blownout vase

The same model may vary in color, but not in size or shape, since the molds were defined. This is very similar to R. Lalique vases, which were also produced in molds.

Gallé white and standard Elephant vases

To the best of my knowledge, no one has ever built a collection of every known example of Gallé blownout vases. That would be a very interesting (and expensive) collection. Today’s prices range from under $10,000 to over $200,000. The most valuable would be a white elephant.

Reproduction Gallé Elephant vase

Comical reproductions exist, but are easily identifiable after learning the real examples.

Setting up at the Denver World Wide Antique Show, July 22, 2015

Posted on July 23, 2015 by Philip Chasen

We were just getting started

Yesterday was the first day of setup for the Denver World Wide Antique Show. Everything went very smoothly. We finished about 60% of the work, which will make for an easy day today. Our booth is unusual for us, because it’s double wide, meaning we have an entrance on two aisles. We’ll get everyone coming and going.

These two fine Daum Nancy vases are just in

I bought one very fine Daum Nancy Fall vase at the show and just received a great Daum Poppy vase that was shipped to me. They are only the tip of the iceberg. We’ll have a fabulous display.

The lamps are all set to accept the shades on Thursday

The show opens to the public this Friday at 10 AM and continues until Sunday at 4 PM. Hope to see you there.

A primer on Daum Nancy signatures

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Philip Chasen

Engraved signature on the Daum vase in question

I decided to write this blog post because of an interesting thread yesterday on my wife’s Facebook group, Antiques Identified. Matthew Scott submitted a Daum Nancy vase for authentication and evaluation. All of the replies to the post were on the money until Norman C. Callis made the following comment. “The bottom does not look right. The Daum Nancy glass house almost always signed their name on the side. With Cameo glass the name Daum Nancy would be wheel cut just like the rest of the design of the outside layer of glass.” As this was in error, I jumped in to explain that Daum frequently signed vases on the undersides, either by engraving, acid-etching, enamel hand-painting or gilding. Click here if you want to read the complete thread.

There is no one correct Daum signature. In fact, there are many different signatures and they’re all correct. Henry Blount, in his book French Cameo Glass devoted two full pages to various Daum signatures, which are just samples of the many authentic Daum signatures.

Daum acid-etched and enameled cameo signature

Daum signatures were frequently acid-etched, so they appear as raised cameo signatures, always found together with the Cross of Lorraine. They are usually found on the sides of vases, and rarely, if ever, on the undersides.

Daum hand-painted black enamel signature

Many Daum vases are both acid-etched and enameled. These vases are often found with hand-painted enamel signatures on the undersides, mostly in black.

Daum hand-painted gilded signature

If a vase has gilding in the decoration or on the rim or the foot, the signature was often hand-painted in gold (gilded) on the underside. As long as the artist was holding a brush in his/her hand, it was convenient to use the same brush to paint the signature.

Engraved (wheel-carved) Daum signature on the foot rim of an inkwell

The same holds true for engraved vases. As long as the engraver was holding an engraving tool, he/she might as well engrave the signature. It is sometimes found on the foot rim or the underside (as in the first vase above from my wife’s Facebook group).

This hand-painted Daum signature is a work of art

On rare occasions, the signature itself is a work of art, as on a monumental Fall scenic vase I sold recently.

Reproduction Daum vase with fake signature

Reproduction vases can also be signed “Daum Nancy”, with authentic-looking signatures. Spotting these vases can be very difficult for novices and not much easier for many others.

What’s new at Philip Chasen Antiques?

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Philip Chasen

Business has been good, so I’ve been buying up a storm (and selling quite a bit too). Most of my energy has been in French glass, but I’ve bought some wonderful items in other categories, including Tiffany glass and lamps, Loetz glass, Amphora pottery and much more. This entire last last week has been an exercise in continuous cleaning, labeling, and packing for our show next week in Denver. If there’s any chance you can make it, please try. Our display will be second to none. Here are a few examples of this exciting new merchandise.

Tiffany Studios 22-inch diameter Nasturtium table lamp

How about a superb and huge Tiffany Studios 22″ diameter Nasturtium table lamp on an adjustable Cat’s Paw base? I haven’t had a Tiffany lamp this large and this fine in quite a while. It’s priced right, so it’s not going to last long.

Daum 17¼-inch blownout scenic vase

Daum produced only a few different models of blownout vases, with the 11″ forest scenic the most common (and the most beautiful). What they made very few of is the large, 17¼” tall version. (This is only the second time I’ve owned this vase.) Besides rarity, it’s more impressive, with extensive wheel-carving between the trees and to the foot. It’s a stunning vase.

Daum inkwell with 4 applied insects

I love this Daum Nancy inkwell from the 1920s, which includes techniques developed earlier in the century. The 1920s characteristics are the bright colors and the foil inclusions. The technique is called paperweight, where the outer layer is clear glass. The foil and the colored glass are internal. The earlier influences are the applied and wheel-carved insects, four in all, each a different color. When molten, clear glass was applied over colored foil, giving each insect a different color — blue, purple, red or yellow. When the glass was cold, a craftsman engraver carved all of the details for each insect, including the legs into the body of the inkwell, making them very realistic and very cool.

These are only a small sample of the new items. Click here to check my website for the latest items and to look around.

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.

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.

What’s new at Philip Chasen Antiques?

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Philip Chasen

Important Daum Nancy Impressionist vase

We haven’t exhibited at any shows since the Chicago Botanic Garden in mid-April, so I’ve directed a lot of my energy to buying for the summer shows, the Denver World Wide Antique Show, July 24-26, 2015, and the Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair, August 20-23, 2015. We were successful both in France and in the US, so here are a few of the newest and most interesting purchases. I’ll be spending time this week and next adding as many new items to my website as possible. Keep checking back.

Fine, rare Tiffany Favrile red vase

I bought a pair of rare and very desirable 7″ Tiffany red vases. I’ve known where they were for the last couple of years, but the dealer who owned them couldn’t sell them, because he insisted on selling them as a pair. The Tiffany numbers are very close to each other, indicating they were probably made on the same day. I have no problem selling them individually or as a pair. It’s not like a pair of candlesticks that were meant to stay together. On any given day, Tiffany produced a run of consecutively numbered vases that were meant to be sold individually. These red vases are no different.

Fantastic Austrian bronze novelty lamp

I just bought this incredible Austrian bronze novelty lamp, 11½” tall. It was probably designed by Bergman, because this is the quality he created. The condition is superb, with original colored glass windows. Haven’t had anything this wonderful in Austrian bronze in quite some time.

Fine Daum Nancy Peacock Feather vase

Daum Peacock Feather vases are deceptively sophisticated. Most of the work on the vase is standard acid-etching, but not the centers of the feathers. The light blue and dark blue glass was applied when the glass was molten, then pressed into the vase on the marver. The process is called padding, which makes for special vases. I get one or two Peacock Feather vases yearly and they sell very quickly. This example is almost 12″ tall. (The vase is not in yet, so please excuse the quality of the photo. I’ll post a better one after the vase has arrived).

There’s lots more coming in in the next couple of weeks, 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 daily.

Click here to check my website for the latest items and to look around. 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.

French cameo and Loetz glass sell well at Bonhams New York 20th Century Decorative Arts sale, June 11, 2015

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Philip Chasen

Bonhams New York held a 20th Century Decorative Arts sale on June 11, 2015. Included were a few nice examples of French cameo and Loetz glass. As a group, they performed very well.

Fine Daum Nancy Cyclamen vase, Bonhams lot #27

Lot #27 was a lovely 12″ Daum Nancy vase with cyclamen flowers and gilding. It almost doubled its high estimate of $5,000 to realize $11,875.

Fantastic Loetz vase, Bonhams lot #29

A really great Loetz vase was sold as lot #29. It brought $43,750 — almost double its high estimate of $18,000. The vase was big, fabulous and rare, so there was no question it was going to do well.

Reproduction “Galle” lamp, Bonham’s lot #23

Unfortunately, Bonham’s also sold lot #23 as an authentic Gallé lamp. In my opinion, there was no question the lamp was a reproduction. I told the expert in charge, who decided to disregard my counsel. The lamp did not sell.

All prices include the buyer’s premium.

For the complete results of the sale, click here.

No shows until July, when we’ll be in Denver for the Denver World Wide Antique Show, at the Denver Mart, EXPO Building, 451 East 58th Avenue, July 24-26, 2015. We’re still in business, so please don’t hesitate to email or call. Keep checking my website for the latest offerings, which I’ll be posting in the next week.

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.

The market in French glass is excellent. Thank you for asking.

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Philip Chasen

We sold this important Argy-Rousseau pâte-de-verre vase in Miami

I’ve been dealing in French cameo glass for over 40 years, so I have a pretty good handle on what’s going on. My conclusion is that the market is alive and well. The anecdotal evidence is all around. Let’s start with the first big show of the year, the Original Miami Beach Antiques Show. Here’s a quote from my blog of February 4, 2015. “French cameo glass continued on fiyah! (that’s fire for those who need translation). I cannot think of another show, ever, where more cameo glass was sold, not just by me, but by all the dealers.”

This important Gallé marquetry vase, Sur Socle Grand Iris, sold at Sotheby’s in Paris for $476,325

Auction after auction has resulted in strong sales for good examples of French glass. Just last week a fine Gallé artistic vase sold for almost half a million dollars at Sotheby’s in Paris.

I sold this killer Daum Nancy farm scenic vase recently

Personally, business has been wonderful. In fact, it hasn’t been this good since the late 1980s, when Japanese buyers dominated the market. Markets go up and they go down, so it’s refreshing to see the resilience of the French glass market.

No shows until July, when we’ll be in Denver for the Denver World Wide Antique Show, at the Denver Mart, EXPO Building, 451 East 58th Avenue, July 24-26, 2015. I’ll always be in touch, even while we’re in Europe, so please don’t hesitate to email or call.

Artistic Gallé vase sells for $476,325 at Sotheby’s Paris, May 21, 2015

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Philip Chasen

Sotheby’s Paris held their Design 20e Siècle (20th Century Design) sale on May 21, 2015, with some dramatic results. Sales totaled €7,093,775 ($7,776,768) for the 163 lots offered, with a sell-through rate of 90%.

Important Gallé marquetry vase,Sur Socle Grand Iris, Sotheby’s lot #8

Original Gallé invoice

The sale started with a private French collection of important Gallé vases. Lot #8, an outstanding 12½” marquetry vase entitled Sur Socle Grand Iris (Large Iris on Stand) led the group. It sold for €435,000 ($476,325), against a pre-sale estimate of €200,000 — €300,000. It came with an original 1904 invoice mentioning the vase. How cool is that!

Gallé undersea vase, Sotheby’s lot #5

Coming in second in the Gallé group was another important vase, lot #5, 5″ tall, with molded and applied undersea decoration. It easily exceeded its high estimate of €30,000 to reach €60,000 ($65,700).

For the complete results of the sale, click here.

Philip Chasen Antiques

The blog for chasenantiques.com

Tag Archives: French cameo glass

I just bought a great collection of French cameo glass

A primer on Gallé blownout vases

Setting up at the Denver World Wide Antique Show, July 22, 2015

A primer on Daum Nancy signatures

What’s new at Philip Chasen Antiques?

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

What’s new at Philip Chasen Antiques?

French cameo and Loetz glass sell well at Bonhams New York 20th Century Decorative Arts sale, June 11, 2015

The market in French glass is excellent. Thank you for asking.

Artistic Gallé vase sells for $476,325 at Sotheby’s Paris, May 21, 2015