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IN MY RELENTLESS SEARCH TO AVOID IDENTIFICATION TERMINOLOGY FOR WHICH THERE IS MORE SPECULATION THAN DOCUMENTATION, I HAVE COINED ANOTHER WORKING TERM.

FIRST, I CREATED "CZECH DECO EXPORT", TO NAME THE GROUP OF VASES IMPORTED FROM CZECHOSLOVAKIA BY THE BUTLER BROTHERS AND OTHERS DURING THE LATE 20'S AND EARLY THIRTIES. THEY ARE MOSTLY IDENTIFIABLE BY BEING INCLUDED IN THEIR CATALOGS.

HOWEVER, THE TERM "DECO" DOES NOT APPLY TO ALL IMPORTS. MANY OF THE PIECES STILL REFLECT THE ORGANIC, FLORAL AESTHETIC CHARACTERISTIC OF ART NOUVEAU. SOME ARE ALSO FROM THE 20'S. SOME CAN BE FOUND IN THE EARLIEST CATALOGS. SO THE TERM "CZECH VAN (VICTORIAN/ART NOUVEAU) EXPORT"

CONFUSION HAS ALSO ENSUED IN THEIR CASE BECAUSE THEY ARE ROUTINELY ATTRIBUTED TO AMERICAN OR BRITISH MANUFACTURERS AND AS SUCH APPEAR IN BOOKS COVERING THEM. THIS CONFUSION POINTS TO JUST HOW SUCCESSFUL THE CZECHS REALLY WERE IN PRODUCING GLASS ACCORDING TO TARGET MARKETS.

AND THUS I COME TO MY NEW PIECE, WHICH HAS A STORY (OF COURSE). I BOUGHT ONE LIKE IT AT THE BEGINNING OF LAST YEAR. THE DEALER WROTE TO SAY SHE HAD BROKEN IT IN PACKING AND GAVE ME A FULL REFUND.

AND THEN, I JUST FOUND A SECOND ONE. FLORIFORM "VICTORIAN" KRALIK, 1900-1905. 5.5" TALL TO THE TIP OF THE TALLEST PETAL, ABOUT 4.5 AT THE WIDEST PART OF THE BOTTOM SHOULDER, VERY ROUGH PONTIL MARK. TRANSPARENT LIGHT GREEN GLASS WITH AN OPALESCENT RIM OF FIVE PETALS WHICH GLOW LAVENDER UNDER UV WHILE THE BODY GLOWS URANIUM (PICS. 1-3)

PIC. 4 SHOWS A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF WHAT i CALL "CZECH VAN EXPORT". LET ME CLARIFY: "VAN" REFERS TO A MIXED STYLE. , NOT TO A HISTORICAL PERIOD . FLORIFORMS, NO MATTER WHEN THEY WERE MADE, REFLECT AN ART NOUVEAU SENSIBILITY THAT ALSO APPEALED TO THE VICTORIAN SENSIBILITY. THE BASKETS IN THE PICTURE FIRST APPEAR IN A 1900 CATALOG, AND ARE STILL BEING OFFERED IN 1932.