Posted 6 years ago
artfoot
(367 items)
When I bought this I was thinking I would be getting a piece of Welz "Zig Zag Lines" but I had trouble reconciling this with other Welz products once I got my hands on it. The shape was close but not exact. Even more troubling to me was the wimpy white interior, the fire-polished rim, and the clear foot. To my thinking, this hinted of Japanese glass.
I posed my questions to Craig at kralik-glass.com and in correspondence, he mentioned he no longer thinks this particular decor is Welz. He also mentioned that the decor may be in the Kralik case at Passau but he couldn't confirm that attribution either. The fourth image shows the decor in two other colors in images taken from madforglass.com where they are identified as Welz.
That's some pretty solid inclusions associating this decor with Czechoslovakia, though I still entertain the possibility this is a Japanese creation. Reflective of the frustrations involved in trying to identify glass in general and Czech glass in particular, I'm seeking more opinions and maybe some facts - does anyone have an example of this decor that is marked or labeled?
I do not think they are Czech 1920-30. The lip bothers me and the dispensation of clear on the foot too. If you "tap" the glass it also has a different sonic feel than other Czech... for me they could be anything- German is my best guess... that said they look great together and present well along with Czech glass.
I too have an example of this décor and I too think it's not Welz. Mine, an unlabeled pair, are in a different colourway and a different shape from any of yours. I think they are modern as they've only been showing up on ebay uk in the last year or so.....though quite a lot of them.
In my view the way the décor appears on the base rules out Welz. Generally Welz stripes continue on to the base to meet at a central, or near central, point like the spokes of a wheel. This is only my opinion of course. I've not pursued their origin as once I decided they weren't Welz I lost interest!
A big thank you to Craig, Jericho, and Peggy for the thoughts on this piece. That this may be a new piece hadn't really crossed my mind, though I'm sure it is a possibility. I haven't noticed a big presence of this decor on US ebay, but I'll keep watching.
Back in the late 1950s and early 1960s, my mother was the manager of a local variety store, what we called "dime stores" back then. The store had a section of low-cost Japanese import novelties, china, and glassware. I saw, and helped unpack, a lot of colorful Japanese glass vases. This piece, for me, rang those memory bells.
Regardless of its origins, it would work well in a Czech collection. Really nice piece!
UPDATE - This decor has been found on a vase with a Fujiyama (Japan) label. I will do another post shortly with the image (since I don't seem to be able to edit the pictures here).
PS - Karen (racer4four), why do I think you knew all along? :+)