Posted 6 years ago
sklo42
(886 items)
This is an irridescent moulded vase with a raised line pattern called, I believe. spiraloptisch. The pattern consists of curving raised lines which meet and part leaving flat areas. In these areas/spaces there are ovals and circles, each of two concentric raised lines.
The small lobed cranberry vase also has a spiraloptisch pattern but it has been identified as Welz due to it's shape. On this one too the spaces between the raised lines have ovals and circles of two concentric raised lines.
Does anyone have another shape in a spiraloptisch pattern to share, whether it is identified or not.
Height 18 cm./7 inches
I think the two can be very tentatively linked by the “flames” which rise from the base of the mould, separated by the spirals. All very La Tène to me.
Craig is leaving this subject be at present! Unless there are updates I haven’t heard!
I sent Peggy some images of all of the shapes I am aware of in this non-Loetz version of the Spiraloptisch decor. I have not put the pages back up on my website, as many of them are shapes I can not solidly attribute to Welz, and many know that I am slow to make attributions, as I am wary of making mistakes that will proliferate on the internet quickly, and are then hard to correct. I am considering posting the page under Welz, with only shapes I feel are theirs, and leaving some of the other off.
That being said, I can say unequivocally that Welz made some of this decor, and there are several examples which prove that beyond even a shadow of a doubt. I am of the opinion that the cranberry example above, and all in that shape are Welz production.
My issue has been in trying to link some of the other shapes to Welz, or to link them to Kralik, if they did indeed make some of the production in this decor.
The original attribution of this decor as only being Kralik production, was IMHO, a mistake on the part of that researcher that made it. They made the initial declaration that the "Draped" decor found in the Welz case was not Welz production, but Kralik. I disagree with that and can support my disagreement with examples supporting that Welz also made that decor. There is an article in this forum explaining that pretty clearly.
The previous attribution of Spiraloptisch to Kralik was made by linking inkwells in the Draped decor to inkwells in the same shape in the Spiraloptisch decor. I believe that making that assumption regarding the draped decor, and then making a leap to a Kralik attribution for the Spiraloptisch decor was primarily where the mistake was made.
Here is my article on this decor which I posted 2 years ago. It basically still rings true, with not many changes.
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/174750-welz-spiraloptisch-who-made-the-d
Thank you Craig, for the wealth of images you sent me, your comment here and the link to your very thorough article. It seemed a shame to post this vase and not ask if anyone had a spiraloptisch vase to share, hopefully in a shape distinctive enough to be linked to a maker. Equally the same vase in a known décor, complete with metal rim, would be equally interesting.
So it's back to waiting for developments. I must say that the cranberry vase above and the yellow vases in the last photo of Craig's article are jn a Welz class of their own. So few have been found and considering how prolific Welz was in other areas I feel there must be more out there still to turn up.
I have to say that this decor is one of the more frustrating for me in my research. I know for a fact that Welz made some, if not all of the Spiraloptisch that is not Loetz.
The problem is in establishing some of the shapes as being theira also, as several shapes are ones not found in other decors by any company, while a couple are found in decors like crackle, that could be anybody...... I guess time will tell, although I have looked at this for around 6 years+ now
Random events, like the piece that turns up and brings proof, are just that, random! It's no less likely six years on than it was on day one. I know a statistician :)