Two 'Early Loetz Barock' Flower Chalice Vases.

In the early 1890's Loetz produced a large number of vases, bowls and baskets highly decorated by branches, leaves, berries ect. made by glassmasters of outstanding high handycraft. One of them, Karl Alferi, mentioned in his memories, that Loetz was the first company to produce this so called 'Barock Glass' in Bohemia. These glass articles were very popular and Loetz showed them at the World Exhibitions at Chicago 1893 and at Antwerp 1894. Bohemian resellers as I. Loesel, Tschernich&Co and J. Mühlhaus&Co ordered these pieces, too. From the few remaining early 'Musterschnitte' (design sheets) one gets an impression of the artistery the old masters shaped the hot glass mass to form these fragile objects. Here two rare blossom chalice vases are presented. The smaller, dark blue spreading, grooved 'Gentian' glass vase is attached to its Uranium containing 'Ana-yellow' foot, a branch with two leaves, by a ring of six pulled up teardrops. This type of attachment is unique Loetz specific and could be seen in PN's: I/3409 (1891), I/4756,-4796 (1893), I/6751 (1896) and many others; see e.g. my CW posted stories 261699 and 305412. The 5-fold mouth resembles the one of PN=I/8103 (1900) and of PN=I/7692 (1898). From the comparison of both vases in the last foto, the use of the same deminished 'Ana-yellow' glass is apparent as well as the same type of shaping the leaves and petales. In the 'Gladiolus' shaped vase each petale, made out of grooved glass, is split into three tips, at the upper third outer side, they form pointed thorns and the central tip is then dynamically corcscrew-like turned arround, similarly to PN=I/6475 (1896). The flower stem is oblique cut, polished and a typical Loetz leaf is attached below the blossom opposite to the branched foot, compare e.g. with PN=I/6321 (1895). Hot shaped glass decor was used by Loetz throughout for flowers like Tulips, JIP, or animals like elephants, storks, swans, and in Empire, Boule-Boule, Texas, Gloria, Ausf's: 2, 8, 36, 48, 81, 96, 114, 117, 136 and many, many others. From Kralik similar flower vases are known, but these are of quite lower valued quality and should not be confused with the Loetz ones shown here.

The 'Gentian' vase stands H=15.0, Do= 6.0, Du= 8.5 cm and weights 140 gr.
The 'Gladiolus' vase stands H=14.5, Do=18.0, Du=17.5 cm and weights 470 gr.