Christmas Trees Vase - Canary Opalescent Vase - Vaseline Opalescent Vase
Dugan Vase - Northwood Vase - Hobbs, Brockunier Vase

ID GUIDE, PART 7:
MISCELLANEOUS OPALESCENT  VASES (1880-1930)

Canary-Opalescent Pressed-Glass Vases with Unknown Makers

by curculiosglass

       

Two Canary-Opalescent vases of unknown origin
photos by polesitter2 and baldbigfoot

Introduction

           This is Part 7 of a seven-part a reference guide to American pressed-glass opalescent vases manufactured at end of the Victorian Era, around the turn of the century (1898-1912).  Parts 1-6 of this guide focus on "conventionally-shaped" vases (as opposed to footed, novelty and celery vases), with the intent of aiding buyers and sellers in distinguishing and identifying similar-looking early American opalescent vases.  This section features two unusual early American "canary" or vaseline opalescent vases that appeared on E-Bay in 2008.  These guides are made possible by the E-Bayers who generously have contributed photographs to them.  Please leave feedback by clicking on the button at the bottom of the page.

Photographic Gallery of Opalescent Vases

  

Shark's Tooth Vaseline Opalescent Vase
photo by polesitter2

Shark's Tooth or Christmas Trees Vase.  This curious vase was discovered by E-Bayer polesitter2 and appeared on E-bay in September, 2008.  The vase is 51/4" tall with a 3" base diameter, features shapes that resemble sharp teeth or  inverted fir-tree-like shapes and fluoresces brilliant green under a black light.  The pattern on the vase is nearly identical to that shown on an oil lamp smoke shade that appears in the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 5th ed., p. 37.  The shade shown in the SEOG is opalescent glass with rubina verde coloring -- that is, vaseline combined with cranberry glass.  The fifth edition of the SEOG calls the pattern "Christmas Trees" and notes that the rubina verde treatment on the Christmas Trees smoke shade was introduced by Hobbs, Brockunier in 1884 -- other than that fact, nothing else connects the pattern to that company, or to any other.  This pattern resurfaces on a spooner in the SEOG's sixth edition under the name "Shark's Tooth" (a name we think suits the pattern much better). 

E-bayer polesitter2 notes about the piece shown above:  "This vase is a mystery to me because the pattern appears to be upside down."  Polesitter2 speculates that the pattern might be upside down because the piece is a pedestal for another piece and thus should be inverted to sit mouth-down.  The pattern also has been stretched, so that the shark's teeth / Christmas trees are elongated. Thus, the above piece might have been pulled or whimseyed from a mold of a different height or shape.  We would appreciate any information on this piece from E-Bayers.

       

Nameless 15" Canary Opalescent Vase
photos courtesy of $$$for cruises (left two photos)
and baldbigfoot (all other photos)

Nameless Canary Opalescent Vase.  This vase appeared on E-Bay in August, 2008.  It was found by E-Bayer $$$forcruises,  and is now in the collection of baldbigfoot, who kindly supplied us with several of the above photos.  The vase is quite tall -- 15 inches -- with a base measuring 4 1/8" in diameter.  The vase has 9 panels terminating in 9 slightly pulled up points.  It is made of bright canary opalescent glass and, as shown above, fluoresces bright green under a black light.  The base is smooth and unmarked.  The vase appears nowhere in the most comprehensive resources on pressed opalescent glass;  it cannot be found, for example, in the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, and the vase is not identified in any of Heacock's extensive body of works on American companies that produced opalescent glass.  The single book we know of that features this vase is Sue Davis' Pictorial Guide to Vaseline Glass (2002), which shows the vase on p. 48 beside the unassuming caption, "tall opalescent ribbed vase". 

Davis notes that "This vase resembles many of the vases made in the early 1900's by Northwood & Dugan."   We believe the vase dates from that period as well, and that either Northwood or Dugan is the likely maker.  Many Northwood and Dugan carnival glass vases featured panels and, as noted in our other E-Bay guides on Dugan and Northwood glass, both companies frequently issued opalescent and carnival vases from the same molds.  Finally both companies issued canary-opalescent glass and vases specifically-- most of Northwood's canary-opalescent and canary glass was produced between 1898 and 1908, while Dugan issued canary-opalescent and canary glass from 1904 to1913 (see David A. Peterson's Vaseline Glass: Canary to Contemporary,  pp. 149-150,191-199).

Northwood specifically issued one vase pattern with 9 panels -- the Thin Rib vase, which Northwood produced in carnival glass from 1909 to 1925.  Northwood's Thin Rib vase, also called the "Thin and Wide Rib," comes in a variety of sizes and base diameters.  David Doty writes that only the pattern's "mid-size" vases have 9 points -- and that no vases in this range have diameters as wide as 4 1/8" (see ddoty.com/thinrib.html.)  Carl O. Burns, however, records in Northwood's Carnival Glass 1908-1925 (p. 130), that mid-size Thin Rib vases may have base diameters as wide as 4 1/4" and heights up to 15".

In November, 2008, a carnival vase with a 4 1/4" inch base and 9 panels appeared on E-Bay.  This 10 1/2" vase is quite similar to the vaseline-opalescent vase featured here.  Like the vaseline-opalescent vase, the carnival vase has 9 slightly pulled points, and the underside of its base is smooth and unpatterned:

 
Vaseline-opalescent vase with iridescent russet carnival vase:
Both have 9 panels pulled into 9 rounded points,
and both have bases between 4 1/4" and 4 1/8".

photos courtesy of baldbigfoot (left) and oxbeetle

 We believe that this 9-paneled carnival vase is a Northwood Thin Rib:  the vase has indistinct ribbing; russet (olive-green) is a documented color of  Northwood's Thin Rib vases; and, if Carl O. Burns is correct, mid-size Thin Rib vases are found in heights as tall as 15" and with base diameters of 4 1/4".  The above vase lacks the well-defined "thin ribs" between wide panels found on many Thin Rib vases, but there is variation within the carnival pattern.

Convincing as the above comparison may seem, it is problematic.  First and foremost, it is well-documented that Northwood issued a Thin Rib (also known as "Thin & Wide Rib") opalescent vase between 1902 and 1908; one such vase is featured in the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th ed., at p. 147.  That vase, however, looks distinctly different from the canary-vaseline vase shown here.   The Thin Rib vase featured in the SEOG has well-defined ribs between panels, and also sports only eight panels and points.  An example of this type of opalescent Thin Rib vase is shown below, beside a similar carnival vase:

A white opalescent Northwood
Thin Ribs vase, circa 1902-1908

photos by curculiosglass

The white opalescent vase shown above left also has a base diameter of 3 1/2".  Thus, the canary-opalescent vase shown here, which has 9 points and a 4 1/8 inch base, would have to have come from a different mold.  And, it is notable that no 9-point vaseline-opalescent vases appear in any Northwood catalogs or wholesale catalog advertisements that we can find. 

There is still a possibility that the canary-opalescent vase might have been a Dugan pattern.  Dugan advertised at least one 9-paneled vase in early wholesale catalogs: 

 

The vase shown at left in the above illustration appeared in a Dugan Glass Company ad for a "Colonial Assortment" of pieces made in "crystal" or clear glass.  The vase has 9 panels and is described in the advertisement as being quite tall -- 14".  Because many of Dugan's pieces that were issued in clear glass also appeared in opalescent and carnival glass, this illustration might show the pattern used in the vaseline opalescent vase featured here. We would be interested in hearing from E-Bayers who have information or opinions about the origin of this vase.

Click on the Table of Contents below to return to another part of this guide.

_____________________  o _____________________

          Table of Contents - Opalescent Vases  (1898-1930)
          Part 1:  Jewels & Drapery vases
          Part 2:  Vases with honeycomb patterns
          Part 3:   Ribbed vases                                                                                          
          Part 4:   Vases with panels                                                                 
          Part 5:   Vases with ring and spiral patterns
          Part 6:   Basketweave and Little Nell vases
          Part 7:   Vases with maze patterns                                    
          Part 8:   Canary opalescent vases of unknown origin  
       
          Other ID Guides to Early Opalescent Vases (1898-1930)
          Jefferson Glass Co. Opalescent Vases    
          Opalescent Vases with Carnival Twins 

           ________ o ________       

Many thanks to E-bayers  baldbigfoot,  polesitter2  and  SSSforcruises,  for generously contributing photographs to this part of our guide.  Rights to all photos belong to the photographers, and pictures should not be used without their permission.  Text is (c) 2007, 2009 curculiosglass, all rights reserved.  To locate any E-Bay seller mentioned here,  just click on "Site Map" at the bottom of your E-Bay screen, and then click on "Feedback Forum" at the right top corner of the large menu that pops up.  Type or copy the seller's name into the Feedback Forum's search blank.  PLEASE LEAVE YOUR VOTE ON THIS GUIDE BY PRESSING THE BUTTON BELOW.   To access our other guides, just click here:  GUIDE INDEX.