This is Part 5 of an eight--part guide on opalescent vases made by the Jefferson Glass Company. The patterns shown here include Aurora Borealis, Dahlia Twist, Fluted Bars & Beads, Jefferson Block, Jefferson Spool and Zippers & Loops vases.  This guide was made possible by the many E-Bayers who have contributed photographs to this project.  Sellers should feel free to link listings to this guide.

 

 

ID Guide to Jefferson Glass Company Vases, Part 5:
Novelty and Footed Vases

by curculiosglass

 

 
White and green opalescent Jefferson Spool vases
photo by curculiosglass

INTRODUCTION

          Part 1 of this guide provides general information on the history of Jefferson Glass Company, a glass works founded in 1900 in Steubenville, Ohio.  Jefferson designed at least nine conventionally-shaped opalescent vases and whimsey vases, shown in this guide's three preceding sections (which can be accessed through the Table of Contents at the bottom of the page).  In addition, Jefferson issued a variety of novelty and footed vase patterns that are featured here.  They include:  Aurora Borealis, Dahlia Twist, Fluted Bars & Beads, Jefferson Block, Jefferson Spool and Zippers & Loops.  Part 5 features two additional novelty Jack-in-the-Pulpit vase patterns:  Single Lily Spool and Twisted Rope.  All were produced by Jefferson between 1900 and 1906. 

            As noted in this guide's Part 1, Jefferson's opalescent vases typically were made in three colors: green, blue and white (also called "flint").  A limited number of Jefferson's novelty vases were issued as well in the greenish-yellow known as "canary," or "vaseline," which fluoresces bright green under ultraviolet light.  Jefferson novelty vase patterns made in canary opalescent include Jefferson's Block, Fluted Bars and Beads and Jefferson's Spool (shown here), and Twisted Rope and Single Lily Spool (shown in Part V). 
          

PHOTOGRAPHIC GUIDE TO
JEFFERSON NOVELTY AND FOOTED VASES

 

Aurora Borealis vase, with vase illustration
from 1903 Pottery & Glass Review advertisement
left photo courtesy of onlineoutpost26

Aurora Borealis.  This wonderful novelty vase pattern precedes the Art Deco movement by twenty years, and yet has a curiously Art Deco look to it.  The vase pattern first appeared in a 1903 Jefferson advertisement that included the illustration shown above.  The Aurora Borealis pattern features a conical stem that rises to an opening with six pointed flames.  The outside of the vase is decorated with an aquatic design of wavy lines and bubbles.  The vase has three handles and three feet; the feet fasten onto a triangular base covered with rows of molded circles.  Jefferson made Aurora Borealis vases in white, blue and green opalescent.   

The Aurora Borealis pattern is referenced in the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th ed. (p. 17), which lists blue opalescent pieces as the most valuable, followed by green and then white.  The pattern was first documented and identified as a Jefferson pattern by William Heacock in his Encyclopedia of Victorian Colored Pattern Glass (Book II, pp. 62,83, 87).

 

   

A scarce blue opalescent Dahlia Twist vase,
with a rare canary opalescent Dahlia Twist epergne

photos by  gailcat1, and (epergne vase) top shelf antiques

Dahlia Twist.   As shown above, the Dahlia Twist pattern features a cone-shaped vase with a clockwise swirl design, a flared and ruffled top and a circular, smooth base.  Immediately below the vase's top ruffle is a circlet of five-petaled flowers.  The vase shown here is 7" tall.  Jefferson's novelty and footed vases often feature playful and inventive interior designs:  The authors of the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th ed., write of this unusual vase that "the real interest comes in the ribbing that is twisted against an interior optic that runs in the opposite direction" (6th ed., p. 202).   As can be seen in the photo above left, the intriguing interior counter-clockwise swirl design is quite visible from a bird's-eye view of the vase.  Jefferson issued Dahlia Twist vases in white, green and blue opalescent glass. 

William Heacock named this pattern and identified it as a Jefferson product in 1975, in his Encyclopedia of Victorian Colored Pattern Glass, Book II, which reprinted a 1905 Butler Brothers wholesale catalog advertisement featuring a Jefferson novelty assortment containing a Dahlia Twist vase (p. 75).  Heacock recorded that the Dahlia Twist pattern also appeared in an early Jefferson catalog, on a page omitted from Kamm's published reprint of the catalog; he also noted that Jefferson originally issued Dahlia Twist vases under the name "Pattern #207" around 1905 (p. 64 & fig. 543).  Dahlia Twist vases are referenced on p. 40 of the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th ed., which deems them "scarce"  and records blue opalescent pieces as the most valuable, followed by green and then white (p. 202).

Dahlia Twist epergne.  Jefferson also issued its Dahlia Twist pattern in the shape of a lily vase meant to hold a single flower.  Such lily vases were made to fit into decorative metal holders such as the one shown here.  Dalhia Twist lily vases are also deemed "scarce" by the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th ed. (pp. 41, 202), which records them in blue, green, white and canary opalescent.  The vase shown here was found by topshelfantiques, and is the single example we have seen in canary opalescent glass.

 

 

A blue opalescent Fluted Bars & Beads whimsey vase
with details of exterior panels (bottom right) and of interior (top)

photos by jetcitykid

Fluted Bars and Beads.   This elaborate pattern features bands of beads and concentric circles near the top and bottom of a cone-shaped stemmed vase; between the bands of beads are vertical rows of raised smooth panels or "bars".  The raised bars can be felt both on the interior and exterior of the vase; on the outside, the bars are separated by strips of narrow horizontal lines, as shown in the above detail photograph.  Like the Dahlia Twist vase shown above, this pattern strives to achieve a novel effect through its interior design -- when viewed from above, the vase shows a pattern that looks like a long-petaled daisy; this design is created by the bar panels, which join at the stem below.  The top of the vase is ruffled and the base is circular and smooth underneath; the base's top is decorated with molded concentric circles. Jefferson issued this pattern chiefly in compotes.  The vase shown above was whimseyed from a compote mold and measures 6 3/4" tall.  Rose bowls in which the ruffles are turned inward were made from the same mould.

Jefferson's Fluted Bars & Beads is referenced in the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th ed., at p. 70.  This pattern was first recorded in rose bowl shapes by Rose Presznick under the name "Fluted Opaline Rose Bowl".  William Heacock subsequently documented both Fluted Bars & Beads compotes and vases in his 1975 Encyclopedia of Victorian Colored Pattern Glass (Book II, pp. 62,82,87), renaming the pattern "Fluted Bars & Beads" and noting that "Presznick's name does "little to describe the pattern, and this novelty was formed into shapes other than rose bowls" (p. 66).  Heacock initially ascribed the pattern to Northwood (p. 66).  However, Heacock's posthumously published Opalescent Glass from A-Z (2000) corrected this assertion and listed the pattern as a Jefferson product issued circa 1904 (p. 61). 

According to Heacock, this pattern has not been reproduced (p. 61).  Fluted Bars & Beads vases and rose bowls generally appear in canary, green, white and the aqua-blue typical of Jefferson.  The SEOG's sixth edition deems canary vases in this pattern to be the most valuable.  There is also one documented example of a Fluted Bars & Beads vase in a very unusual shade of cobalt blue with a periwinkle-blue opalescent mouth ruffle.  The vase appeared on E-Bay in July, 2009 and was found by E-Bayer katiesshop.

The top rims of Fluted Bars & Beads vases and rose bowls often have colored frit decoration, like that shown directly below on the Jefferson Block celery vase.  On Fluted Bars & Beads pieces, such frit is usually a speckled-cranberry color.  Information on Jefferson's use of speckled frit to decorate vase rims can be found in Part 1 of this guide. 

Fluted Bars & Beads vases have appeared on E-Bay in transparent (non-opalescent) amber glass.  Rose Presznick also reported seeing two examples of  Fluted Bars & Beads rose bowls in carnival glass (see Carnival and Iridescent Glass, Book II, p. 28).  This is a curious assertion, since Jefferson never issued any carnival glass.  We would be interested in hearing from E-bayers about any sightings of this pattern in iridescent glass.

 

     

Jefferson Block vase
in flint-opalescent glass, with speckled-blue frit

photo artisanantiques

Jefferson Block.  This pattern features perpendicular lines that form a grid on the middle section of  a curved vase:  the grid is four blocks high, with ten-block rows encircling the vase.  Jefferson Block vases are barrel-shaped, widening at the tops into ruffles impressed with fine parallel threads.  The vase bodies narrow above 3/4" stems that are also impressed with threaded patterns.  (Some vases have 15 threads, while other have thirteen around the stems.)  The vase shown above is celery vase size -- 6" tall -- and has a domed base measuring 3 1/4". 

Once thought to be a Northwood product and even known as "Northwood Block," this vase pattern has been attributed to Jefferson in recent years after being found in old Jefferson advertisements.  Jefferson issued Block vases between 1900 and 1907 in white, blue, green and canary.  According to David A. Peterson in Vaseline Glass:  Canary to Contemporary, p. 182, Jefferson issued both its Block pattern, as well as its canary glass pieces generally, circa 1903-1905.  The Block pattern is a basic early 1900's design; the Jefferson novelty vase pattern closely resembles later Beaded Block celery vases issued by the Imperial Glass Company beginning in 1913.

The 5th edition of the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, p. 27, notes that Jefferson Block vases may appear with speckled-cranberry frit or a rare green frit top.   "Frit" is defined in Part 1 of this guide, which also discusses Jefferson's hallmark use of this decorative technique and shows a Jefferson Block vase with green frit.  We are very fortunate to have the above photograph from an E-Bayer showing that Block vases were made with speckled-blue frit as well as cranberry and green frit; this vase was discovered by E-Bayer artisanantiques and appeared on E-Bay in June, 2007.  

The sixth edition of the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass includes no photographs of Jefferson Block vases, although they appeared in the SEOG's earlier editions.  Dorothy Daugherty's superbly detailed Celery Vases (2007), however, shows a remarkable array of vases in this pattern, including blue, green and white vases, without frits and with speckled cranberry and blue frits. Jefferson Block vases first appeared in drawings rendered by Marion Hartung for her Opalescent Pattern Glass (1971), under the name "Northwood Block" (p. 71).  Heacock subsequently documented a blue vase in a photograph, also under the name "Northwood Block" in his 1975 Encyclopedia of Victorian Colored Pattern Glass (Book II, pp. 37,196).  The vase reappeared under the corrected name "Jefferson Block" in Heacock's posthumously published Opalescent Glass from A-Z (2000), pp. 32,124, which attributed the vase to Jefferson and set its date of issue at circa 1905.

  

A green opalescent Jefferson Spool vase
with cranbery frit

photo by curculiosglass

Jefferson Spool.  Jefferson Spool vases are shown directly above and also at the top of this guide page. This unique pattern was named by William Heacock.  (He called it "Jefferson Spool" rather than simply "Spool," because the longer name distinguished it from two stemmed-piece patterns known as Spool and Spool of Threads, issued by the Northwood glass company.)  These vases look like large thread spools used in old textile factories:  the pattern features a series of closely grouped, thread-thin grooves that circle the vase from top to bottom.  The molded thread pattern mimics a glass-decoration technique known as "threading," in which a thin strand of molten glass is wound around a blown-glass object.  (A close-up of a threaded vase's surface can be viewed in  Part 6 of this guide).  The body of a Jefferson Spool vase slopes outward at the bottom, and the upper third swells into a globe shape topped by a ruffle.  The vases shown here (above and at page top) are both 8" tall with  3 5/8" bases.

This vase pattern was first documented in Heacock's 1975 Encyclopedia of Victorian Colored Pattern Glass (Book II, pp. 67,87), and the pattern reappeared in Heacock's posthumously published Opalescent Glass from A-Z (2000), pp. 70, 147.  Heacock estimated the vases' date of issue at circa 1905 (p. 70). 

Jefferson Spool vases are referenced in the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th ed., p. 85, which lists them, in order of highest value first, in canary, blue, green and white.  Very infrequently, Jefferson Spool vases are found with cranberry frit around the rims -- two white spool vases with cranberry frit appeared on E-Bay in August and September, 2008; one is shown at page top.  Jefferson also issued a "Jefferson Spool Variant" -- in variants, the bottom half of the vase is cut off to create a globe-shaped vase perched on a short body.  A photograph of a Jefferson Spool Variant vase appears in the SEOG's fifth edition, at p. 85.

Jefferson Spool vases are characterized as "hyacinth vases."   Victorian hyacinth vases customarily had straight bodies with wide tops that could accommodate hyacinth bulbs:  a bulb was placed in the upper globe-shaped area, where the bulb remained suspended while its roots draped downward into the bottom portion of the vase, which was filled with water.  A single hyacinth flower sprouted upward from the vase.  We've tried this, and it works:  force the bulb by storing it in a cool place for about 8 weeks; then fill the vase with water and put the bulb on top; keep the vase in sunlight for ten days; once roots have grown into the water, green sprouts will appear and then the flower will emerge and last about two weeks.  (Or, try just picking up old hyacinth bulbs cheap from your local nursery after fall planting season -- by that time, many unsold bulbs already have sprouted roots; you can stick these old bulbs directly into a hyacinth vase filled with water, and a flower will emerge in about ten days, making your house smell like spring in the middle of winter.)

          
  

A green opalescent Zippers & Loops vase
photo by lonnie100

Zippers & Loops.  As shown in the photo above, this footed vase pattern features six transparent wide panels separated by six narrow panels of zipper-like designs.  The rim of the vase tends to show heavy milky opalescence.  The zipper designs extend slightly onto the otherwise smooth circular base in six short zippered feet.  Vases come in 2 sizes:  7" and 11 1/2", and have been documented in blue, green and white.  Although blue is the most valuable color in many Jefferson novelty vases, in this pattern, Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th edition, lists green as the most desirable and valuable color, followed by blue and then white (p. 165).  This vase pattern has never been documented in canary opalescent glass.

According to the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th ed., Jefferson issued Zipper & Loops footed vases in 1908.  This date must be erroneous, however, since Jefferson's vase opalescent production generally ceased around 1907.  William Heacock first recorded this pattern in his 1975 Encyclopedia of Victorian Colored Pattern Glass (Book II), where he estimated the date of issue at 1903, noting that he had viewed a picture of the Zipper & Loops pattern in a Jefferson catalog (p. 73).  He reaffirmed the estimated 1903 date in his posthumously published Opalescent Glass from A to Z  (2000), p. 215.

To see two more novelty vase patterns in Jack-in-the-pulpit shapes, continue on to Part 6.

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Jefferson Vase Guide Table of Contents

   Introduction
       Conventionally-shaped Vases
    Conventionally-shaped Ribbed Vases
Whimsey Vases
 Novelty Vases
   Jack-in-the-pulpit Vases
Striped Vases
Bulbous Vases

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          Many thanks to E-Bayers   3trid,  artisanantiques,  gailcat1,   jetcitykid,   lonnie100  (White River Antiques),  onlineoutpost26  and  topshelfantiques,  for generously contributing photographs to this 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 FEEDBACK ON THIS GUIDE BY PRESSING THE BUTTON BELOW.  To direct other readers to this guide, tell them:  (1) Click on "site map" at the bottom of the E-Bay Screen; (2) Go to "Buyer Resources" and click on "Reviews and Guides;"  (3) Enter "Jefferson Opalescent Vases - ID GUIDE - Novelty Vases".  To read our other guides on carnival and opalescent vases, click on GUIDE INDEX.