Posted 11 years ago
bohemiangl…
(646 items)
Josef Riedel, Polaun
Decor, ca. 1888 - Basaltglas, Dek. Nr. A 547 a
Black glass. Mold-blown and shaped, wide lip edge.
Matte-etched surface. Painted decoration in gold, silver and opaque enamels in relief (If anyone has a line on which flowers are represented here, please comment)
Probably painted in the refinery in Neuwelt
At our local weekend-long antiques show this weekend, this was the first piece I locked eyes on, and there was no question that it was going home with me. To me, it's just an astounding piece - a "show stopper", if you will. I agreed on a price and asked the dealer, a friend I've dealt with for years, to hold it for me (something I almost never do). When I returned for it at the end of the day, he pulled the bag from under the counter and realized that he had sent my vase home with another customer - one who had bought a chocolate pot from him because it went with her home decor. He was horrified, of course, but he was certain all would be well, since the woman lived nearby and would no doubt contact him when she realized she had the wrong package. She called him last night and said, "I just opened what I thought was my chocolate pot, and here is this UGLY black vase!" Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder!
All ended well, I went back and picked up my vase today. I have to say, as beautifully painted as it is, and as delicate as it is, the real marvel is that it has survived 125+ years in PRISTINE condition. There are pieces in this same form in the glass museum in Passau, and Riedel basaltglas is documented in Das Böhmisches Glas, 1700-1950, Band III/Historismus.
Stories like this always make the piece even more special!
Beautiful piece
Congrats Warren, the decorating on these basalt pieces is top notch, rivals anything by anyone at the time! I believe that is a clematis flower. You and Alisa have really piqued my interest in adding a Riedel basalt piece to my collection :)
Brian, Basalt is extra pretty with the enamelling but really the top notch part is on just about all their glass. Look at those roosters you recently got. I am not a huge fan of pieces with kids on them, but look at the detail on these..
http://www.thegildedcurio.com/item-Riedel-685.html
their decorating shop was just 100 percent phenomenal. Harrach had the same top notch capability.. they just didn't seem to ALWAYS put their best foot forward with the enameling like Riedel.
Warren, I bet we'd think that chocolate pot was kind of ugly. I generally do find that kind of thing a bit twee..
Well, let me put it this way - I scoured that booth (as I always do) - Dan has some phenomenal glass, mostly enameled Moser/Harrach/Legras/what-have-you. I don't remember even seeing a chocolate pot. Point being, I don't know whether it was ugly or not, because it was invisible to my glass radar. It might as well have been the holy grail itself. If it wasn't glass, I wasn't too keen on looking at it. :)
Hello!! I just came across your gorgeous vase while browsing on google, and you just made my day!! I am new to Collectors Weekly and the reason for joining was precisely because of a small vase I have recently bought. I was pretty sure it was by Riedel, but the marking in the bottom has faded, and I was looking for help to identify it... you have just done that!! Thank you!! I wish I could place a pick here, but you can see it if you want to.. it is my only posting as of now :-D... I am sooo happy!
...sorry for typos, I meant "place a pic here"