Posted 11 years ago
jericho
(236 items)
When I am cataloging glass shapes I begin with focusing on the specific technique or style of the pieces. Sometimes there are clear distinctions in decor but I ignore those things in order to establish a greater pool of shapes (unite then divide approach).
Case in point: Figure 2 has a grouping of bohemian style handles, it took many images of the same handle technique before I could start to see the difference (it helps to own a few pieces as well).
Sometimes this method takes you to places you did not expect, for example: Figure 3- shows two images from a "fan vase" shape study. This is a Kralik 1930 fan vase in a clear base color and contrasting threading, then the same decor appeared in a shape that looked more Welz...So when I compared the pieces by shape they second piece showed a stronger connection to Welz rather than kralik.
The devil is in the details, case in point Figure 1: clearly these two are (brother from another mother) related. The idea is too similar to be a coincidence. The little things that make them different can be seen easily-
Kralik: thicker glass, casing technique, shape of cut-out, foot shape
Welz: thinner glass, rim application, shape of foot, satin iridescent finish
The last figure (#4) shows the consistency of the shape themselves... two shapes each. They match because the molds are the same; I could not have figure this out unless they were all grouped together in the folder "lobed trumpets".
The conclusion: I hate to "moralize" and try to let the collector decide what to think.
Great Post Jericjo...I love your shape/décor studies, very informative.
Is the kralik 4-scallop smaller than the standard Welz type? is it Signed or have a pontil? is the threading as neatly defined as the welz type? Can i see them side by side with other welz? or side by side with other kralik decors in the same shape?