Posted 9 years ago
Baabets
(1 item)
Hello,
I am brand new to this forum but love all the wonderful treasures I see posted here. So, I thought I'd post one of my most prized possessions. I believe it might be an Alexandrite glass vase designed (and perhaps made by) Josef Hoffman of Moser fame. When I found it, it was the most gorgeous lavender color and I had to have it. I brought it home to proudly show my husband my beautiful lavender vase, but when I opened the wrapping paper, I lifted a most beautiful BLUE vase! I quickly discovered that my vase changed colors depending on light spectrum. The colors in photos are even different from the light purple I saw in sunlight and the bottle blue/green I saw in fluorescent light.
It is approximately 8 inches by 5 inches wide at the mouth. There seems to be no visible signature but I have seen many other vases in this design (always smokey color) attributed to him. The best info I've been able to research is that it would have been created in the 1920s or 1930s when Mr. Hoffman was moving toward a more abstract style. I was told that the previous owner lived in Chicago, but I have no idea where she acquired it.
As I mentioned before, this is one of my most prized treasure finds. Any additional information from someone with more experience would be most welcome.
Lovely neodymium glass!
I had one of these (once-no longer) and my research pointed toward Moser also.
I never confirmed it however.
This color is often referred to as "alexandrite" glass, and is a collectible field all its own just like Vaseline glass.
As for manufacturer, while Moser definitely made some, this same design has been made by other generic bohemian glass manufacturers as well, and is still produced today. I cannot judge from the pictures, but a signature would certainly help it's case for being Moser.
Incidentally, I have found these in both 8-sided and 9-sided versions with the 9-sided version being rarely seen.
Thank you for the comments. I have found a few other alexandrite or neodymium glass pieces but my collection is very small. The mystery vase doesn't appear to be signed - did he often sign his work? Unfortunately there are only 8 sides so I don't have the rare one. It would be very possible that my vase is not a Hoffmann, but I wondered how important it would be if it was... Still, it is one of my favorite treasure/conversation pieces. I just found another treasure this week...my Henry Summa window egg glass piece. It looks wonderful sitting on a lighted base. Still such a thrill to find interesting glass.
Hoffmann is famous for his "faceted" designs in glass. He's sort of the go-to assumption for any unidentified faceted vase of quality. I'm honestly not sure who originated the design of your vase, but the Alexandrite color is stunning.