Posted 4 years ago
IronLace
(930 items)
Yet another cheap find on eBay AU, this Kralik vase had suffered an unfortunate "brush" with someone's attempt at decorating - the outer petals of the applied daffodil had been painted gold. I could tell that not only was the gold paint not original, it was also of great detriment to the visual appeal of the item. To be brutally honest, it looked downright trashy! I did not even want to take a before photo to show how bad it looked...you'll just have to take my word that it was a travesty...
But the extremely low price tempted me, though I was well aware that a tedious cleaning job awaited. I was also concerned that the painted area concealed a glued repair (as they sometimes do). But nothing ventured, nothing gained!
The gold paint was removed with nail polish remover & a lot of chipping away with various fine metal implements to reach into the many minute crevices of the petals. There was no glued repair lurking beneath the paint, though there is a minor loss to one of the blue inner petals, which the seller had pointed out in the listing.
The vase is made from clear glass with a satin finish, with an applied daffodil flower in soft pastel shades of pale yellow spatter (revealed as the gold paint was cleaned off) with a pale blue inner layer of petals & two green leaves. It measures 20.5 cm tall, 5 cm across the top rim, & 7.5 cm across the base, which does not have a pontil mark. The body of the vase has a fine ribbed pattern, the yellow spatter glows orange under UV light.
Made by Kralik, early 20th century.
The real daffodils in my garden are just about to bloom, so this vase is the ideal way to celebrate their arrival...
"nothing ventured, nothing gained"-- so true!
You ended up with a real beauty.
scott
Many thanks, Scott!
Sometimes, you just have to take a chance...& it's often well worth the effort. I rather enjoy a challenge from time to time...
I love these but have never been convinced of the Kralik attribution. And now that Kralik attributions are in total re-evaluation, with the Ernst Steinwald developments, ...
Sweet vase, nicely restored to its former glory.
Love the vase and especially the tale that goes with it ..
Good gamble and nice resto IL.
Whoever made it it's restfully pretty. Not intense, just calmly beautiful.
I love the satin glass.
Wow22, I'll wait with interest & see what the developments are in that area...
Much appreciated Marty!
Thanks also, Karen. Yes, this type of glass can vary quite a lot depending on the colour combos & surface treatments. This is definitely a soft & subtle one. I have a couple of later examples from the "Tango" era which are quite the opposite, with bold orange & cobalt blue, & red, black & bright yellow, both on a more Art Deco shaped vase with the same fine ribbinb (the form looks like a flashlight/torch resting on its end). They are loud indeed!
Oh, this is such a pretty one! You rarely see applied flowers in this color - it is gorgeous!
Many thanks, Michelle!