Hand Blown Art Vase

[KevinM]

I recently purchased this hand blown art vase which is about 8 inches wide and 4 inches tall and would like to know some additional information about it.

The vase seems to be hand blown although when I asked someone about it they said that is was hand blown but that it was blown into a mold and the design was not done by hand. Is this how this vase was actually made?

Also, on the bottom of the vase is what appears to be the initials DPG and the year 49. I guess it could also be an OPG and the year 99 or the G could be the number 6 or some variation of these. I know this is a long shot but does anyone know who the vase was made by and the year it was actually made?

Thanks!
Kevin

[mart]

That is not a factory mark but is more likely and independent glass blowers initials !!  Looks like 99 to me and is probably the year made !!  Doesn`t look like the bottom was ground too well !!

[KevinM]

Thanks for the reply mart. Yes, I agree that it's probably an independent glass blowers mark. It also looks like a 99 to me too except on what looks like the first 9 it comes to a point at the top right of the number as if the maker ran into a hollow or groove area above the number while maybe writing the number 4 on it but perhaps not.

That was a good observation about the grinding of the bottom. The vase actually does not rest on that area, it rest on the brim outside of the embedded circle which encompasses the eye or belly button area and the initials and date area which is also embedded.

Although, the eye area is flat except for the inner eye which is hollow and a small grinding appears just above the inner eye to the top left. There is also a small break away or chipped area just inside the inner eye area so I guess there was no need to grind that or any of the other areas. The vase does sit flat and does not rock so i guess there wasn't any need for additional grinding. They did a real nice job making this vase.

[mart]

It is a very nice vase !!  I did not mean that it didn`t sit flat and level,, just that if a mfr had made it it would have been smooth and less noticable by reheating the glass !!  It likely was blown in mold and chances are there were more made than just one !!  You might check ebay and see if there are any listed there with the same initials !!  Doubt if he only made one piece and stopped and if so another may turn up somewhere !! Hopefully someone may know the artist or purchased directly from him/her !!

[KevinM]

Thanks for the information mart, I didn't know that glass was reheated to make it more smooth. Also, your probably right about it being blown into a mold since it's so precise in the patterns all around it although there is no seams in the glass hinting to a mold. I had checked ebay and the search engines but was unable to locate any information.

[mart]

I am not sure how it is done but that would be my guess !! Some of the others here are much better on glass than I am !!  Hopefully they will check it out !!

[ironlord1963]

    There are two ways to handblow Glass, one is of course without a mold, this is usually noticable by the not so perfect shape, They can also blown into a mold, these are perfect form over and over, however for the most part you will still have a seam, usuallly very slight.  Then of course you have the ever popular machine blown, which usually has a very distinct seam, and of course they never bother to polish it out, because this is like Libby glass that will be found in the $1.00 store, very visible seam.  Usually Art glass has the pontif still rough like your piece, Studio Artist usually don't spent too much time with making the bottom look good, where the Major Art Glass makers with heat and polish the pontif down smooth or almost smooth.

[KevinM]

Thanks mart and ironlord1963. ironlord1963, I think after reading what you said that it makes sense to me that it was a Studio Artist who made this. Although, I can't find any seams to suggest it's a mold blown piece I still think it is since it's just too perfect all the way around to be blown without the assistance of a mold.

[mart]

I agree !!