Wednesday 10 April 2013

Victorian Vaseline Glass - Burtles Tate


Opalescent glass has long been prized and a yellow/green variety was produced by several glasshouses in the late 19th century. Given the generic term 'vaseline glass' by collectors, it was produced by adding uranium to the mixture and then reheating with a torch on areas where the milky opalescence was required. This beautiful jug style vase is by the old Manchester firm of Burtles, Tate and Company who started advertising these wares in the 1890s. Although primarily known for novelty pressed glass, they also produced exquisite hand made items which display fully the glassmaker's art. Made on a pontil (an iron rod which gathered the molten glass), it has an applied clear glass handle and rose pink flowers with clear glass trails. The rim has been nipped in and then drawn to form a spout, the body of the vase then given vertical opalescent vaseline stripes. See more opalescent and vaseline glass at Premier Antiques


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