This large French opaline vase, made around 1840, exemplifies the grace and refinement of early 19th-century decorative glass.
Hand blown and beautifully translucent, the vase glows with a soft inner light characteristic of fine opaline.
It is exquisitely hand painted with an encircling bouquet of roses, morning glories, lilies, and other flowers, each rendered with delicate brushwork and naturalistic color.
The floral garlands wind around the vase in a free, organic rhythm, a style much admired in France during the first half of the 19th century.
The artistry lies in the sense of movement and freshness, the flowers seeming to bloom across the surface in soft hues of blue, pink, orange, and green, all heightened by a fine gilt rim at the mouth and base.
The vase is entirely hand blown, with no seams and a polished pontil beneath, hallmarks of the best French glassmaking traditions. Its clarity and finish reflect the influence of both 16th-century Venetian milk glass and the Bristol glass of 18th-century England, combined into a uniquely French expression of elegance and luminosity.
Dimensions: 12″ tall x 4.5″ diameter
Condition: Excellent
Price: $500
Decoration: Hand-painted with roses, morning glories, lilies, and other flowers naturalistically rendered and winding around the vase
Material: Opaline glass, hand blown with polished pontil
Style: French decorative art glass, early 19th-century opaline
Origin: France
Date: Circa 1840
     Notable Details:
Hand-blown and entirely seamless with polished pontil underside
Opaline glass with soft translucence characteristic of semi-crystal
Naturalistic floral decoration typical of early 19th-century French design
Reflects peak opaline production during the reign of Napoleon III
Made in the tradition of Le Creusot, Baccarat, Saint-Louis, and Reunion workshops