Russian Engraved Crystal Vase
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GUEST:
This vase was purchased in Leningrad, Russia, after the Second World War. It has a signature underneath of Nicholas II. I liked it because it was big and impressive.
APPRAISER:
And I understand you used it for tall flowers?
GUEST:
Oh, absolutely. I had branches in it for many, many years.
APPRAISER:
It is Russian, done by Imperial Glass, which was the finest manufacturer of glass in Russia. And if we look at the bottom, there is the monogram of Nicholas II and it's dated 1909. The earliest pieces that would have this monogram are going to be from the early 1890s. Beautiful engraved floral design which goes all the way around the piece. Has a nice Art Nouveau feel, which is perfect because 1909 is right in the movement. But this type of vase and this type of decoration would be much more typical of a French piece or even an English piece. It is very, very thick. It's a very heavy piece. There's certainly lead content to the glass. The design, unlike so many more commercial pieces, was done with a copper wheel. They took different- sized wheels and they carved in the leaves, the branches and the stems. On the more commercial pieces, they would use an acid to do the carving. So in that respect, it's very nice. This was all hand worked, so it was expensive to do. Also on the Russian glass, you find more colored glass than clear glass. It makes it very unusual. Now, how much did you pay for it when you were in Russia?
GUEST:
I think I paid 130 rubles.
APPRAISER:
If we had this piece in our store, I would say the price we would have on it would certainly be in the $5,000 to $7,000 range.
GUEST:
That sounds very, very, very good.
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