Large 19th Century Beige Glass Vase with Hand-Painted Bird and Foliate Design

This is a highly attractive example of a glass flower vase, probably Bohemian in origin and dating to the latter part of the 19th century.

The vase has a tapering neck and a baluster-shaped body. It sits on a small, stepped, plinth-like base. The underside is hand-painted with the number ‘603’.

The body is made from a pale beige-coloured opaque glass. It has been hand-painted with enamels; the front has a motif consisting of stylised grass and foliage, within which a bird is perched. On the reverse, there is a small motif consisting of stylised leaves.

The rim was originally gilded, although this is very worn. There are bands of gilding to the base, the lowermost ring of which is also quite worn.

It has a height of approximately 27.1cm, with a diameter across the rim of about 8.2cm and across the base of about 8.7cm.

It has an unwrapped weight of 630g.

It is in excellent condition, with no chips or cracks, although, as previously mentioned, the gilding is worn in places.