Objects of the Day: A Pair of Bristol Glass Vases

Bristol glass proved to be an extremely versatile medium, providing beautiful, milky colors and the necessary strength to be shaped into a variety of sizes and shapes. While many antique Bristol glass creations are large in scale, I often myself drawn to the smaller examples such as this pair of late Victorian vases.


In the opaque-white color scheme which was extremely popular for the medium in the 1880’s, this pair of vases has a simple elegance. Gently, arcing from turned pedestals, they are adorned with delicate gold trim and a pattern of dots. Such objects would have been used as accents for more ornate pieces. Here, they are the perfect companions to more heavily painted lusters.