35. Playing ‘snap’ with vases

There is a well known card game called ‘Snap’ in which players compete to be the first to shout ‘snap’ when they see a duplicate card. Here there are no duplicates except where we have a matched pair of vases. The collection does have vases that are likely to share the same origin however. These first two views are of the vase that is object 35. It bears no immediate likeness to any previous vase.

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The first clue is seen at the neck, and the comparison is with the vase that was object 3 on this site. If we look at two views of the necks it is evidently a very similar approach between the upper and lower band of red dots. For example, the scale pattern in brown next to both rows of red dots, the black enamel between and the little loop decorations on it.

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The vases themselves look very different when seen together. In the image below object 3 is to the left, this vase to the right.

Are there any other similar points? In fact each has butterflies, and one of them seems very alike.

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Looking at the wirework for the scrolling grass decoration, that seems familiar as well. Of course, this proves nothing without comparison with wirework from other vases, but it is interesting.

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So it is at least possible that these vases came from the same workshop. If so it is also likely that this vase (object 35) is a slightly later production as the attractive sparkling bright green and blue backgrounds do not appear on the other vase, just the darker emerald green seen in the lefthand image with the scrolling wirework above..

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Whatever the similarities, this is an attractive vase (in fact it is a pair of matched vases). It is another of those trying to catch the eye with bright coloured panels to offset the otherwise dull, muddy colours of the blues and browns elsewhere on the vase.

Object 35. Pair of matched vases height 17.9 cm weight 211 gm (each).

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