Signed Vandermark-Merritt-Smarr Glass Sv02w 7/100 Numbered Art Glass Floral Cased Art Glass Vase

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Description

SV02w White Bouquet Vase is a one-of-a-kind statement piece created for a serious art glass collection. Measuring 10.25 inches high … Read more SV02w White Bouquet Vase is a one-of-a-kind statement piece created for a serious art glass collection. Measuring 10.25 inches high by 4¾ inches wide, this limited edition example is numbered 7/100 and is signed by Vandermark, Doug Merritt, and Stephen Smarr.

The vase features bright spring flowers suspended against a white glass background. A deep red tulip, a dimensional purple blossom with a detailed center, and a pink hyacinth-like cluster rise on long green stems that appear rooted at the base. The composition wraps continuously around the form, creating a full bouquet encased within the glass rather than applied to the surface. Subtle trailing lines and internal movement in the glass add a sense of wind and growth, enhancing the naturalistic effect.

Several traditional studio techniques are employed in its creation. Colored glass rods and glass millefiori are used to form the individual flowers, which are carefully composed and then cased in molten crystal. The crystal is blown and hand-formed into its final trumpet shape, then polished to a high gloss, signed, and numbered as part of the limited edition. The clarity of the crystal casing gives the illusion that the flowers are suspended mid-growth inside the vase.

The form itself is elegant and balanced. From the side, it presents a graceful, slightly hourglass silhouette with a gently rounded shoulder and a stable, polished foot. From the top view, the vase opens into a wide, flared mouth that curves outward in a smooth, even sweep. The interior surface reveals soft swirling tones within the glass, shifting subtly as light moves across it and giving the opening a sense of depth. The rim is clean, even, and symmetrical. From the underside, the thick, polished base allows a view up into the encased design, where the purple, red, and pink blossoms can be seen suspended within the clear crystal, their stems rising upward as if frozen in time.

Vandermark-Merritt Glass Studios commenced in 1972, when Doug Merritt joined Vandermark and helped build a dedicated glassblowing team that included Stephen Smarr. In 1982, Vandermark-Merritt Studios was one of only two contemporary studios featured at a Corning Museum of Glass exhibition, and in 1983–1984 their work was highlighted in the Art Glass Society Journal. See less