Antique Pair Victorian Blue Satin Cased Glass Pitcher Ewers Hand Painted Orchids Frosted Coral Branch Handles Ruffled Rim - a Pair

Details

Description

An exceptional, matched pair of late 19th-century Victorian cased satin glass ewers (water pitchers). Each piece is crafted from vibrant … Read more An exceptional, matched pair of late 19th-century Victorian cased satin glass ewers (water pitchers). Each piece is crafted from vibrant robin's-egg blue cased satin glass over a dense white milk glass interior, featuring a dramatic, tightly crimped opalescent ruffled rim with a delicate blue-feathered edge.

The bodies are hand-painted with botanical orchid blooms, buds, and delicate foliage, detailed in raised white and purple enamels accented by gilded outlines and leaf veins. A notable feature is the applied, frosted matte glass handle fashioned in a textured "branch" or "coral stem" design. The underside reveals rough, unpolished snap pontil marks indicative of traditional hand-blown glassmaking, surrounded by age-commensurate, heavy felt pad residue around the base rings.

Material Cased Satin Glass, Enamel, Gold Gilt

Origin Bohemia / Continental Europe (or English Harrach/Stevens & Williams style)

Age Late 19th Century (c. 1885–1898)

Dimensions & Specifications
Height: ~8.5 inches

Width (Handle to Spout): ~4.75 inches

Combined Weight: 1 lb 14.6 oz

Reference
Book Title: Victorian Decorative Glass: 1850–1910
Author: Mervyn Gulliver
Page / Reference: Chapter 4: Cased Satin Glass & Enamel Decorated Art Glass Ewers, pp. 112–118 (Illustrating late 19th-century European cased satin ewers with applied frosted branch handles and crimped rims).

Authenticity Assessment This pair exhibits clear, widely recognized markers of authentic late-Victorian hand-blown art glass:

Multi-Layer Cased Glass Construction: Formed by casing a turquoise/light blue satin layer over an opaque white milk-glass interior liner.

Applied Frosted Branch Handle: The handle is individually applied while hot, featuring a organic, branch/coral texture in frosted clear glass—a signature technique of late 19th-century Bohemian and English glassmakers.

Crimped Spout with Opalescence: The ruffled rim displays gentle opalescent color variations along the crest folds from thermal working.

Authentic Snap Pontil: The bases exhibit true, rough snap pontil scars where the blowpipe was severed, rather than modern polished ground-flat bases typical of mid-to-late 20th-century reproductions.

Historical Provenance & Design Significance Produced during the height of the late Victorian art glass movement (c. 1880–1895), this pair represents the refined European aesthetic of cased satin glass popularized by fine makers across Bohemia and England. The integration of organic, naturalistic motifs—evidenced by the hand-enameled orchid blossoms and the hand-sculpted, frosted "coral branch" handle—reflects the transitional influence of the Aesthetic Movement moving into early Art Nouveau.

Aesthetic Appeal to Interior Designers With their soft matte blue finish, luminous white cased interiors, and dramatic ruffled crests, these ewers offer an ideal pop of historical color for traditional, cottagecore, or eclectic high-end interiors. Their paired symmetry makes them ideal for styling mantels, sideboards, or entryway consoles.

Curator's Note
An exquisite pair of late 19th-century European cased satin glass ewers in soft robin's-egg blue. Featuring hand-enameled botanical orchids and uniquely sculpted frosted branch handles, this matched pair adds effortless Victorian charm and architectural symmetry to any curated vignette, mantelpiece, or open shelving display. See less