Pair of Antique Victorian Opaline Glass Vases. Japonisme Aesthetic Movement c.1880 to1900

A beautiful and increasingly collectible pair of late Victorian hand-painted opaline glass vases, dating to approximately 1880–1900.

Standing 23.5 cm tall, these elegant vases are crafted from fine white opaline glass and decorated with delicately hand-enamelled mountain landscapes and vermilion flowering shrubs. The restrained, asymmetrical compositions are inspired by the Japonisme movement, which swept through Europe in the late nineteenth century following the opening of Japan to the West.

Unlike many heavily decorated Victorian pieces, these vases display remarkable artistic restraint. The decorator has used the luminous white opaline as an integral part of the composition, allowing the untouched glass to evoke mist and atmosphere in the manner of Japanese ink paintings. This understated approach places them firmly within the refined Aesthetic Movement of the period.

After extensive research, they appear to be high-quality Continental European production, most likely French, although no maker’s mark is present to allow a definitive factory attribution.

Details:

Pair of matching opaline glass vases
Late Victorian, c.1880–1900
Hand-painted enamel decoration
Japonisme / Aesthetic Movement
Probably French
Height: 23.5 cm each
Excellent antique condition with no chips, cracks or repairs (please see photographs)

These are sophisticated decorative pieces that would suit collectors of Victorian art glass, opaline, Aesthetic Movement design, or Japanese-inspired decorative arts.

Collection preferred, or can be carefully packed and posted at the buyer’s expense.

A rare opportunity to acquire an elegant and unusual pair of nineteenth-century opaline glass vases whose beauty lies in their simplicity and refined artistic composition.