LEFT-HANDED CARNIVAL GLASS VASE

What we now call 'carnival glass' was developed in the early 1900's as an inexpensive substitute for the elegant (and costly) hand-made favrile glass fashionable at that time. Mass producing iridescent glass involved spraying various metal salts on machine-molded glass and then firing it to produce an iridescent finish. The term 'carnival glass' was coined later during the 1930's, when many glass manufacturers liquidated their inventory by selling it at cut-rate prices to the travelling carnivals and circuses for use as prizes. This vintage carnival glass vase is molded with the shape of a hand grasping a container. At 5-1/2 inches in height, it is considered a miniature, as full-sized hand vases normally run over 8 inches. Although this piece is unmarked, it appears to be a product of the famous Jain glass works of India, and to date to circa1925. It is particularly unusual, as the hand is molded in the left-handed shape. One collector of such vases wrote that he had only four examples of a left-handed 'hand' vase in a collection of over 200 pieces! This little vase is a lovely example with a strong marigold iridescent lustre over clear glass, and it is in excellent condition, without cracks, chips, wear or any other damage or defect. A lovely piece - and a rare find!