Featured Very Old Turned Wood Vase

I've had this vase for years and have never seen another like it. It's 12" tall and has a base diameter of 3 7/8". It's heavy - weighs just under 4 1/2 lbs.

You can see from the bottom that construction looks like a round, tubular piece of wood surrounded by 6 sections that were somehow attached to the core and than shaped to the vase form on the exterior, and the center dowel was drilled for the vase (don't know about the paper core described next).

The interior of the vase (photo taken with flash to show detail) is lined with a heavy paper core that reminds me of the cardboard tube inside a roll of paper towels or toilet paper from the way it coils. There's a wad of old newspaper in the bottom. The newspaper is stuck--I thought I'd try to remove it to see if the paper had a name or date that might provide a clue, but it's stuck and I was afraid it would just come out in tiny bits.

The lily of the valley and tiny blue flowers are pretty - can't tell if a decal or hand painted.

The shape is reminiscent of early 20th century art pottery.

Any thoughts on age, maker, etc. would be appreciated.

Thanks so much!

 

It's crackled like old oils.
Do decals crackle in the same manner? No experience with decals!

EDIT
Can you get some kind of clamp that will fit down the neck so you can haul that paper out? Even if torn up, maybe you could still make out language... or a date... or some kind of hint. I think it would be worth the try... I mean, why would somebody hide newspaper in there? I would HAVE to get it OUTTA there!

 

Good pics Ascot !!!!

 

Good thought on the oil paint--I do think it's painted, not decal, from what you said.

The newspaper is already in bits. I tried removing some of it, but it's really stuck. The one tiny piece I got out was in English, and the word on it was in an old typeface. I'm thinking the newspaper may have been put in there to stabilize flowers. Maybe it was wet, which is why it's all stuck together.

 

The flowers look like a really old decal; they're too flat to be painted on. Beyond that...dunno. I doubt it ever held fresh flowers; the wood would leak.

 

I'm thinking that instead of putting water in the vase, someone may have wrapped some flower stems in wet newspaper then placed them in the vase. Just a guess.

 

Mauchlin Ware. The flowers are classically British, too.

 

Oh, wow... there they are. It's also apparently (mis-)spelled "mauchline"?

 

Yeah, Google and eBay both want to spell it with the 'e' on the end.

 

Which is correct, I can't type sometimes.

The lily of the valley and forget me not combo is classic. Victorian language of flowers.

 

Well, y'all, I'm just flabbergasted. I've had one or 2 pieces of the tartan wares and just loved them.

I thought mauchline wares were more of the trinket variety, and that the wood (is is sycamore?) was a pretty yellow-tan color, like yew. My vase is so dark--could be that the stain or varnish has darkened--it has lighter color where the varnish or stain has gone missing (will try to get a couple of pics in a minute or two). And it's so big and heavy.

Are you sure it's mauchline? Not that I doubt bear or anyone else--just sitting here astonished.

 

Here are a few more pictures where you can better see the underlying wood color and grain.

 

I freely admit I have no previous knowledge of "Mauchlin(e) ware" but this does not look like the examples I found by googling. I suspect there could be turned wood vases with transfer flowers which are not technically Mauchlin ware.

Online article:
http://bobbrooke.com/mauchlinware.htm

 

Nothing substantive to add, just wanted to say this vase is amazing! Never seen anything put together this way. Love the flowers.

Thanks for the great pictures and the fascinating discussion!

 

Could be a late victorian hobbyist painted piece. Not Mauchline ware. There were some very talented painters decorating china, pottery wood etc; In Aberdeen they decorated terracotta chimney pots and umbrella pots in such a manner.

 

varnish crackles just like glaze on pottery after a time and being exposed to temperature fluctuations.

 

In other words, some granny had this in her attic or down cellar a few years too many.(sigh)

 

The plug in the bottom is intriguing. Perhaps it was a lamp at one time and someone reconverted it back to a vase.

 

The image is nigh on identical to other pieces I've had.

 

Ownedbybear, can you expand on your answer? Nigh on identical to other pieces of ? Do you mean Mauchline ware?