Dating to c.1915 and deeply engraved with fish, shells and other marine creatures amidst swirling waves, it is the work of the firm’s chief engraver William Fritsche. He has signed it on the lower side of the bowl and was paid £7 for the task, according to the factory pattern books.
Offered at Sotheby’s December 18 sale of glass at Olympia, the vase formed part of a 121-lot consignment of English and Continental engraved glass from the Rinceaux collection. Contested by both American and British bidders, the vase sold to an American collector for £17,000, which was £3000 more than it fetched at Sotheby’s just over a year ago.
Thomas Webb marine vase
Thomas Webb was one of the two main British manufacturers to produce glass imitating rock crystal in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and this 12in (30.5cm) high Marine vase is a substantial example of the type.
