Collectors Facts - Bullseye and Beads Vase, Fenton
|
|
Above is the only known (so far) slightly swung example of this vase - it is blue and stands 6.5" tall with a 6⅝ inch mouth. Courtesy Burns Auctions.
Left and centre are two blue swung Bullseye and Beads vases. Courtesy of Seeck Auctions (left) and Burns Auctions (centre). |
|
Shapes:
Vase
|
Colours:
Blue, marigold and scarce amethyst
|
This beautiful swung vase from Fenton is often misunderstood and mis-identified.
It is frequently - and incorrectly - identified as Beaded Bullseye (the well-known Imperial vase) and sometimes even as Fenton’s April Showers or Rustic (when the “bullseye” motif is blurred and somewhat hidden). One reason for the misidentification is that, when swung (as in the two examples above, left and centre), the "bullseyes" can be hard to see clearly. The "bullseyes) are much more evident on the unswung example on the right, which is the (so far) only known example in this size.
Vase expert, Joan Doty, gave us the following information: “This seldom-seen vase usually ranges between 13 and 15 inches tall. The known colours are marigold, cobalt blue and a scarce amethyst. It comes in only one size—a 4-part mould with a 3.5-inch smooth base.”
The pattern is a perceptual challenge. Is it a peacock feather motif or a bullseye? There’s no right or wrong answer – it’s what you perceive it to be. And of course, the extent to which the vase was swung and the pattern was stretched out, affects the way it looks. But what happens when the vase is hardly swung at all? The rare example of a very slightly swung example of Fenton’s Bullseye and Beads shows the pattern very clearly. Now it looks completely different and you can visualise how the mould itself might have looked. The bullseye/peacock feather motif takes on the appearance of a flower – a fascinating transformation.
It is frequently - and incorrectly - identified as Beaded Bullseye (the well-known Imperial vase) and sometimes even as Fenton’s April Showers or Rustic (when the “bullseye” motif is blurred and somewhat hidden). One reason for the misidentification is that, when swung (as in the two examples above, left and centre), the "bullseyes" can be hard to see clearly. The "bullseyes) are much more evident on the unswung example on the right, which is the (so far) only known example in this size.
Vase expert, Joan Doty, gave us the following information: “This seldom-seen vase usually ranges between 13 and 15 inches tall. The known colours are marigold, cobalt blue and a scarce amethyst. It comes in only one size—a 4-part mould with a 3.5-inch smooth base.”
The pattern is a perceptual challenge. Is it a peacock feather motif or a bullseye? There’s no right or wrong answer – it’s what you perceive it to be. And of course, the extent to which the vase was swung and the pattern was stretched out, affects the way it looks. But what happens when the vase is hardly swung at all? The rare example of a very slightly swung example of Fenton’s Bullseye and Beads shows the pattern very clearly. Now it looks completely different and you can visualise how the mould itself might have looked. The bullseye/peacock feather motif takes on the appearance of a flower – a fascinating transformation.