Kaunas Glass factory Aleksotas, Lithuania


Although not strictly Carnival, these items from Lithuania are fascinating and frequently puzzle collectors.

They date from circa 1980s and are from Kaunas glass works in Lithuania (formerly part of USSR). The colours of the glass used on items seem to be dominated by clear glass with rich marigold iridescence, or green base glass, also with marigold iridescence. Sometimes an internal swirled pattern may be present. Moulded threading and applied decoration also seem to be a feature of Kaunas glass. The maries of the items believed to be from Kaunas may have a pontil mark, but this doesn't always seem to be the case.

Some great pictures of glass (shown below) made by Kaunas have been sent to us by enthusiastic Carnival collectors - grateful thanks to them for sharing their pictures with us and enabling us to record items from this maker for the benefit of all glass collectors.
Kaunas Glass
13 inch vase. Picture courtesy of Michael O'Brien
Kaunas
Picture courtesy of Julie DeMary
Kaunas Glass
Picture courtesy of Jay Coleman
More pictures from Jay Coleman
More pictures from Julie DeMary
Above: the greenish base glass colour is very evident in this picture.
More pictures from Mason Sousa
The Balninkai Museum in Lithuania used to feature some of these items on its website, but sadly it seems the page no longer exists - a screen shot image is shown below.

​You can read more about glassmaking in Lithuania here: Lithuanian Applied Decorative Arts