Important Kelsey Murphy Pilgrim Cameo Art Glass Vase Limited Edition Fenton

IMPORTANT KELSEY MURPHY - PILGRIM CAMEO ART GLASS ETCHED VASE. DIMENSIONS: 10"W x 8"H. Collectors and museums alike have come to regard Kelsey's work as heavenly! Kelsey specialize in glass cameo carving, an exacting art that demands both skill in design and great dexterity in execution. They teamed with Fenton Art Glass to design and produce some remarkable limited edition pieces.

Kelsey's Dragonflies on Ebony Favrene was part of Fenton's limited edition Horizons group in 2006, and her Gauley River Sunrise Vase (limited to 375) on Fenton's Burmese glass was an instant hit with Fenton collectors when it debuted in late 2006. Cameo carving is a painstaking process.

After the glass has been annealed, a special mask is taped to the surface of the glass. Using an advanced "vignetting" technique, each piece is carefully sand carved, by hand, using aluminum oxide crystal under pressure to take away some of the surface. Great individual skill and experience are needed to control this operation, as many distinct stages of successive cameo carving are required to create the remarkable depth and the intricate details. Crackle glass collectors may discover that their most prized pieces were produced by Pilgrim in the fifties.

Cranberry glass collectors may learn that some of their most treasured pieces were from Pilgrim in the sixties. Phoenix and Consolidated glass collectors may be surprised to learn that many of the intricate molds used in the production of this art glass in the 20s, 30s and 40s are now owned by Pilgrim and have been put back into production.

Collectors of off hand Italian art glass figurines may be interested to learn that two talented brothers from Italy began producing such work for Pilgrim in the mid fifties. Cameo glass collectors may be excited to learn that Pilgrim has managed to case and carve as many as six layers of glass into truly magnificent works of art. That the name Pilgrim Glass is largely unknown to collectors probably reflects the company's characteristic focus on innovation- the future. It's a company that seems never to have looked back.

There are no reference books on Pilgrim and little available research, other than an article which appeared several years ago in Glass Collectors Digest. The recorded history of the company is largely relegated to Pilgrim's product catalogues, some of which not dated and others remain unfounded. In 1956 he built the current production facility several miles away in Ceredo, West Virginia.

Pilgrim's early production was hand-blown crackle glass in ruby, tangerine, amethyst, smoke, sapphire, amber, green, and crystal. The crackle effect was achieved by immersing the glass into cold water and then reheating it. Crackle glass products were produced through the late 1960s. They included pitchers, vases, decanters, cruets, bowls, candy jars, candleholders, ashtrays, and apothecary jars. Other early pieces were available in clear and satin finishes.

In the mid-fifties, brothers Alessandro and Roberto Moretti emigrated from Italy finding employment with Pilgrim. Their production consisted mainly of glass animals. Earliest pieces were birts, cats, ducks, horses, fish, whales, swans, donkeys, and elephants. Later pieces included owls, deer, turtles, rabbits, and snails. Today, the works of Alessandro and Roberto are carried on by their brother-in-law Mario Sandon.

Cranberry glass was introduced to the Pilgrim line in 1968. Although always popular, few glass manufacturers attempted this color, which involves an often temperamental combination of lead oxide and real gold. Over the years cranberry glass has become the mainstay of Pilgrim's business. Today, Pilgrim Glass is the largest producer of cranberry glass in the world.

Also produced in the'60s were a line of cased glass wares, peachblow reproductions, and'end of the day' spackle ware. In the 1970s Pilgrim added a kitchen focus, producing popular clear glass canisters, salad sets, and platters. Pilgrim's approach to innovation and new markets has been described as "adding something new to the tried and true". In the 1980s, vases and pitchers in cobalt, cranberry, crystal, and ruby continued to be popular. New colors for the eighties were opaque white, red, grey and black.

In 1985 Pilgrim introduced the Masterwork collection consisting largely of vases and columns over 30 inches in height. Under the direction of Kelsey Murphy, Pilgrim introduced a truly extraordinary line of cameo glass in the late 1980s. Through a sandblasting process, cased glass is carved to reveal the desired color and design.

Colors suitable for casing include cranberry, green, cobalt, crystal pink, topaz, black, and white. The designs are Murphy's own pictorial scenes. All pieces are signed by Kelsey. Most are issued in limited editions and numbered.

This item is in the category "Pottery & Glass\Cookware, Dinnerware & Serveware\Bowls". The seller is "vintagerotty" and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, Korea, South, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Republic of, Malaysia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei Darussalam, Bolivia, Egypt, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macau, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Uruguay.

• Handmade: Yes
• Artist: Kelsey Murphy
• Style: Art Nouveau
• Material: Glass
• Original/Reproduction: Vintage Original
• Features: Signed
• Object Type: Vase
• Color: Blue
• Glassmaking Technique: Etched
• Type of Glass: Stained Glass
• Country/Region of Origin: North America

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