Vintage Wednesday: Finding your passion.

Mama's got a new passion. I can't blame her because it's a passion of mine too. She's started collecting Van Briggle pottery - in Ming blue. And she's taught me a couple things as she's pursued this passion.

It started with the vase above (nestled among another of her collections). She knew it was Van Briggle. She liked the color. She liked the flower (a columbine). She got the vase, and started a new collection.

She found that this particular color was inspired by Chinese pottery. Founder Artus Van Briggle was interested in Chinese glazes - particularly the dead glaze process used during the Ming Dynasty. Ming blue is a color you'll see in all the decades of Van Briggle pottery. Some collectors note you can guess at the decade in which the pottery is produced by the highlights (or lack thereof) made by the darker blue overglaze.

Whether the color of the Colorado sky or inspired by ancient Chinese art, I'm sure it's inspired passion in many a collector's heart.

Vintage Wednesday: Art Pottery

I recently bought a lovely swan vase. It's got the flat glaze of many of the art pottery pieces I have, and of course I love the swan theme. The vase has no readily seen identifying marks, so I put my investigating hat on and started researching the maker.

The easiest way to identify art pottery is to look for the mark on the bottom of the piece. Most of the more popular art potteries - such as Hull, McCoy, Roseville, Haeger, Van Briggle or Hall - have either the name or a mark particular to their company. McCoy and Roseville usually scrawl their name on the bottom. Hall has their name boxed. Van Briggle has what looks like a stylized double A (for founders Artus and Anne) in a box and is also sometimes signed by the artist who made the pot. But what do you do if your piece doesn't have an identifying mark?

Sometimes you can look at the color of the clay used to make the piece. You can also turn the piece over and you'll be looking at the "foot" of the piece. Some companies completely glaze the foot, but others leave a ring that's unglazed - this can be an identifying clue. Another clue could be the type of glaze used. Some companies have colors specific to their line that become familiar as you begin to see a number of pieces from that company. Sometimes the lines of the piece shout the maker - I especially this is true with Roseville or Van Briggle pieces.

There are a multitude of books available to help you identify art pottery, but I've found a good Internet search can help you narrow your identification. So that's what I did by searching "swan vase." Interestingly, there are several swan vases available from at least 8 different makers. Looking through the photos of these pieces, I found several confirming that my vase is a Haeger piece, possibly from the late 30s or early 40s. I'd have to go look in a Haeger book to be sure, but it makes sense given the glaze and look of the piece. Too bad Sherlock Holmes didn't have the Internet!

Vintage Wednesday: Antique Hymnals

Hubby and I were visiting my parents over the July 4th weekend. While we were there, my father pulled out a video made of my grandparents in the late 80s. My grandmother told the story of how they met. My grandfather had taken a blind date to a community sing. My grandmother had gone with another gentleman. Apparently, they got to the sing and realized their partners couldn't sing, so they switched partners ending up with each other because they were both singers. He walked her home and that was the beginning of somewhere around 70 years of singing.

I guess you could say we're a musical family. Family gatherings often involve a piano and some kind of singing... and sometimes dancing if we get too excited. I remember many nights falling asleep to my father picking out hymns on the piano. My brother started playing music by ear when he was just old enough to reach the piano keys. And I amaze my husband when I break out into songs from my grandparents' and great-grandparents' generations.

That could be the reason I get such a thrill from finding new, old music. By that I mean music that was popular long before I was born - sometimes before my grandparents were born. I especially love when I find old hymnals.

Daddy used to talk about shape note singing in churches he attended as a child. Much of the singing they did was a capella (without instruments, voices only) as the shapes of the notes guided their voices. Many of the older hymnals I have are printed with these odd-shaped notes.

I was delighted recently to see a Smithsonian article with a picture of the hymnal of Harriet Tubman. Her hymnal looks quite a bit like one of the hymnals in my collection. It reminded me that even though these hymnals are dear to me, I have many of them. I wonder as I look at my collection, how dear these might have been to their first owners - and how many hours were spent singing the notes, pondering the words and meditating on the meanings of songs in these precious books.

Vintage Wednesday: Opera Glasses

My collection of opera glasses - and I use the term "collection" loosely - began with a gift. My best friend presented me a stunning pair as a birthday gift with the instruction that I was to put it in my will that she receive them back upon my death. Yeah, they're THAT beautiful. And I do have a clause in my will with that bequest just because of her.

My opera glasses are silver, inlaid with mother of pearl, are from Paris at around the turn of the 19th Century and have a telescoping handle for optimal elegance. I've proudly carried them to the ballet, the symphony, the theater - pretty much anywhere I can get away with using them. And last year on a ~ahem~ "landmark" birthday, I returned the favor by giving her a pair from the same maker with a removable handle, inlaid in mother of pearl and in gold. Her first response? "She's just trying to get out of returning hers in her will!" She might be right.

I have a certain fascination with opera glasses. They evoke an opulence, an elegance that's not a part of my everyday life. I feel as if I should put on a long gown and gloves - not forgetting my opera length pearls - when using them. A carriage should arrive to take me to the theater where I preside over society from the comfort of my box... in my dreams of course.

Having started with such an elegant pair, I've not often felt the need to expand my collection. My only addition as of now is one with little birds on the side and that's really only because I got a good price and loved the birds. If you're looking to start a collection, you can expect to pay anywhere from ten to many thousands of dollars. I just peeked to see what's currently on ebay and there's a gold nouveau pair with diamond, sapphire and ruby bees on them for over $23,000. That's a tad bit out of my budget, but they're gorgeous!

When looking make sure the mechanism that allows them to focus is in working order. Also make sure the lenses aren't cloudy as I understand sometimes can happen with older pairs. If they're inlaid with mother of pearl, look for cracks that could lead to further damage.

I've very much enjoyed owning a little piece of history. Might you?