This is a very eye-catching and decorative wide-necked vase by John Ditchfield. It is signed on the base and has an engraved inscription Glassform. It is also numbered 5952 (so an early unique piece). This numbering system was added to his Unique Collection initially in 1982. It also has its original round gold and black sticker.
John Ditchfield has now retired and these lovely pieces of art glass are no longer being made.
John Ditchfield was born in Blackpool in 1952. He served a seven year apprenticeship at the Venetian Glass Company where he was taught by the skilled Murano glassblower, Franco Toffio.
He established his Glasform company back in the UK in 1982. Here he made beautiful hand-blown one-off vases (such as this one), lamp bases, and paperweights. He specialised in stunning iridescent finishes. His one-off pieces were signed and often had their unique issue number on them.
My squat vase or bowl with its angular flare neck is a really huge piece of Ditchfield glass. In decoration is it really quite splendid indeed and this is reflected in my asking price.
It is made from a more opaque aqua green glass and then overlaid with subtle peacock lustres - it shimmers in the light. There are also large flattened millefiore canes in the main body of the glass and diagonal sweeping seaweed-like trails of acid etched shapes - bitten into the top layer of the glass. . Here, Ditchfield has been looking at Art Nouveau patterns and works by Loetz and Tiffany for inspiration - quite specifically the whiplash pattern and sweeping tendrils across the surface. The colours and decoration certainly remind me of an abstracted seascape. .
The vase is a larger one and measures some 7 3/4 inches in height. It is a stonking 9 1/2 inches wide at the widest point. The rim is 8 inches. It is a substantial pices of British vintage art glass and has a weight of nearly 2.2 kg.
It is a lovely tactile vase. It is in vintage condition and displays so beautifully. I love the rainbow lustres on the surface of the vase - it never displays the same and the colour are dependent on the light hitting it. These early unique collection vases by Ditchfield are now hard to find - and this is a very fair price for this one. I have taken lots of images for your inspection. I have never seen another piece of Ditchfield quite so lovely. It would be the "star" of your collection.
It is in excellent vintage condition with no damages.
The vase would be carefully packed and sent with Royal Mail Tracked and Signed Postage (Medium Parcel). This will be applied to your order at the checkout. It will also be fully insured against loss or damage in transit.