Charles Lotton Iridescent Art Glass Vase — Pulled Leaf and Vine

A striking example of American studio glass by Charles Lotton, the self-taught Illinois glassblower whose iridescent work carried the Tiffany and Steuben tradition into the late twentieth century and now sits in museum collections including the Smithsonian.

The form is a generous globe, seven inches tall, drawn in at the shoulder to a short neck and finished with a rolled, flaring lip. The body is cased in a deep aubergine-to-midnight iridescence that shifts through violet, blue, and bronze as the piece turns — a dense, velvety surface rather than a bright mirror finish. Over it runs a decoration of pulled and trailed leaves in pale butter-gold, each one hooked at the tip and tracing a slender vine down the body. The leaves stand slightly proud of the surface, so light catches them separately from the ground color, and the contrast between the cool dark field and the warm gold foliage is what carries the piece across a room.

The polished pontil is recessed into a broad base, with the artist's engraved signature and date running alongside it.

In excellent condition: no chips, cracks, or scratches, and no loss to the iridescent surface.