The AEAA is very pleased to present this next piece of valuable Vaseline Opalescent glass from the respected Loren (Butch) Morse collection. This lot represents a rare 1880s English hand blown, Vaseline Opalescent spiral ribbed bulbous & tri-crimped rim bud vase, by the artisans of James Powell (Whitefriars). Our antique vase features the slight thickness and very subtle Opalescence for which Jamel Powell was known (see history below). It is in excellent condition and explodes under black light, weighing 10 oz., and measuring 3.5 x 3.5 x 7.5 inches tall. Loren Morse was a respected family man and Vaseline collector, and his untimely passing a year ago was a blow to everyone. The Morse family gratefully appreciates your participation in this Estate sale. xxxxxxxxxxxxx. In 1834 James Powell (1774–1840), a London wine merchant and entrepreneur, purchased the Whitefriars Glass Company, a small glass-works off Fleet Street in London, believed to have been established in 1680. During the latter part of the 1800s the firm, run by Powells sons, formed a close association with leading architects and designers such as T G Jackson, Edward Burne Jones, William De Morgan and James Doyle. Whitefriars produced the glass that Philip Webb used in his designs for William Morris. The firm’s production diversified in the 1850s to include domestic table glass after supplying the glassware for William Morris's Red House. In 1875 Harry James Powell, grandson of the founder and an Oxford graduate in chemistry, joined the business. His training, which led to more scientific production and innovations such as previously unattainable colours and heat-resistant glass, for applications in science and industry, like X-ray tubes and light bulbs. New production lines such as hand blown opalescent glass proved to be extremely successful, as well as the production of subtle iridescent hand blown Art Nouveau glass, produced in the 1880s & 1890s. The firm took part in major exhibitions around the world during this period, and designs were copied from historical Venetian and Roman glass found in European museums and art galleries. The firm's name was changed to Powell & Sons (Whitefriars) Ltd in 1919 and the growth in business demanded new premises. In 1923 the new factory was opened in Wealdstone. Despite a flourishing business, the great expense of the new factory scuttled plans to construct a village to house the workers in a style fashionable during the Arts and Crafts movement.

Excellent condition