Victorian Uranium ‘Jack-in-the-Pulpit’ glass vase, c. 1895

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Victorian Vaseline Uranium Glass ‘Jack-in-the-Pulpit’ vase, the trumpet form with slumped lip and two peaks, on a spreading foot.
Circa 1895

16.5cm high

good condition, slight signs of usage inside vase

‘Primrose Perline’ was the original advertised name for these wares. They contain a trace of Uranium, giving them an interesting yellow tone under normal light, which is astonishingly bright green under a UV / blacklight .
‘Jack-in-the-Pulpit’ is a common name for Arisaema triphyllum, a perennial plant native to the woodlands of eastern USA. The Victorians loved it due to the exotic tall flowers with broad rims. This is a specialised leaf known as a Spathe, and it encloses the spadix – the important parts of the flower, acting as both a protection, and through decoration, an attractor for the required pollinators, essential for reproduction. The spathe is commonly known as the ‘pulpit’, while the interior flower spadix is the ‘Jack’ – hence ‘Jack-in-the-Pulpit’.
The organic form of these vessels occur in the 1870’s-80’s, and are a precursor to the ‘Art Nouveau’ forms of the 1890’s onward.

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