from the Glass Encyclopedia above: Coralene decoration on vase  above: typical coral pattern in "coralene"
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Coralene Glass: A short explanation: Coralene glass was a Victorian form of decoration on glass. A picture or design was painted onto the glass with "syrupy" enamel paint, and tiny glass balls were applied to this surface, then re-heated so they partially melted into the surface. The result looked a little like the rough surface of coral. Coralene was first patented in 1883 by Schierholz in Germany, but very soon afterwards was being exported in large volumes from Bohemia and also made in the USA by the Mt Washingon Glass Company in New Bedford. It was sometimes called "Coral beaded" or "Coralene beaded" and various other names. The Mt Washington coralene designs, as well as those from Bohemia, often imitated strands of coral patterned over the glass, like the small vase shown below left. The popularity of Coralene extended into the 1920's, and the vase top left has a 1923 date stamp on the silver rim, from a British silversmith. The vase itself was probably imported from Bohemia. In the early 1920's the Handel Company of Connecticutt, USA, produced a version which they named "Fabrikon". Recently (latter part of the 20th century) fake "coralene" pictures have been produced, sometimes on genuine original glass. If you are looking for coralene glass, you can usually find items on offer on ebay - click here to see the coralene glass listings currently for sale on ebay. These items are for sale right now on eBay.com - we thought you would like to see these examples. References and sources: 1: A.C. Revi Nineteenth Century Glass revised ed, Schiffer Publishing 1967. 2: Harold Newman An illustrated dictionary of glass 1987 edition. 3: R & L Grover Art Glass Nouveau Tuttle Co., 1967 4: R & D Truitt Collectible Bohemian Glass 1880-1940 p44, 1995 5: A.C. Revi American Art Nouveau Glass Schiffer Publishing Co. 1968. 6: Cyril Manley Decorative Victorian Glass 1981. |
