Hyacinth Vase Shapes

Antique Tall Churn Hyacinth Vases

cobalt blue seems to be the most popular common colour for the tall 19th century hyacinth vase, some look more blue, some are tinged with purple, sadly not captured by my camera

the earliest examples are hand-blown, somewhat uneven, varying in height but about 19 cm tall, all in this pic are hand-blown except the teal vase second from right which is mould-blown

shades of amethyst

generally with a shallow cup but with variations in cup height

Bristol Green Tall Churn Hyacinth Vase with a shallow cup

This colour has been called "Bristol green" as has the cobalt blue been called "Bristol blue".    

When vases were blown by hand they had a kick-up pushed into the bottom of the vase to ensure they would sit steadily on a flat surface. This kick-up (below) is one of the largest I have seen.

elongated bulbous shape

a variation on the tall churn shape is a bulbous shape at the bottom

these hand-blown vases really do need a kick-up to ensure they sit steadily on a surface, which the vase on the left does not do

Squat Bulbous Hyacinth Vases

This shape became very popular and was produced for many years (from the 19th century into the 20th century) in different colours and slight variations. They range from just under 14 cm tall to 14.5 cm tall.

like the tall vases, blue was the most common and popular colour for the squat bulbous vases

Tye Hyacinth Vases

Tye vases date from the 1850s; it's one of the few Georgian/Victorian glass hyacinth vase that is actually marked by the manufacturer, having been moulded and stamped on the bottom.

This is a Tye hyacinth vase, left and above, so named after the manufacturer George Piercy Tye (?-1879). It's a short, bulbous shape with a short rim. The short rim makes it easy to identify possible Tye vases and differentiate them from the many imitations but not all vases with a short rim are Tye; they are all marked on the bottom as well. Manufactured from 1850 for only about 10 years. Stamped on the bottom in a circle: "Gt Charles St, Birmingham" and in the middle: "G P Tye". Some also included "1850". There were also vases manufactured with a stamp on the bottom with only "GP TYE" as shown on two vases I bought recently, below.

Tye vase compared with a very similar example which is unmarked

as far as I know all Tye vases are marked

they appear to be exactly the same size

The vase below right was inspired by or an imitation of the Tye vase on the left. Notice the much larger rim. More examples are below.

all 3 of these amethyst vases have thin rims, the one on the right is Tye, as are the green and blue ones behind

the bases of the 3 amethyst vases , the Tye on the right is stamped on the base (not visible in this pic)

the two uranium vases on the left are Tye, on the right some squat terracotta hyacinth vases

Unique Hyacinth Vases

Some hand-blown vases defy categorization as "tall" or "squat" and are something in between.

all of these unique vases have deep kick-ups to ensure they sit steadily on a surface

one of the few marked (by the maker) hyacinth vases with a diamond registration mark on the base

diamond registration marks on the bases (will add a better pic in the spring after the bulbs are finished flowering)

a selection of other miscellaneous hyacinth vase shapes

Flattened Round Hyacinth Vase

The flattened round hyacinth vase shape is slightly later than the squat bulbous shape. Its cranberry colour was a very popular Victorian colour.

Flattened Round Hyacinth Vase

Another example of a flattened round hyacinth vase in cranberry, left, and in comparison with the other example and a round vase, below.

Round Hyacinth Vase

A round hyacinth vase, left, and in comparison with the flattened shape, above, late Victorian.

Sizes: the two round cranberry vases are 9 and 9.5 cm tall, the larger clear round vase is 11.5 cm tall, the amber teardrop 13.5 cm tall and the clear vase with the prongs is 10 cm to the top of the prongs.