Blue and Gold Cased Glass Vase. Pretty patterns throughout. Bright white interior with a blue bottom. Small paper label on bottom with information and prior price. 

Size: 4 x 4 x 12 in. 

Cased glass (also known as plated glass) is one of the most expensive and intricate forms of art glass. First developed in Bohemia in the early 19th Century, it was successfully copied by artisans in England in the 1840s, and then spread throughout Europe during the Victorian era. Similar to flashed glass, cased glass uses thick glass layers of different (often contrasting) colors pressed together that are then decorated or cut to expose the inside layer. A gaffer either gathers one layer over another gather, or inflates a gob of hot glass inside a preformed blank of another color. The two components adhere and are inflated together with frequent reheating until they have the desired form. Sometimes the upper layer is carved, cut, or acid-etched to produce cameo glass. Many modern cut glass pieces utilize the technique to better highlight the cuts made on the surface, providing colorful markings as well as additional strength of the glass overall. Some artists will press multiple layers together to create a vivid, deep effect, but the more glass layers applied the more difficult and likely to fail the object becomes, making the successful process a significant sign of pride and skill amongst glassmakers.