Preliminary identification
Photo reference
5 uploaded photos
Overview
A striking mid-century art glass bowl featuring an intense cobalt blue body with a dramatic scalloped, petal-like rim. The deep, saturated color is accented by darker, almost black-toned glass along the outer ridges, creating a beautiful sense of depth and movement.
Story
During the 1960s, American glassmakers in West Virginia transformed functional homeware into vibrant sculptural art. This bowl's electric cobalt hue was achieved by adding trace amounts of cobalt oxide to the molten glass batch.
Maker / Origin
While unsigned, this piece is highly characteristic of the mid-century American art glass movement, led by legendary companies like Viking Glass and Blenko. These workshops relied on highly skilled teams of gaffers who shaped molten glass by hand, ensuring no two pieces were ever completely identical.
Condition & Value
The bowl appears to be in very good vintage condition with strong color clarity. There is a small inclusion or surface mark visible in the close-up photo, which appears to be a manufacturing artifact (such as an ash or carbon inclusion) rather than post-production damage.
Full Research
Sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance pulled from recent auction results.
Build on this identification
Layer in sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance.
Comparable demand stays strongest where maker, originality, and venue confidence line up. Broader examples still trade, but the range tightens quickly when provenance, condition, or selling lane fit is missing.
Best Venue
Specialty auction or a focused dealer with buyers already in this lane.
Signed example with light edge wear and original frame.
Comparable format with stronger provenance and cleaner surface.
Smaller related piece with visible craquelure and trimmed margins.
Period match with softer condition and weaker subject matter.
Close market lane comp with similar material and presentation.