Featured Portieux Vallerysthal Glass

It was all my fault that this topic began to take over a thread that was started for a different purpose. (Sorry DeAnne.) Since there may be others out there with a piece to show, a question to ask or a reference to share, thought I'd give Portieux Vallerysthal a home of its own.

The innocent question that started it all concerned my inability to find another example of this design in colorless frosted glass, which has the frosted texture on both outside and inside surfaces:



TallCakes found this wonderful site where, among other makers, the catalogs for VP for 1907 & 1908 can be viewed:

https://www.glas-musterbuch.de/Vall...BJRD02NSZwcm9kdWN0SUQ9MjQ1MSZkZXRhaWw9.0.html

A site with some info on the company's history was found by scoutshouse:

https://leverreetlecristal.wordpress.com/tag/vallerysthal/

Cherryhill explained Articles décorés à froid for us: 'Cold Decorated would indicate the piece was not fired (to set the enamel), but the enamel cured at room temperature.' This finally explained how another tortoise, also the only one of its type I have seen, was made:



The original request was for other search terms I might use besides the obvious ones in looking for anything more on my piece. Pâte de verre was suggested by scoutshouse. I've noticed that sellers sometimes use 'clear' when what they really mean is colorless. Other ideas? PV glass of your own? Let's gather here.

 

Happened across this one with a foil label; tho' the photos do not clearly show the label:
https://www.todocoleccion.net/vinta...ga-hecha-mano-anos-60~x32016688#sobre_el_lote

 

Finally, another one. It looks sort of silvery-grey, but think that's the blue background & trick of the light. Wonder how they figure it's about 60 years old? (At least I think that's what they mean, unless it's made in the 1960s.) I bought mine in 1995-96; no knowing how old it was then.

Thanks!

 

WOW! Nice catalogs + great find @TallCakes!

It's been a while since I've had any Portieux Vallerysthal and really came up with nada info when I did have it.

It's really one of my favorite things. Maybe because PV blue was my Aunt Shirley's "color."

 

I have only the one piece & do not have space to collect such large things, but I can easily see how a person could get taken with it. I like the heft of it. Even though designs like the tortoise have the same kind of whimsy you might have from Tiffany or Fabergé, they're not pretentious. Was it affordable for average working folk?

 

I'm taking about this stemware, blue or white.



But the figural work - wonderful, even intoxicating - but if found, I wouldn't hesitate to sell it!

 

Oh, I like the less decorative pieces too. A lot of people must have liked this blue, for there to be so much of it around.

 

This glass is often misrepresented as Vallerystahl.

I believe it is Imperial glass. It is also made in a tall footed tumbler.

 

Was about to say the same. Tallcakes helped teach me that.

https://www.replacements.com/webquote/imcprbt.htm

 

I was wondering what was going on with the shades of blue when I was looking at images of glassware identified as PV. There is this color, which I see as a very blue blue & then there is another that is more of a green blue. This page shows various blues described as PV:

https://www.chairish.com/product/10...IuMVZ7LixuAscKT-C9ano1yJQ7g4PtogaApDUEALw_wcB

Most of what is called opaline doesn't look deserving of the name. And is this really PV?

https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/77300-portieux-vallerysthal-yellow-opaline-vas

Another term I see get thrown around, sometimes in a way not in accordance with my limited understanding, is 'carnival glass'. If it's not iridescent, does it qualify?

 

I love that PV blue. I have found only a few pieces near here and sold them back in the day.
Recently I found some and my heart started pounding.They had the sticker on them too.
BUT- the estate sale runner wanted so much for each one that I had to pass.

 

I was looking around worthpoint to see if my sale was in there...

and came across this, @Bronwen described as Satin Glass Elephant Rider

Sold for $298 in 2013

 

I found this site by Gina Glavin. She sells a lot of PV and obviously considers herself something of an expert

Chalk Talk: A Lesson in Portieux Vallerysthal Sizing



And this 3" cordial from Replacements.com - the only piece of PV they have



The glassware I had was identified by someone who knew Imperial Glass well. He was my ace in the hole for all things glass, and I dearly miss him. He was a real character and appraiser/instructor in American glass.

Not that he couldn't have been wrong (now I'm curious), just an opportunity to say how much we all loved and depended on him. Everyone should be so lucky.



We looked forward to fall/winter when he busted out his full-length tweed coats, decorated with huge Weiss brooch.

I'll dig around a little more to see if I can find my old images. Thanks for all the great research!

 

Thanks for that link and photo.
One that I saw at the sale was the smallest cordial glass on the far right.

 

Anyone looking for PV - $15.00! On ebay.au

 

I am going to say they are guessing at the age. But I'm glad you finally found another one. I still think it's pretty rare.

 

She describes herself as 'a curator of tabletop accessories' and 'an avid collector of Portieux Vallerysthal Opaline'. She seems to have mainly stemware for sale, with this one exception currently:

http://store.ginaglavin.com/product...cherry-and-leaves-pattern-covered-sugar-dish/

It is informative to see the colors she confirms are genuine PV.

 

Yeah, I saw that

 

Here is a list of the pages on the glass & glass paste site you found that came up in a search for Vallerysthal:

https://leverreetlecristal.wordpress.com/?s=vallerysthal

We saw this design on the page you linked to on DeAnne's thread, elephant et son cornac:

https://leverreetlecristal.wordpres...er-et-sucrie-en-verre-de-vallerysthal-france/

The snail riding the tortoise really makes such a good shape; both critters are quite realistic & I find the texture of the shells very pleasing to the touch.

 

You're surely right about having to guess at the age. The catalogues give an idea of the oldest a design can be. As for the latest a design was in production...?

Maybe I can make the claim that mine is the only one of this design in this color in this hemisphere!