Josef Inwald Barolac Art Deco Winged Vase – Rosaline Glass, Set of Two, c.1930s Bohemia

Two is better than one. Especially when the two in question are a matched pair of Josef Inwald Barolac Art Deco winged vases in rosaline glass, made in Bohemia in the early 1930s. You are looking at one of the most dramatically beautiful pairs of pressed glass ever produced — and the fact that you can own both for 100 euros is, frankly, the art world's problem to explain.

Josef Inwald's Barolac glassworks in Bohemia were producing some of the most inventive and collectible pressed glass of the entire Art Deco period. The winged vase — with its two sweeping side wings that rise from a square geometric base and curl outward at the top like a frozen moment of flight — is among the most recognisable and sought-after of their designs. The interior swirling relief pattern spirals downward into the base with hypnotic precision. The scalloped rim adds a final flourish of period drama. Having two of them side by side is simply unfair to every other object in the room.

The colour is that warm rosaline amber-pink that shifts from deep amber at the base to a soft blush pink in the wings, depending entirely on how the light decides to behave that day. In direct sunlight they glow. In candlelight they smoulder. On a mantelpiece they simply own the space.

Now, about the imperfections. These pieces have them, and they are worth talking about. There are fine glass threads — slivers of molten glass that landed on the surface during production and fused there — and a small air bubble or two trapped in the glass. These are production characteristics, not damage. They are the direct result of these being made by hand, in a factory where molten glass was being worked at extraordinary temperatures by skilled craftspeople who were, after all, only human. Every one of these marks is original to the pieces and over 90 years old. They are part of the story.

Height: 25 cm each
Width: 12.5 cm each
Material: Rosaline pressed glass
Maker: Josef Inwald, Barolac glassworks
Origin: Bohemia (Czech Republic)
Style: Art Deco
Year: circa early 1930s
Condition: Very good — original production imperfections (glass threads, minor air bubbles), no chips or cracks
Sold as: Set of two matching vases

WARNING: These vases have a combined wingspan that will require more shelf space than you think, more attention from visitors than you are prepared for, and more explaining than you bargained for. Questions such as "where did you find those" and "are those Lalique" will be asked — in the plural. The correct answer to the second question remains "no, they're better." Maison de L'oro stands by this position entirely, twice over.