Mdina Glass Blue Tulip – Mouth-Blown Art Glass Flower, 1970s Malta

A glass tulip that is more tulip than most actual tulips. Made in Malta by Mdina Glass in the 1970s, this hand-blown beauty comes in two shades of blue — a deep cobalt centre and soft sky-blue outer petals — with a long, gently curved green glass stem and applied glass leaves at the base. The kind of thing that looks like it took someone a very focused afternoon to make, and it probably did.

Unlike real tulips, this one will not wilt, drop petals on your windowsill, or die dramatically after five days. It has been going strong for 50 years and shows no signs of stopping. A genuinely lovely object that works as a standalone piece, in a vase, or as part of a collection of glass flowers for people who want flowers but can't be trusted with plants.

• Maker: Mdina Glass, Malta
• Period: 1970s
• Material: Mouth-blown art glass
• Colours: Cobalt blue & sky blue flower, green stem and leaves
• Dimensions: 31 × 7 cm
• Weight: 200 grams
• Condition: Excellent vintage — no chips or cracks

WARNING: This tulip will outlive every plant you have ever owned. It requires no water, no sunlight, no talking-to, and no guilt when you forget about it for three weeks. Maison de L'oro accepts no responsibility for any subsequent realisation that glass flowers are simply better, or for the resulting collection that will inevitably follow.