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Tulip Vases From the 1950s

A tulip vase has a base and a long cylindrical body; some replicate a tulip design. Styles of tulip vases in the 1950s reflected the artistic changes of the early post-World War II era. Some were made of pottery that had been painted, glazed and fired in a kiln, while the clear glass variety was also popular. Colors ranged from drab browns, burnt yellows, olive greens and Dresden blues to bright turquoise -- a very trendy color in the 1950s. Vintage tulip vases can be very valuable to collectors.

Per Lutken
- Danish designer Per Lutken crafted a tulip vase in the shape of a partially opened tulip blossom. It is in "Kingfisher" blue, one of the toniest colors of the 1950s. This vase is made of heavy glass, stands 9.5 inches tall and is 5 inches in diameter at its widest point. At the vase's heavy base, the color is a deep blue that becomes gradually lighter until it is a bright turquoise at its tulip-blossom top. As of 2011, in the U.S., this vase would fetch from $75-100 depending on its condition.
McCoy Pottery
- McCoy Pottery Company put out several tulip-shaped vases in the 1950s that were painted, clear-glazed and fired in a kiln; some are in an open, double-tulip design. They come in varying muted colors like oregano green, Dresden blue, mauve, burnt yellow, forest green and medium brown. If you were to purchase a McCoy tulip vase today from an antique dealer, it would cost you between $75-200, depending on wear and tear.
Fenton
- Fenton manufactured a pink-and-white pair of tulip vases in the 1950s. The base and stem of the vases are clear coral pink with narrow white vertical stripes. The vases stand 9 inches tall. The opening at the top of each vase resembles a pink lily in shape. It is an opaque coral pink, deepening in color closer to the rim. This pair of vases runs close to $400 in today's antique market.
Nils Landberg
- Nils Landberg, a Swedish glass designer, created a five-vase tulip series in 1956 in lightly shaded lead crystal.Their colors are amber, brown, light gray, dark gray and light blue. Each vase is 14-1/2 to 18-1/2 inches high and is engraved with the designer's and maker's marks. Each tulip vase is large at its base with a delicate, pencil-thin stem that leads to the budding, open-tulip design at the top. This group of tulip vases sold at Christie's in 2008 for $27,842.

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