Jack in the Pulpit Vases

The Jack in the Pulpit style of vase is a popular favorite of many collectors.

The vases and other glassware items were inspired by the plant, Jack in the pulpit, a beatiful American wild flower, but to those who collect glassware, it no longer conjured images of the northern woods where the plant grows but a vase that has long been a collectors favorite and is sometimes difficult to find.

The Jack in the pulpit vase is very often attributed to Loius Tiffany, but in reality, the vases were actually devised a bit longer ago than this version of history.

According to David M Issitt a leading authority on British glassware, the pattern books of Stevens and Williams show a vase done in the style of the Jack in the Pulpit that was made about 1854.

What this means is that while Tiffany may have named that particular stype of vase, being mindful of the American flower perhaps, he was absolutely not the first to devise the pattern or stype and produce it.

Issit also believes that the vase which was produced in 1854 was in fact the first version of the Jack In the pulpit style, in either England or the USA.

Whatever their history, they are a much sought after collectors item today, avidly collected in all of their amazing colorations, and prices can swing widely from one extreme to another, dependent of course upon where you find your particular piece.

If you’re looking for something unique in collectibles, look around for Jack in the PUlpit vases. I’ve found several at very reasonable prices on ebay, as well as at the always interesting yard and garage sales.