Morgan Vase on Stand

A spectacular Chinese porcelain vase sold at an 1886 auction of the art collection of Mrs. Mary J. Morgan. Newspaper accounts marveled at both the great price it brought, and the stunning beauty of the peach-bloom colored vase. The attention given the vase was not lost on the Wheeling, West Virginia, glassmaking firm Hobbs, Brockunier and Company, which had recently created a new line of glass called Coral Ware. This line featured a heat-sensitive cased glass that was colored a deep cherry red that gradually shaded to pale yellow on the outside with an opaque white interior. The coloring, though not a perfect match for the exotic shades present in the celebrated Chinese porcelain vase, was close enough that the firm saw great promise for the piece. The company worked quickly to produce a replica of the vase in glass, complete with a pressed-glass base that had five griffins for legs in the style of the original wooden base. By April 1886 the vase was added to the Hobbs line and was now called the Morgan Peachblow Vase, available along with the firm's other Coral Ware items (now also called Peachblow). The Morgan Vase proved to be a very popular item in terms of sales, successfully capitalizing on the notoriety of the original. The vase was manufactured with both glossy and acid-etched finishes.