Paolo Venini Art Glass Vase

Appraised on: June 19, 1999

Appraised in: Baltimore, Maryland

Appraised by: Vivian Highberg

Category: Glass

Episode Info: Naughty or Nice (#1420)

Originally Aired: December 20, 2010

IMAGE: 1 of 3  

Appraisal Video: (1:23)

GUEST: My father bought it in about 1962, somewhere around that time frame.

APPRAISER: And do you remember how much you paid for it?

GUEST: I think in the realm of $50.

APPRAISER: Maybe we'll turn it around now.

GUEST: My father named it Evelyn.

APPRAISER: This is Evelyn.

GUEST: This is Evelyn.

APPRAISER: Why did he name it Evelyn?

GUEST: Because my father thought it looked like my mother, and my mother didn't appreciate that at all.

APPRAISER: No? Well, I think if she looked like this, she looked very, very good. It is done from the glassworks of Paolo Venini. He's an Italian glass maker, and he had a glass house in Murano, Italy. They're still in production, but it has nothing to do with the family, and it's changed quite a bit. And I think the piece was designed by Fulvio Bianconi. So it's a very rare piece, very rare.

GUEST: I'll be, I'll be.

APPRAISER: And you can also look at it beside a lovely hourglass nude. If you look, it looks like a cat-- two eyes and two ears, and it has a pulled feather design. This is an old technique. I think you'll be happy to know that your father made a wonderful investment, and Evelyn should stay in your possession, because...

GUEST: Yeah, Evelyn's not going anywhere. ...

APPRAISER: Evelyn at auction could go from $8,000 to $10,000.

GUEST: Wow. Oh, you made me get goosebumps.