Vintage Porcelain Girl Vase
Written 10 May , 2010
The modern head hunters are no longer seen as the vicious beasts they once were. And they prefer ladies’ heads to the gentlemen. The porcelain girl is usually bereft of the body, with the pieces showing just the head. To compensate for the lack in anatomy, ceramic head vases usually have minute details as fancy hats, jewelry, and realistic facial features complete with make up. They usually come with floral designs in soft tones.
Lady head vases did not come until the early 1940s. So those that are produced in the 40s and 50s are now considered vintage. And these heads really held flowers when they were sold, bought and used in those years. And that was how they ended up in many homes. Today, vases with realistic figures may be considered vulgar to the modern tastes and they gave way to the geometric designs that are now popular. Thus, the porcelain girl no longer is just a vase but a piece for head hunters nowadays.
It is not hard to find lady head vases today. Online auction and local shops have a long line of collection at just 50 dollars or less. Some outstanding pieces may sell of a few hundreds but rarely more. If you are keen on head hunting, here are some interesting pieces that you should look for.
Glamour Girl. With shapely brows, thick black lashes, impeccable accessory, distinctive hair-do and a nice pout, she’s the perfect depiction of the mid 20th century style.
The glamour girl of the 40’s is not only captured in calendars and movie magazines. They are so in fine porcelain as lady head vases. Some of these pieces have the imprints “glamour girl” in them instead of the ubiquitous “made in the USA”. If you search through your grandmother’s attic, there is a fair chance that you can get one as they are very popular from the 40’s through the 60’s.
Celebrities. More popular than the glamour girl collection are the heads that depict famous and beautiful celebrities then. Marilyn Monroe, Jacqueline Kennedy and Lucille Ball have their likeness immortalized in porcelain. Produced late than the original ceramic heads, these pieces have more realistic features in nicer tones. Some even have fancy hats, pearl necklaces and earrings, and shapely hands that are well manicured. A Marilyn Monroe vase may be auctioned for not less that 600 dollars, while a Jacky O. vase may have a price tag of 300 dollars.
Outside the US, the Japanese makers are popular producers of head vases. Not to be missed is the geisha girl with its white painted face, red lips, elaborate kimono and the umbrella. They may be older than the vintage US collection and fetches a fairly higher price.