Authentic vs Reproduction Daum Nancy Art Glass
It is well documented that some Daum Nancy vases can be worth more than $10,000. And in the world of antiques, forgers and scammers start showing up once the prices get high enough. As you are reading this, hundreds of reproduction Daum Nancy vases are being manufactured (mostly in eastern Europe and China). Fortunately though, after reading this guide you will know more about how to spot a fake than 99% of professional antique dealers out there. I am going to cover the three basic types of fakes.
Fakes Marked Tip or with Devil’s Tail Mark
A lot of the fakes being made today really aren’t intended to deceive. They might be moderately reminiscent of the Daum style, but the only thing that would lead anyone to think they are Daum would be the mark that says Daum Nancy. Most of these reproductions have a mark similar to what is shown on the right hand side of this page. I call this the devil’s tail mark. The Y from Nancy has looped around and the makers have added two notches to signify The Cross of Lorraine. Some vases are produced with the designation “TIP” on them. If you see TIP, that means that it was done in the style of Daum Nancy, but that it is not original. Sadly though, the majority of fakes don’t say TIP or the TIP designation has been cut off and removed. These modern reproductions usually have cartoonish designs and a general blandness.
Daum Nancy Style Knock-Offs, Part 1
These are slightly more deceiving, but still exceptionally easy to spot once you know what the real deal should look like. I went out to ebay and pulled some listings of a couple of fakes and then went out to real auction houses and pulled pictures of the authentic vases that the fakes are attempting to copy. Check out these three things on the sailboat vase: Color, thickness, and depth.
Color: Authentic Daum Nancy vases don’t have glass that is all one single color. If you look at the rim of the real vase you will see orange, brown, dark, and even clear glass. That is very typical of Daum. The fake vase is just a single bland yellow color. You can see where the forgers have tried to add a few orange spots, but those appear to just be on the surface and not part of the glass.
Thickness: Look at how thick the rim is on the fake! It looks like you could throw it at a wall and it wouldn’t break. Most authentic Daum vases are going to have much lower profile rim. It will also be rounded and usually have clear glass showing. The fake is about three times too thick and it is much too flat.
Depth: I am referring to the depth of the scene. The authentic vase has a great perspective. It looks like you are genuinely looking out at the sea. The fake vase just kind of has some ships thrown on the foreground.
Daum Nancy Style Knock-Offs, Part 2
Here is another fake that was “inspired” by an authentic Daum Nancy vase. Let’s look at everything that is wrong with the fake.
The first thing an expert will notice is the signature. Every authentic Daum winterscene vase I have seen was marked in gilt on the bottom of the vase. I don’t recall ever seeing a piece with a mark on the side in red. That requires experience to catch that. There are some easier tells.
First off, the detail in the snow is terrible. There is also absolutely no depth to the design. I don’t feel like I am looking into a snowy birch forest. There are just a couple of trees with snow. So the level of detail is very poor. Secondly, look at all the colors of glass in the authentic vase. The copy did a decent job trying to mimic the swirling and mottled glass, but it still came up short. The rim on the fake is again much too thick and flat.
Vases By Other Makers With Added Daum Signatures
These are always bizarre to see. The vase on the right would be an example of the first type of fake/reproduction we covered. It is mildly similar to an authentic Daum shape, and I suppose some genuine vases have a hint of green with a forest scene. However, it has the giveaway devil’s tail mark and is just in general no where close to what real Daum looks like.
The vase on the left is just junk. Someone has taken a felt pen and added the words “Daum Nancy” to the bottom of the vase. This looks like a moderately old vase that has a rather crudely painted flower scene. This is one of those vases that would hopefully only fool a weekend picker into spending $10 at a thrift store. The vase is so far off from what real Daum Nancy looks like that I can’t imagine anyone with access to research material would think that it is authentic.
In Conclusion
First and foremost, know what patterns and design styles Daum Nancy used. If you think you are looking at a fake, then check the rim, check the glass color, and check the quality of the design. I don’t always advise getting too caught up on the mark, but if you have the above mentioned “devil’s tail” mark, then that is a giveaway that you are dealing with a fake.
You can always ask me. I happily provide free authenticity opinions. Just email some pictures.
