This cute little vase was made by the Heubach brothers (“Gebrueder Heubach” in German, hence the “G” superimposed over H” in the lower part of the mark). These initials are located below what appears to be a setting sun. Apparently the Heubach brothers are most known for porcelain dolls and figurines. Thus, this vase is a somewhat unusual find, and it is all the more unusual because of the silver overlay.

l believe the vase is from the last part of the 19th century. The setting sun mark was used starting in 1882, and the Art Nouveau silver overlay swirls, as well as the darling hand-painted cherubs, are consistent with that time period. Note that the silver is marked “STERLING,” on the top rim of the vase. That suggests that the vase was imported from Germany, and the silver work was done by an American company.

It is amazing to see such detail in both the painting and the silver when you consider how small the “canvas” was. The entire vase is three inches high, and the picture is less than half that size!

There is one tiny swirl of silver gone from the lower right side of the vase. I am showing you an enlarged picture of that area in my third image. The missing silver area, defined by the “ghost” of the swirl on the porcelain, is about two millimeters wide. The other swirls of silver are about the same size as the missing area, so you can see what is missing in your mind’s eye.

Other than that tiny booboo, the vase has no damage. The glaze has some minor variations in color, depending, I suppose, on the thickness of the application in any given area. This, of course, happened in the making, and you should be able to see from my large pictures, that the glaze color is really quite uniform—and on my monitor, in any case, the hue is rendered accurately. It has slightly more blue in it than a pure “grass” green, and the color is relatively unsaturated.

Please write with any questions. Whether your collecting interest is porcelain or silver overlay, you will be delighted with this adorable vase.