Thin white opalescent layer encased with a thick colorless layer, overlayed with a purple glass layer. Etched, copper wheel engraved, and polished. Compressed ovoid form with flaring neck. The vase is carved with songbirds perched amongst blossom, the reserve with raised foliate scroll, the flared neck with formal flower and leaf pattern below a fretsaw border with an everted foot and chevron band.

This vase adds a distinctive feature to our extensive collection of English cameo glass of the late 19th century. It has three layers of glass: (1) an opalescent white background, (2) a colorless etched and engraved layer, and (3) a pink engraved layer on top. The engraving of the colorless glass is particularly subtle, with contrasting matte and polished surfaces that seem to float on the opalescent background. Beginning in the mid-1870s, cameo glass was largely responsible for the fame of English glass made in and around the town of Stourbridge.