Rare Pair Of Blue John Urn Vases

Dimensions : H 19 cm x D 10 cm

Very beautiful and rare pair of amethyst fluorite urn vases also called fluorspar and more commonly known as “Blue-John”.


These covered vases, urn-shaped, are topped by a cap ending with a gilded bronze pine cone.
The pedestals also in gilded bronze, chiseled, fluted and curved with a beaded line rest on a square base with hollowed-out angles.


The body is decorated with satyr heads forming a handle, very finely worked in gilded bronze.
LThe beautiful color of this blue-john varies from different purple hues to yellow-brown with crystalline effects of colors and movements in the stone.


Work from the beginning of the 19th century attributed to Matthew Bolton due to the quality of the stone enhancing the meticulous and splendid work of the bronze.


Restoration of use, small repairs and chips




The rarity of items Blue-John:


The history of 18th and 19th century Blue John vases is a most fascinating subject.
Although fluorite is a fairly common material and mined all over the world, it is important to differentiate the Blue-John variety which only comes from one deposit, near Castleton, Derbyshire, England.
It was Matthew Boulton who, from 1767, relaunched the manufacture of Blue-John objects.
In order to compete with the particularly appreciated French art and realizing that earthenware was too fragile, he turned to a “spar” in semi-precious stone.
Blue-John is the only variety of fluorite to possess qualities significant enough to classify it as a gemstone. Its rarity and the colors it presents make it a very sought-after stone even today. Due to the fragility of the gem, the few objects that have reached us are therefore prized by the greatest collectors.


In the 18th and 19th centuries, Matthew Boulton positioned himself as the largest buyer of Blue-John (around 14 tonnes) and manufactured objects such as urns, vases, candlesticks, candelabras and clocks, in Blue-John and in “gilded bronze”.


cThis rare and prestigious stone attracts the attention of Royalty and nobility. He thus executed large orders for England, but also for France and Russia. It is through his production (and the pieces of Robert Adam) that the fashion and prestige of Blue-John was launched.
The magnificent complexity of the bands of blue, purple and yellow colors romantically shaped its name. The French, who were very fond of these objects, distinguished them by their “blue-yellow” colors (in french « bleu-jaune) which, in a more English accent, meant “blue-john”


Blue-John vases from this period are famous for their elegance and complexity. The carefully cut and polished stone reveals incredibly beautiful natural patterns, adding a unique dimension to each piece.


Blue John has amazed more than one art. In addition to its artistic value specific to the condition of a semi-precious stone, it inspires poetic reflections, thus symbolizing itself in poetry as a rare, ephemeral beauty with a unique character, defining the particularity of each individual as it distinguishes each Blue-John Vase; The beauty of nature, the elegance of human craftsmanship and the individuality of each stone creating unique and captivating patterns on each vase.


These vases are not only decorative objects but also testify to the grandeur of Victorian England and the skill of the craftsmen of the time in shaping this fragile stone.


The colors seem to dance and come to life within each room. The brilliance of each color is expressed in silence by the sparkle of a perfect and ephemeral beauty, captured in time and delicately sculpted by masters. A treasure with purple nuances that harmonizes perfectly with the golden richness of the finely chiseled bronze.


Today, only the Blue-John mine in Treak Cliff, England, is still in operation. Old pieces are still highly sought after


Prestige and quality of the stone make these objects rare museum and collector's items.


Thus, several works are exhibited in Museums such as the Natural History Museum in London, the Buxton Museum, Warwick Castle, Chatsworth House, also in the Vatican and in other world museums


Examples of pieces sold:

Beautiful pieces have thus been sold to collectors as in 2004 in Paris, estimated for 75,000 euros and sold for 90,249 euros for a pair of felines.

In 2005, at Sotheby's in New York, a pair of perfume burners fetched $12,000

In 2015, in London, a small urn sold for £21,000

More recently in 2020 and 2021, sold in Paris, respectively for 14,720 euros, a pair of Blue-John vases attributed to Matthew Boulton of similar height to ours (19 cm),

and 14,168 euros for a single vase, in Blue-John, height 45.5 cm.

Or a pair of Perfume Burner vases from the George III period and having belonged to Sir Nicholas Goodison, sold by Christie's in London in 2022 and estimated between 180,000 and 300,000 euros