WEST LOOP — Just outside Richmond, Virginia, Jessica Vincent and her partner lead a quiet life raising polo ponies. It’s hard work, so to release tension and have fun, they frequently go thrifting at their local Goodwill.
And that’s where Vincent saw it: a large, red and green striped glass vase that seemed to be calling her name.
She didn’t know it then, but six months later that vase would sell for $107,100 at a Chicago auction house to a European art collector.
“I’m definitely starting out with a bang,” Vincent said, laughing.
A Magical Thing
It was a busy day in June, with carts and people crowding the Goodwill aisles as they searched for trinkets and treasures. Vincent spotted the tall, stately vase soon after entering, but because it was in the middle of a shelf near the end of the occupied aisle, she shopped for about half an hour before circling back to inspect it.
“When I picked it up, it was just sort of a magical thing,” Vincent said. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so good.’ It just it just had that look of something quality and different — which, I go for the different, anyway.”
Though Vincent was no expert, she had done enough recreational thrifting to recognize a few signs of a legit glass piece.
Right away, Vincent noticed the vase’s size and heft, as well as its iridescence and unique brushstroke-like design, she said. It didn’t appear to have any chips or cracks. Once she turned it over, she could see its bottom was somewhat worn, suggesting it may be older. It also contained a “Murano” acid signature, which Vincent knew to be a type of glass, but not much else.
By then, Vincent’s interest had been piqued. As a self-described “maximalist” who loves decorating her home in lots of second-hand art and objects, the vase was the perfect addition to her collection, Vincent said.
Rather than allow it to bop about in the cart, Vincent carried the vase in her arms. It had no price tag; an employee offered a $3.99 price at the register.
“I knew it was good, and I thought, you know, maybe it might be [worth] like $1,000 or $2,000,” she said. “I was just curious more than anything. I wanted to go home and research it.”
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A Shocking Discovery
Vincent snapped photos and posted them in an art glass identification group on Facebook seeking information. Right away, the photos began generating interest from members, and a commenter identified it as a Carlos Scarpa-designed “Pennellate” vase, made by Italian glass company Venini in 1947.
Simultaneously, Vincent got a private message from someone asking to buy it for $10,000.
She was stunned.
“It was just sort of a whirlwind,” she said. “Just to find that the way I found it, it just is so surreal. And it really gave me chill bumps every time I talked about it or I heard somebody say all these crazy good things about it. It was just unbelievable.”
A member of the group suggested Vincent reach out to Wright, a West Loop auction house owned by Richard Wright that has a specialty in Italian glass, among other valuables. She once again sent in a few pictures and quickly heard back.
“I immediately asked if I could call her,” Wright said. “As soon as I got her on the phone, I realized that this was the real deal, because it’s important to understand that … there are forgeries that exist.”
Noted as a “masterwork” and “one of the rarest pieces” the auction house has offered in over a decade, the piece was part of the Pennellate series designed by Scarpa for Venini in 1942. Vincent’s piece was from 1947.
Pennellate translates to brushstroke, which was done by adding colored opaque glass to the piece as it was being blown, according to the auction house. Pieces of the collection are rare because of the complexity in their design and creation.
But it’s the second item from the series Wright has seen. The first time he encountered it over 30 years ago became a learning lesson. He had acquired a piece that was a different shape and color combination, but Chicagoans wouldn’t buy it because it was too “ugly,” he said.
Wright took it to Brimfield Market in Massachusetts, where a well-known dealer with a reputation for tough negotiation bought it from him immediately for $1,200.
“I was like, ‘I think I made a mistake here,’” he said with a chuckle.
This time, Wright wanted to get the vase, and the seller, the justice it deserved.
Wright contacted his two go-to Italian glass specialists, whom he considers to be his “secret sauce” in valuing and dealing items like these. They drove from New York to Virginia to see it for themselves.
They gave the piece the thumbs-up, but Vincent wasn’t ready to let it go yet. First, she wanted to make sure her artist mother had a chance to see it in person, as well as get photos for a painting her mother plans to do of the vase.
When she was ready, Vincent drove to the auction house’s New Jersey location and handed it off so it could be photographed and put on display before it hit the auction block.
On Dec. 13, it sold for six figures at Wright’s Important Italian Glass auction. Vincent will receive about $85,000 from the sale.
A Christmas Miracle
Vincent said the money “couldn’t have happened for me at a better time” after recently buying an old farmhouse that needs updates, like heat and a dishwasher. After doing a few updates, she intends to save the rest.
“I was just looking at getting HVAC and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can have heat now!’” she said. “This is just my Christmas miracle. It’s just awesome.”
Wright said he was proud to help Vincent get top dollar for the vase — not only because it’s an incredible piece, but because of the human element.
“This is a meaningful amount of money,” he said. “That’s a really cool part of what we do. … There’s a responsibility to try to meet everybody’s expectations, present it perfectly, and get it sold for a nice price.”
As for future thrifting, Vincent said she has no plans to slow down, and she will now be even more mindful and inquisitive of the items she finds. Her secret power: trusting her intuition, she said.
“I just sort of trust my instincts on things and if I feel like, ‘Oh, maybe this is something,’ I don’t question it,” she said.
For thrifters who hope to someday get their own lucky payoff, Vincent said to keep going.
“It’s something I never thought would happen, but I never crossed out of my mind, either,” she said. “I’m always hopeful that I’m going to find something good. It finally happened. It can happen can happen to anybody, if it can happen to me.”
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