Head Vase Q: I have a Jacqueline Kennedy head vase marked Inarco. I'm told it's valuable.
A: Head vases were made as early as the 1930s but were most popular in the 1950s and 1960s when they were used by florists. They usually are shaped like a woman or young girl from the shoulders up and are often "dressed" with a hat and jewelry. Most of the vases were made in the U.S. or Japan. Inarco is the name used by the International Art Ware Corporation, founded in 1960 in Cleveland, Ohio, by Irwin Garber. The company was bought by Napco, a Japanese giftware distributor, in 1986 and moved to Jacksonville, Florida. Napco is still in business and lists itself as an importer and distributor of products for the floral, gift, and decorative accessory industries. Your Jacqueline Kennedy head vase was made in 1964 and has sold for as much as $985, but prices are lower this year.
1 comment:
I love the article about head vases. They were just as popular in the 1940's, maybe more so. The ones I remember from the 1940's were of a better quality and more detailed. I bought my mother one in 1949 when I was 9 years old. The local florist had just stocked them. It was a lovely lady with black hair piled up on top of head in 1940's style. She was looking downwards with her head turned about 35 degrees. Her eyes were closed and she had black, lush eyelashes. She had on an off-the-shoulder blouse and there were touches of gold on it. The head was open at the top. We, usually me, would put a fluffy poppy in it and it looked like a big, Easter Parade hat! I'm using past tense, as I inherited it and lost it in a house fire! I replaced it with another, probably a 1950's, but the replacement just does not have the finesse or the gold. You can tell the decade by the style of hairdo and clothes. I have a "photo" of it in my brain, that is vivid and alive forever. Jackie in Seattle
Post a Comment