Major events in the Dutch royal family are celebrated with a special 'vase of Orange' in the royal colour.
Since 1927 there have been 12 vases from Leerdam, and an honorary 'ghost at the wake', the 'orange-peel' vase designed by Rozendaal for Kristalunie in 1938.
  
  
1-The Juliana Vase - C. Lanooy (Leerdam, 1927)


The first Oranje vaas was produced to celebrate the eighteenth birthday of Princess (later Queen) Juliana (b. 1909).

1a.-The vase was produced again in 1934 to celebrate the Princess's 25th birthday (and it's virtually impossible to distinguish between the two editions.)

Current value (2009): € 180

2-The Beatrix Vase - A. Copier (Leerdam, 1938)


Copier's design is a clear continuation of the Lanooy concept. It was sold as part of the Sonoor collection and sometimes has the Sonoor label.

Current value (2009): € 195

2a-A replica edition was produced in 2002 but has a much brighter orange colour than a typical original. (Approved replica's should have an engraved letter Q on the base.)

Current value (2009): € 85
3-The Orangepeel Vase - Rozendaal (Maastricht, 1938)


The Maastricht factory takes a different approach to it's royal tribute. Rozendaal's ball-shaped vase is mostly covered in a coloured, textured layer which closely resembles orange peel. It seems to have been created using the new Johnson-Matthey 'Crinkles' technology.

The Leerdam Glass Factory was given the cachet Royal Leerdam in 1957, and no further royal vases were produced by Maastricht.

Current value (2009)vase: € 300
Current value (2009)(vase with box):€ 375
4-The Liberation Vase - A. Copier (Leerdam, 1945)


Sometimes known as the 'Oranje Appel', Copier made a second vase to celebrate the end of German occupation ('bevrijding'), Copier's design was made by semi-automated technique using material normally reserved for making brake-lights.
It was produced in quite large numbers and remained available in the factory shop until the late 1960's.

Current value (2009): € 70

5-50 years of Liberation - v.d.Vaart (Leerdam,1995)


A limited edition of 200 unnumbered items with lazer mark Royal Leerdam'.
The high price of this vase is partly a result of the discolouration which has affected some of them. (see below)

Current value (2009): € 850
6-50 years of Liberation - v.d.Marel (Leerdam,1995)


A limited edition of 200 items with lazer mark Royal Leerdam'.
Colour and strength of optic are variable,

Current value (2009): € 400
7-The Maxima Vase - W.Noyens (Leerdam,2002)


A limited edition of 300 numbered items.
Celebrating the marriage of crown Prince Willem-Alexander to Maxima on 02-02-2002. Individually signed.
The initial production was for 200 vases which are marked up to 200/200 but a further order for 100 soon followed and were marked 201/300 et seq.

Current value (2009): € 500
8-The Amalia Vase - M. Jonker (Leerdam, 2003)


A limited edition of 500 numbered items.
Celebrating the birth of Crown Princess Amalia first child of Prince Willem Alexander and Princess Maxima.

Current value (2009): € 500
9-The Alexia Vase - W. Noyens (Leerdam, 2005)


To celebrate the birth of Maxima's second daughter on 26-6-2005. A limited edition of 1000 pieces with the mark 'Q' (by Replique).

Current value (2009): € 80

10-Beatrix Silver Jubilee - J. Popadic (2005)


Two similar vases; the larger in an edition of 250, and the smaller in an edition of 1000 pieces. To celebrate 25 years on the throne. A larger version was also made for presentation to Queen Beatrix herself.

Current value (2009) large vase: € 325
Current value (2007) small vase: € 170

11-The Ariane Vase - Floris Meydam (Leerdam, 2007)


To celebrate the birth of Maxima's third daughter on 10-04-2007. A limited edition of 1000 pieces.
Of the 1000 pieces delivered to Leerdam, approx 300 were returned to be destroyed and new items were made and marked 1001-1300 of 1300

Current value (2007): € 100


12 - Juliana 100 - Siem van der Marel (Leerdam, 2009)


Launched on April 30th, 2009, the vase in inspired by the Sweet Pea which was the queen's favorite flower.
Edition of 2500(?!).

Available from http://www.oranjevaasje.com/

Current value (2009): € 125



Discolouration and Colour Variation


The brown discolouration is caused by (excessive) exposure to light. An extreme example of a general problem.
The colour 'orange' (as distinct from 'amber', 'goudamber' and 'geel') was introduced at Leerdam in 1927 but proved to be tricky in production. Many of the problems with it can be seen in examples of the orange vases.
The orange oxides which were used to colour the glass can often go cloudy (and lighten the tint) if they are not cooled carefully. The same process means that the colour is never very exact. Designs with even sides are less badly affected and those which have great variation in thickness are consequently almost always cloudy in the thickest areas. The cloudy stem of the Wilhelmina bokaal shows this problem.
During the issue of recent vases there has been a 'display cabinet' at the Glass Museum which has been used to display a large number of vases. Buyers have been allowed to choose the example for themselves, a lighter or darker tint with greater or lesser transparency.
Particular colouring oxides also suffer from a more serious problem, with excessive light being responsible for a dramatic darkening of the colour. The van der Vaart vase seems particularly susceptible (see photo). This irreversible damage is more-usually a yellow colour in Dutch glass (occassionally purple) and normally causes quite mild discolouring (It's particularly common with Copier's 'dikwandig' (heavy-sided) vases which may have sat on a sunny window-sill for many years.)

The Dutch Royal family is the House of Orange, and uses the surname 'van Oranje-Nassau', so what other colour would you expect to see during royal occassions? There are several other orange vases of very similar style which were made at Leerdam, but they are not part of this royal series.
This particular example is a (fully-marked) Copier serica with no royal connection. It's currently valued at over 800 euros.
Since 1995 part of the sales price has been donated by Leerdam to one of the royal charities. Despite the limited editions of later items there are also non-numbered items in circulation. These were obtained by collectors directly from the factories.
www.oranjevaasje.nl
Wilhelmina Bokaal
Attributed to AD Copier, 1948?

Floris Meydam believes that it was designed by Copier, but there is no documentary evidence yet found in the archives. There are stories that it was given away to schoolchildren in Leerdam, but nobody can quite remember when it happened (which is odd?!)
The decision of the National Glass Museum to include it under the heading 'oranjevaas' is debated among collectors. It's not obviously intended to be used as a vase, and it's also not clear that it was ever produced for sale through Leerdam.
In the coming years the first-hand memories of this event are going to disappear and the chance to retrieve the missing information will be gone.

Current value (2009): € 300


A Selection of Glass Commemorating Queen Wilhelmina

Candlesticks in the form of the letter W. Produced by Kristalunie (labelled), 1938?
Vases with decal decoration celebrating 40 years 1898-1938)
Waterglass with machine engraved 'badge'. Celebrating 50 years, 1898-1948
Kristalunie tumblers with gold decal (1958?)