1940s Nelson McCoy Butterfly Vase Pink Lavender Matte Art Pottery 8 Inch

Dating to approximately 1942, this vintage Nelson McCoy Butterfly Line vase is a beautiful example of early American art pottery with an especially appealing pastel glaze. The tall cylindrical form is decorated around the upper portion with raised butterflies surrounded by stylized flowers, leaves and foliage, creating a dimensional botanical design characteristic of McCoy’s collectible Butterfly pottery.

The matte glaze is predominantly a soft blush pink with subtle lavender, lilac and pale purple shading visible throughout the molded decoration. Creamy highlights across the raised butterflies and foliage further emphasize the relief and give the glaze considerably more depth than a solid pink finish. Introduced by Nelson McCoy Pottery in 1942, the Butterfly Line was produced in a selection of pastel colors and has become a recognizable design among collectors of vintage McCoy and American pottery.

The vase measures approximately 8 inches tall with a rim diameter of approximately 4 1/4 inches. It remains in attractive vintage condition with no observed post-production chips, cracks or repairs. Age-related glaze crazing is present. An irregular area in the clay and glaze along the rim and inside edge appears to have occurred during manufacture. A shallow trench-like clay-body irregularity is also visible beneath the glaze on the interior bottom and is not a crack. These production characteristics are shown in the photographs for careful assessment.

With its large 8-inch form, dimensional butterfly motif and unusual pink-to-lavender pastel coloration, this 1940s Nelson McCoy vase offers wonderful display presence for a collection of McCoy Pottery, vintage American art pottery, Depression era ceramics, butterfly collectibles or pastel pottery.