Topic: Ended Ebay Auction - Is this huge (and really awesome) bowl Kastrup?

[shandiane78]

I bought this on ebay - Item number 130157917266. I've been doing some research, and the deep purple stripes inside look a lot like those I've seen in some Kastrup vases. What do you think? At first I thought the bowl might be Murano, but I'm definitely leaning toward Scandinavian now.

Thanks!
Shannon

[shandiane78]

Here's a direct link, if people don't want to search by item number:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130157917266

Moderator: Long link shortened

[shandiane78]

Here's a Kastrup piece for comparison:

http://tinyurl.com/2rjcwd

[Pinkspoons]

I'd say no to a Kastrup attribution. I would say that your bowl, striking and decorative though it is, is probably also fairly modern and quite likely Polish in origin.

[shandiane78]

Thanks. Can I ask what leads you to this?

[Pinkspoons]

The finish of (or, rather, beginning of) the spiral decoration at the base of the piece seems very half-hearted. Kastrup, at the time of producing the decorated vase you linked to, were trying to overshadow Holmegaard as an art-glass factory, and so their decorative output between 1957-1965 are most often of exemplary quality. This is why, when Holmegaard merged with Kastrup in 1965, many of the Kastrup designs were retained - the coloured cased Gulvvase by Otto Brauer being the most famous example.

As for the Polish attribution... this is where most fashion-lead and slightly copyist glass of this nature has come from over the last couple of decades, along with China. More recently I believe there's a lot of big inexpensive glass coming out of India and Turkey too.

[shandiane78]

Thanks nic, for you opinion! I think this is a high quality piece, and the bottom does have wear that would suggest some age. I haven't seen anything like it in recent import glass (from Poland, China, etc, and I look at this stuff A LOT), but I will keep looking along that avenue, and also continue to look at Scandinavian glass. Do you think it could be Scandinavian?

I'm trying to trust my guts to some extent. The last time I thought I had something really nice, no one I asked was able to ID it, and someone suggested it could be from TJ Maxx or such. Well, after selling it, I asked the buyer and he was kind enough to tell me it was Leerdam. He got a great deal, and I got a little education, so I guess that's a fair trade, but I still wish I'd held out and had it properly ID'ed before selling.  I'm sure it would have made 3-5 times what I sold it for. :cry:

Thanks again!
Shannon

[Pinkspoons]

Do you think it could be Scandinavian?

Without a label or signature anything is possible - I only really know Kastrup and Holmegaard, and am frequently flummoxed by other glassworks. My first instinct is still Polish, though, based on the quality of the finish.