Topic: Is it identifiable?

[TxSilver]

A frustrating situation: I would have liked to see the pictures, but they aren't there - just the one on the site of svazzo who is really a good authority of Murano weights (from my experience).

Everyone is in quite an uproar -  now the animosity has me quite piqued!  Anyway to re-post the picture of the weight in question?

If you would like to see the PW, it is 130286979285 on eBay right now.

[Cathy B]

Hi Interiorforms, and welcome to the board!

It sometimes can take years to identify a piece. On occasion I've had to wait until someone digs through some archive somewhere and unearths original documents, and then publishes a book! This is a very knowledgeable paperweights group and we newbies are very lucky they give their time to help us. Not answering your query within three days was in no way intended as an insult or snub - it's just that no-one recognised your piece. We've all got shelves of unidentified glass. Patience is a virtue, as they say. 

As to your weight, there are many differences between yours and Javier's piece, but as a newbie you might not have recognised them. It might be better if someone other than me describes these, but just off the top of my head: Javier's piece has finer canes, better curves, a characteristic aventurine stripe, and a pontil on the top. It doesn't seem to have a clear cap the way yours does.

[KevinH]

I have sent a query to the seller of the weight in the "playwiffme" site that Interiorforms linked to earlier. I have asked for information about how we can be sure about the Martens attribution.

I can see that each of the three items so far covered in this thread have broad similarity in their construction. Unfortunately the one in the "Svazzo" site (gmb member Javier) seems to show only the underside (I presume) although it looks as though the top may be fully white - perhaps. The one in the "playwiffme" site shows a top view that has a good match "in form" to the one that Interiorforms has. But whether they are all from the same maker (or designer) is certainly open to further discussion.

That's one of the problems with apparently rare items - there is usually little documented information to confirm things and we are left only with basic comparisions between available images (or actual items for those of us lucky to handle such pieces).

Interiorforms - It would be very useful for future reference if your images could be reinstated to the board (or to GlassGallery). By having a reference thread with images we may be able to build up the evidence for others if people come across more similar looking items.

[interiorforms]

These are new photos for the paperweight:
http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr236/interiorforms/pw01-1.jpg
http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr236/interiorforms/pw02-1.jpg
http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr236/interiorforms/pw03-1.jpg
http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr236/interiorforms/pw04.jpg

[KevinH]

Many thanks for those new photos.

May I have permission to copy them into the GlassGallery - where I will add your username as the owner of the images? I can then replace the Photobucket links with the GlassGallery ones and that will ensure we won't lose them.

[interiorforms]

Sure, KevH, that will be OK. But I'm up against a general consensus with this board that Dino Martens did not design paperweight. Because of this it appears I have upset a few people here on the board, resulting in my Ebay listing to be shut down twice; the first was remedied and corrected as requested and re-listed. No problem. I suppose that wasn't enough; I suppose if one bitches long and loud enough about a listing on Ebay, no matter if they are right or wrong, one can have a listing removed. Whatever. I'm done with paperweights, glass chunks resembling paperweights, and any other clump of glass.

[Frank]

I have been off-line 2 days with a power outage caused by a major storm here... so sort of missed this little storm. 

[glasstrufflehunter]

You mention you are new to paperweights - so am I - I have only collected for a few years and own/have owned only a few hundred.
On this site I am a rookie - a newbie - an amateur, compared to Frank, Kevin, Alan et al.

I've been collecting for about 20 years but I'm still rookie-ish because I didn't learn much about them (other than my favourite Scottish artists) until the last few years. This board had helped me immensely in learning about Muranese paperweights.

I have noticed that replies are sometimes very slow in coming but I know it's because people are either doing their homework or I've come up with a stumper. 

Interior: Sorry you're done with chunks of glass. You've given up a fascinating and often puzzling study.