Topic: I have been told these are very small pulled murrine birds from Murano?

[westred]

Can any of the experienced Murano collectors tell me a thing about the following three glass (very small) birds.
I have had the Sparrow and what I call "the Pigeon" (largest of the three) for a couple of years.  The emerald one I just purchased.
I saw a guy try to sell a bird like my Sparrow (only it was yellow and cream color) on eBay for $1000.  No way!  He said it was a chicken,
but it was obviously, to me anyway, a canary.  A week later he came down to $69.  What I would like to know is, what are they, Murano?
They look like they could be made out of elongated murrines, but it doesn't matter to me, because I will never sell them.  They are very smart
looking!  Does anybody know if what these are Murano, and if not, what are they.  Is there any worth to them, I have been told all kinds of things and just wanted to know if any of you knew what they are.  I don't have room to show you the pontils, but they are very reminiscent of Murano. Perfectly flat cut and all the canes come to a circle , leaving a clear surface to see up in them.  And last what would you date these as mfg. date?  Thanks for anyone's input!

  westred 

[Lustrousstone]

You don't need to post things twice. Just ask a moderator to move it to a different board for you. I think we need base pictures of these birds (you can always answer your own posts to add more photos). My instinct would be not Murano but possibly China

[Ivo]

I side with Christine - 95% sure these are from China.

[TxSilver]

There is one similar to yours being sold on eBay right now. It is identified as Chinese. The auction no. is 320377655555. I like the pattern of the glass, but the form is very hurried.

[westred]

  Thank you for your replies,

  Did not mean to ruffle any feathers, no PUN intended.  I had another post that a moderator had moved and thought this need to be also, but I
did know how.  I am truly sorry for the mistake.  Maybe it's because I am in pain a lot and having a real "turning 50" crisis.  Who knows?
I do appreciate everyone's input, though.  I am just try to become a better "spotter" of real Murano!

  Lustrousstone, I will add some base pic's.  That is something else I did not know, that I could answer my own post to add more photos!
I will add 4 more so you can see the bases.  I am afraid the small ones are Chinese, if the seller is correct with his data in auction #320377655555,
who knows?  I have seen these listed as Murano before too, that why I like to get your input also.  2 weeks ago some one had a yellow bird
that looked just like mine, stated it was Murano, and had a buy it now price of $1000, until coming down to $77.77 a week later.  I see now that
 auction was closed early for some reason, hhmmm?  I'm just trying to use my resources, really not trying to "bug" anyone.

I am going to be selling a lot of contemporary Paperweight and glass pieces and trying to get input from a few different sources, as I am just going to
stick to collecting "real" Murano items.  I am seeing it's getting harder to "spot" the real thing.  Although, TXSilver, I really like a couple of pieces you have up
for auction at SM Art Glass.  That is a very unusual "Starry Night" vase, have you ever seen any like this before?  I love the A. S. Snail too.  Might have to make a run at one of them.

  Thanks again,
   westred

   see attached base shots and one tail shot of larger bird.


 

[TxSilver]

I understand the turning-50 thing, Westred. I have a picture of me blowing out my 50th birthday cake candle. I look like I had been beat.  :cry:

Good Murano birds are normally easy to pick out. They have good detail. Most, though not all, of them have fanned or curved tails. Their bills are well done. Most are 4" long or larger. The birds that look like a lump of glass with a tail and small beak pulled out are usually not Murano... or if they are Murano, then they are not the collectible kind. These types of birds can be made in a minute, so a glassmaker can put out a lot of them in almost no time. Colors are usually the thing that makes these birds pretty.

eBay has become a place I don't recognize anymore when it comes to art glass. I am seeing more Chinese and other Asian glass, much being sold as Murano. If I were new to Murano, I would check out things that are in the stores in online "malls" such as Trocadero and Ruby Lane. Sellers in these stores are usually fairly good with their attributions, so it will help to learn what things look like. I don't know of any good Murano bird or paperweight references, but many of these things are online. A few of the sellers are a bit hopeful with their attributions and prices, but most of them are pretty good.

I've made so many mistakes in the things that I've bought. I make fewer mistakes now, but the ones that I make are more costly.  :huh: The good things about mistakes is that one learns a lot from them, so they are good glass education.

[uphoosier]

The vast majority of contemporary  glass birds made in Murano would not sell for $77.77 on Ebay or in a glass store. 

[TxSilver]

I don't know much about the contemporary glass pieces. The book values for the good vintage birds runs from around $150 into the thousands. This translates into $50-thousands on eBay, of course. to My absolute favorite piece of Murano glass is a large one made by Pino Signoretto. It is of a bunch of lazy birds kicked back singly on a tall branch. I can't even imagine what it would cost. With my scrawny piggy bank, I know the closest I will get to it will be a picture. But a picture is good. 

[obscurities]

Anita,

If you want to look at decent glass without the Chinese stuff, at least without most of it, on ebay in Italian, you can block certain sellers ( a surprisingly small number) from a general search in Italian and about 1/3 of the glass disappears. Most of the sellers peddling Chinese "Murano" have hundreds of pieces up. If you want, email me and I will email you my list of blocked sellers in Italian and it makes looking bearable. I still find decent pieces quite reasonably, but you have to be persistent....  There are also a couple of key word I block also.....

My search takes Italian art glass from 5755 pieces down to 3040, and eliminates the majority of the Chinese stuff.. and the "Brazilian Murano".

Craig

[westred]

  Thanks TX,

  Just thought I'd show you a piece I purchased at Sam's Club, before they stopped selling imported Art Glass (at my local store anyway).  They said there was just no  demand for the Art Glass anymore.  I saw these, before I started collecting Murano glass and bought them 1 year later.  That was about 4 years ago.  I saw them drop from $249 to $111, the price I paid for them.  It is a contemporary piece, beautiful all the same.  I collect Murano because of the beauty and heritage.  I can't afford to collect showcase pieces, as I am on a limited income now, due to a disability.  But that doesn't mean i can't keep my eye open for a deal, here and there.

  In fact, I'd say, for the $$ I've got tied up in my Art Glass, I've done pretty good and my friends love to see them when they come over!  I've been called a closet collector or tourist collector, but it doesn't bother me.  I buy what I can afford, when I can afford it, if I like it.  I just don't like being shined on when purchasing off eBay!  For the most part, I've done pretty good.  I stick to the mid-century paperweights, as they are more affordable.

  I'll tell you, it really seems like a buyers market for just about everything right now, and eBay is showing it.  I am going to wait a while before I try and sell anything for a while, until the economy picks up. If it ever does here in the U.S.?  Hope you enjoy the pictures!

  Craig, as I was typing this up, you posted a reply, and was wondering if you could give me a list of these sellers.  I am new, so you may be apprehensive, but it would really help me out!  In any event, thanks for the input!

  westred