Topic: Did Murano artist make weights with U.S. states featured?

[Mike Morgan]

Unfortunately, I don't have a pic. Perhaps I'll swing by today and snap one with the cell phone.

Anyway, I was in a local antique shop yesterday and saw a millefiori weight with a star (I think) and the word "Texas" in the center. At first glance, while I wasn't terribly impressed, it certainly wasn't a cheap souvenir shop type weight. I do remember, though, that it feature some bullseye-tube and multi-tube canes. Based on the color palette and the overall look, I simply mentally tagged it as a Murano and moved on.

Well, as the day wore on, the more unusual it seemed that an Italian weight would include "Texas". While it didn't seem like a "Chinese Murano", that would actually make more sense. Then last night, I was thinking that Texas gained statehood in the mid-1800s, and NEGC and B&S were making a lot of weights about that time and often used tube canes. Hmmm...

Has anyone seem a similar weight?

Again, if I can, I'll try to get a snapshot of it later today.

[alexander]

I can't really help with this weight without a pic, but as far as Murano go - on Murano have been produced paperweights with sulphides of famous americans,
french souvenir paperweights (a common one with a hot air baloon is often seen on eBay).

I have one with the Eiffel tower and Paris written on it which is definately Murano.
This may be a comissioned series for a US buyer.

So the paperweight may well have been made in Murano.
I can't recall offhand having seen any NEGC or Sandwich weights with bullseye canes (ie circles within circles), but I haven't seen that many
The color palette of antique US weights is more akin to French and antique Bohemian than Murano imho.

A pic would be great tho.

[TxSilver]

I saw a concentric millefiori paperweight a couple of years ago that had Texas. I don't recall exactly what the weight looked like, but I remember thinking that it looked like Fratelli Toso. I read that these paperweights were sold as souvenirs in tourist stops. I thought at the time that they may have been commissioned from Fratelli Toso. Hope you can take a picture for the group.

[alpha]

Perhaps this?


Definitely Murano circa 1950-70's

[Mike Morgan]

It was much like that. I didn't get to go by the shop again today, so there's a chance I'm "mis-remembering" it,  but I think the colors might have been a bit brighter -- a red, white and blue instead of red, green and blue, perhaps.

[Mike Morgan]

Went by the shop today, and it is nearly identical to that picture... the only difference being that this one has a deformed cane in the red ring where the pictured weight has one it in the green ring. Thanks for the help!