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Author Topic: Glass Spanish Dancers - F Toffolo or not?  (Read 5552 times)

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Offline Johnno

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Glass Spanish Dancers - F Toffolo or not?
« on: December 01, 2009, 02:16:55 PM »
Came into possession of these two glass Spanish Dancers recently. They look similar to some I have seen on the internet but mine seem to be smaller. The Man is 39cm (15 5") tall and the Lady is 38cm (15") tall. They both have a black base 5" and 4.75" in diameter respectively. Their attire is black and red and they both have white faces. Can anyone help me to identify them please. Neither has any identiying marks on them. There are some unusual scratches on the underside of the base but these are undecipherable. Thanks in anticipation of your help.

Offline soledivo

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Re: Glass Spanish Dancers - F Toffolo or not?
« Reply #1 on: December 01, 2009, 04:25:15 PM »
i think your safe with toffolo, a nice size too
martin

Offline tam bam

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Re: Glass Spanish Dancers - F Toffolo or not?
« Reply #2 on: December 01, 2009, 09:21:09 PM »
You will be delighted to know I have found your Spanish dancers and they are up for sale as we speak or write or whatever and the auction house wants a lot of money for them!  Yes yours are Franco Toffolo for sure! :thup:

http://www.goantiques.com/scripts/images,id,1476915.html

tam bam

Offline tam bam

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Re: Glass Spanish Dancers - F Toffolo or not?
« Reply #3 on: December 01, 2009, 09:27:41 PM »
Oh sorry Johnno, after reading your post again, it seems you must have already come across the figurines on GoAntiques but that should be proof enough.  It doesn't matter about the size on the attribution.  In glass the master can never make two pieces a like even the sizes can vary.  I hope this helps.

tam bam

Offline Johnno

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Re: Glass Spanish Dancers - F Toffolo or not?
« Reply #4 on: December 02, 2009, 11:29:17 AM »
Thanks soledivo for your reply it has given me a bit of reassurance.

Thanks Tam Bam. I have already looked on the site you mentioned and thereis a great deal of similarity. Can not believe the values quoted seeing as I was offered £25 for them last year by an e-bay antique dealer. Thank goodness I turned him down. Will take them to an good auction house for evaluation and confirmation now. Still concerned that they do not have labels or markings.

Offline tam bam

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Re: Glass Spanish Dancers - F Toffolo or not?
« Reply #5 on: December 02, 2009, 03:59:21 PM »
Johno, I don't blame you for turning the Ebayer down.  Geez there is always someone on there wanting something for nothing.  I wouldn't worry too much about the figurines not having any labels on them.  As long as you have something to identify them that should be proof enough I would think.  I think they are lovely and they are so detailed.  They certainly appear to be Toffolo to me.  The faces are so detailed just like the Toffolo faces.  I just wish I could afford his figurines.  Perhaps one day. 

tam bam

Offline soledivo

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Re: Glass Spanish Dancers - F Toffolo or not?
« Reply #6 on: December 02, 2009, 10:11:52 PM »
the dealer had the front to offer you £25, I would say anyware between £100-150. they are lovely examples,
I know it's what i would want for them, but they have got to be worth that.

enjoy them  :chky:
martin

Offline KevinH

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Re: Glass Spanish Dancers - F Toffolo or not?
« Reply #7 on: December 02, 2009, 11:35:47 PM »
The information in the GoAntiques site (as linked to earlier) is perhaps misleading in part. It states that Franco Toffolo was 'born in 1934 ... and worked for over 40 years in Venetian glass in Murano'. That would suggest he was in Murano until at least 1974. But he started the Venetian Glass Company in Blackpool, England in the 1960s.

There is also a bit of confusion on dates mentioned in the page on Franco Toffolo in the Scotland's Glass site as it says he left Murano c1965 and his Venetian Glass Company was c1960-1980.

Assuming it is the same Franco Toffolo in all cases, I wonder whether at least some of his dancing figures may have been from his UK company and therefore not truly Murano (although made in exactly the same way). And perhaps that may account for the smaller sizes of some?

But this is not my area, so my thoughts are purely from observation of what has been reported elsewhere, not personal experience of these figures.
KevinH

Offline tam bam

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Re: Glass Spanish Dancers - F Toffolo or not?
« Reply #8 on: December 04, 2009, 12:48:31 AM »
KevH, thanks so much for the education on Franco Toffolo.  I for one really appreciate it.  I throughly enjoy his work but did not know all too much about him really.  I did know that he did some work in England but did not know the exact dates.  I think you may be onto something here about the sizes as well.  Thanks for setting the record straight.  That is what this forum is for.  :thup:

 

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