Topic: Paperweight sig id please - ID = Paul Kemp

[ejean9]

Hi folks
I am looking for help to id this paperweight..large clear glass with large dimple and small dimple..gold inclusion with blue wave in centre..there is a sig but i cant make it out..any ideas ?
Thank you Jean.

[antiquerose123]

Hi ejean9 - Does your camera have a little flower on it, for close up pics?  :X:

[ejean9]

Hi ejean9 - Does your camera have a little flower on it, for close up pics?  :X:

Hi..yes it does now that i have looked will try in daylight in the morning to get a good pic..thanks for the tips.. :hiclp:

[ahremck]

Three little tricks that may help - I have had to use all three from time to time:

1.   Rub a pencil lightly across the signature area.  The rough surface willl be darkened and the signature will stand out being lighter

2.   Gently rub talc across the signature so the grooves fill with it then carefully clean off the talc from the flat surface - hopefully you have a white signature on a dark back ground.

3.   Try taking a picture of the signature so that light is reflected off the flat base.  The signatire will then appear darker because it absorbs the light.

Hope that one of these is of use in getting a good photo.

Ross

[ejean9]

Thanks for the tips ! Ok i have tried again..so heres hoping !

[ahremck]

Well done, Jean.

Paperweights are nearly always a pain to interpret.  I think the artists must be affected by the small space to sign in.

As far as I can tell "Mann? Z" or "Mann? 2" or perhaps "Mam? Z" or "Mam? 2" seems to be what I can make out.  Unfortunately none of those apparent starts leads to an artist I know of.  Let's hope others can do better.  One final guess "Manny Z"

Ross

PS.  Attached a worked on picture of the signature that I was using to try and identify the name.

[ejean9]

Thanks Ross..i thought the first letter may have been a P or  J then La or it could be a k..lol..this is hard work !

[Lustrousstone]

Peter Layton?

[antiquerose123]

??

A wild Guess here but Paul J. W. Kemp ??  he made paperweights, but just a guess ??
http://www.great-glass.co.uk/glass%20notes/britsk-m.htm  Scroll down to the name Paul J. W Kemp.  I guess he could go by P.J. Kemp too...

Is there any silver or gold leaf in it -- I can not tell ??

Not sure what his signature looks like -- so just a guess  As I am also not sure where you live -- so (your location) might help in the process of where to start first looking.

??  This is just a guess....

[ahremck]

Maybe a shallower angle with reflected base will give a clearer result.  When the photo is as straight on as yours you get colours and refraction to confuse.

It also may help if you put the weight onto a dark background and take the signature normally - it will show up white compared to the darker background.

I have attached three signatures from Australian weights -

Chris Pantano - impossible to photograph straight on due to the included
Mat Quicke - showing how the pencil works
Peter Reynolds - who only got named correctly because I have vase of his I bought in Hobart with the same design - what a scungy signature - perhaps your problem.  Not shallow angle

Ross