Topic: paperweight for identification

[BLUE HARVEST]

Possibly very early venetian? The base colour is a sea green.

[antiquerose123]

Hi there.  

Very Pretty item there.  I am not sure about it, but I think you may be right?  What is the size of it, as hard to tell -- as it looks smaller by the pics, and the size of your Fingers (in the Pic).   Sorry if that is a silly question, but I just can not tell the size.  May we have the size of it.

Love the aventurine in it !!  Thanks  :thup:

[tropdevin]

***

I'd agree with 19th C Venetian. Dating these precisely is not easy: the few 1840s ones tend to have a poor surface quality (ridges, pits) and canes very near the surface, and often a good variety of canes including silhouettes or pictures (and even dates or signatures).

The later 19th C ones tend to have more aventurine, no silhouettes or pictures, and an improved - though still poor - surface quality.  Pontil marks are rough throughout, the glass is usually rather dark, and the shapes are quite variable from cones to squat lumps to spheres: the later ones tend to be better shaped. Sizes vary too, with more smaller ones later, I think.  I keep saying 'tend' because there is a lot of variability in the ones I have seen.

If I had to give a view on date I would veer towards later 19th C.

Alan

[cfosterk]

The large cog canes, thick latticinio, and orangy-gold aventurine suggests a later date - perhaps as late as the 1950's 

[BLUE HARVEST]

Sorry  Rose

the diameter at widest point is 5.5cm

[BLUE HARVEST]

 Thank you for your considered reply Alan,

I'm not really entirely sure it's a 19th century one. I've had a number of the Bigaglia weights, both good and bad and the canes, colour, weight and metal are different. The surface of the glass is different, too; almost waxy and the canes are set quite deep within the glass. Also, the blowing rod used appears to be of a different size to the ones found on 19th century examples.
The colour palette is also different to the 19th century ones. The base colour is a quite distinct sea green, full of tiny pinhead sized "starfield" bubbles you often find in pre 18th century venetian and facon de venise cristallo. The only reference I've found to a millefiori weight that has a similar base colour was one fished out of a Venetian lagoon and dated to the end of the 15th century ( in the "minature di vetro" book, page 13 illustration 31- I'll try and post a photo of the illustration in the next couple of days).

Have you, or any board members ever seen a pre 18th century venetian weight? or know of specific references to the same?

Once again many thanks, in advance for any replies.

[alpha]

I am inclined to agree with Alan based on the millefiori style in the weight matching up to those found in the African Trade Beads of late 19th century.

[casalibre]

I vote with cfosterk: as late as the 1950's , because of the whole setting.
Surly the item is not classic Murano.
And it does not look like 1865 till 1890 Murano/Venice.