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Author Topic: Help needed please from a Mdina collector......  (Read 13070 times)

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Offline Patrick

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Help needed please from a Mdina collector......
« on: February 07, 2011, 04:45:59 PM »
Hi,
 The following topic on 'Whitefriars dot com' asks a question about the use of a controlled bubble mould.
 If anyone could shed light on this I would be most grateful.
http://www.whitefriars.com/bb_orig/viewtopic.php?p=35972#35972

Regards,
              Patrick.

Offline chopin-liszt

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Re: Help needed please from a Mdina collector......
« Reply #1 on: February 07, 2011, 04:56:42 PM »
Sorry, I can't really help much. Getting any sort of info. about early days is difficult.
I still don't know what dates Vicente Boffo was at Malta Decorative Glass, or how long it lasted.
I'm sure some sorts of moulds were used at Mdina other than for the textured pieces - there has to be one which was used to get vertical sorts of stripes into the sea-urchiny weights - but I have no idea about when it might have been introduced. I'm afraid I pay very little attention to p.weights and animaly things. They do not interest me at all, I don't collect them.

The only way, as far as I can make out, to ascertain anything about these ducks is to study the colours used - if they're Mdina colours, they're probably made at Mdina, if they're MDG colours, they'd have been made at MDG and would be by Vicente (or an apprentice he trained there).

Here's a couple of links to things with the sea-urchiny effect, for which I assume some sort of mould was used - though this effect is very often seen in things known to be post Harris and post Boffo, eg the ubiqitous seahorse, chess piece, designed By Joseph Said. (sorry about the long links, I don't know how to abbrieviate them.)

I really don't know if controlled-bubble creating moulds were used at all in either Mdina or MDG, at any time.


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/stunning-mdina-glass-mushroom-paper-weight-label-signed_W0QQitemZ300523355650QQcategoryZ64934QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3286.m7QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D3%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D6922834378303754364

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MDINA-ART-SCULPTURE-PAPERWEIGHT_W0QQitemZ250769205096QQcategoryZ64934QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3286.m7QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D3%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D6922842141457607788
Cheers, Sue M. (she/her)

‘For every problem there is a solution: neat, plausible and wrong’. H.L.Mencken

Offline scimiman

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Re: Help needed please from a Mdina collector......
« Reply #2 on: February 07, 2011, 05:30:57 PM »
You need to drop Ron an email at www.artiusglass.co.uk
Regards Mike

Offline chopin-liszt

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Re: Help needed please from a Mdina collector......
« Reply #3 on: February 07, 2011, 05:36:46 PM »
I don't think he'll know more than me on this question, but his opinion would be good. :thup:
Cheers, Sue M. (she/her)

‘For every problem there is a solution: neat, plausible and wrong’. H.L.Mencken

Offline glassobsessed

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Re: Help needed please from a Mdina collector......
« Reply #4 on: February 07, 2011, 06:12:22 PM »
Neither of the 'probably Mdina' ducks strike me as particularly 'Mdina' (from that time period), the use of colour is not what I would expect - no silver chloride by the look of it. They could have come from one of the other glassworks on Malta - plenty of personnel and designs migrated about. Trudy's duck looks more like silver chloride was used but it is hard to tell for sure from that photo. The 'ebay duck' in the photo on the right (in the link) looks chloridey too.

Nothing I can think of from Mdina has controlled bubbles, plenty of bubbles were introduced deliberately but not controlled via a mould (like this vase). The technique would have been well known though so I see no reason why such a mould could not have been made and used.

John


Offline chopin-liszt

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Re: Help needed please from a Mdina collector......
« Reply #5 on: February 07, 2011, 06:38:47 PM »
The "My duck" on the left hand side (above) contains both white and orangey-red enamels - neither of these colours was used at Mdina while Harris or either of the Boffos was there. However, Said could have been taught to make ducks by the Boffos, they may have been made there a good bit later.
I have not seen any MDG with those (white/orangey-red) colours either.
Cheers, Sue M. (she/her)

‘For every problem there is a solution: neat, plausible and wrong’. H.L.Mencken

Offline Patrick

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Re: Help needed please from a Mdina collector......
« Reply #6 on: February 07, 2011, 09:58:49 PM »
Hi,
 THANKS for all these replies ................   The  'My Duck' is the same as the one next to the fat duck shown here .
 It has been interesting to know that I have not missed any Harris/Mdina production with the controlled bubbles. I suspect that bubble moulds were never needed as the streaky/ silver chloride was all that the designs needed and would have added to the production time.
 The feet of both the White/orange-red duck and the fat duck are made in the slightly blue/gray flint colour that seems to be used by Mdina for casing.
 
All best wishes,
                        Patrick.

Offline glassobsessed

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Re: Help needed please from a Mdina collector......
« Reply #7 on: February 08, 2011, 09:30:53 AM »
slightly blue/gray flint colour that seems to be used by Mdina for casing.

Somewhat of an over generalisation, maybe an odd batch of glass or two in 1969. Can you point to any examples? The only example I could find in my own collection is this inside out vase, very early in date, possibly before the Boffos arrived. Conversely this 'early' fish vase shows no green tint at all.

I doubt the ducks in question were made at Mdina, if you can find one in classic Mdina colours then that would be interesting.

John

Offline Lustrousstone

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Re: Help needed please from a Mdina collector......
« Reply #8 on: February 08, 2011, 11:13:56 AM »
The bluish casing is not unusual on post–Harris (and probably post-Boffo) pieces; I have several.

Offline chopin-liszt

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Re: Help needed please from a Mdina collector......
« Reply #9 on: February 08, 2011, 01:46:40 PM »
The casing glass colour can vary a lot - a great deal of early stuff (Harris period) has casings of somewhat yellowy/greenish colour. They had to import materials and were not able to buy top quality clear glass at the time.
Cheers, Sue M. (she/her)

‘For every problem there is a solution: neat, plausible and wrong’. H.L.Mencken

 

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