Topic: Dominick Labino object

[ktiggeloven]

Hi fellow forum members.

I recently added a piece of glass to my collection which I think might be by Dominick Labino. It's a openworked piece of freeblown colourless glass with yellow and white opalescent layers. It measures 25 cm in height and is similar in style to a piece sold at dr Fischer fine art auctions on their 17 march 2012 sale lotnr 1358. The piece at dr Fischer was signed Labino 78. Mine however is unsigned. Can anybody of you confirm whether this is a Dominick Labino?
Thanks in advance,

Kasper

[flying free]

Hi welcome to the board
before your second picture gets taken down I would say that your piece (top picture) looks to be the same maker as the second piece - obviously I can't guarantee this as it isn't signed but it looks as though it is from pictures.  However, you will need someone with more knowledge though to help on this and I'm sure someone will be along soon who can help more.  With regard the second picture you will need to remove it I think unless it is your pic?  if it is don't worry, if it isn't can you provide a link to the pic of the piece instead please?
thanks
m

[ktiggeloven]

The second picture is also mine. I originally just wanted to add the pictures with white background, but that didn't really show the opalescense properly. Therefore I added another picture of the piece with top lighting (which makes the opalescense work better), which is picture nr 2. As for the item at dr Fischer I've posted the link below. Any help is welcome.

http://www.auctions-fischer.de/kataloge/online-kataloge/206-ii-europaeisches-glas-studioglas.html?kategorie=89&artikel=24250&L=&cHash=fc6f614e23

[langhaugh]

I don't think anyone here could authenticate this piece, as it would require a Labino expert actually handling the piece. It looks much like the Fischer piece, but there are key differences. For example, yours is flared in the middle whereas the Fischer piece is narrower at the waist. The lack of a signature would bother me. How do the dimensions compare?

Also, some of Labino's pieces have been copied. I think of the "jellyfish" coming out of China that mimic a Labino technique.

Getting an expert appraisal might be quite costly so I guess it depends on how badly you want to know.

David

[ktiggeloven]

Thanks for your advise, David.
My piece measures 10" in height where as the dr Fischer piece measures 11.5", and differs slightly in shape. However when you're looking to the pieces from eg. the emergence series, they also differ in shape and size slighly from piece to piece. This is to be expected, as they are freeblown pieces, so will never be perfectly identical.
As to the age, I bought the piece from a dealer who got it from an estate sale. The people from the estate said the piece had been in the family for at least 25 years. Also the piece shows wear according to this age (not only on the bottom, but also slight scratches and blemishes on other parts of the object. I've handled quite some pieces of glass, and I don't think this is any modern reproduction. It just feels right.
The fact that it is not signed lead me to this forum for confirmation. However, I have seen more pieces of Labino which haven't been signed (the glasmuseum in Leerdam, Holland has a 1966 vase, which I think is unsigned). I guess I have to show it to an expert. Does anybody here know a leading expert on Labino? Any further info is welcome.

[Andy]

Hi Kasper,
i know nothing of Labino, but love your piece, so i googled him, he has a website, and i noticed all the photos
in the portfolio page, are courtesy of the Toledo museum of Art, I think they would be a good place to
contact. Thdey may be able to help.
Good Luck,
Andy
http://dominicklabino.com/

http://www.toledomuseum.org/

[Ohio]

I knew a Labino collector from the Akron area years ago & if memory serves me correctly the unsigned problem exists because Labino had a younger lady in his studio operation that was extremely talented & blew glass. If it passed his  inspection standards it would be signed. Just prior to his passing he gave her written permission to continue his work using his designs, however the pieces would never be signed, they were just to showcases his designs & she only continued for a year or so after his passing & gave it up because there was no market for unsigned pieces. There were many forged signature pieces from copies made in the studio industry (especially in Ohio) after his passing & I remember this collector saying that 95% of the Labino he was called on to attribute were in his opinion not Labino. The real problem is one that plagues the early studio movement...hardly anyone cataloged anything they produced that could be used to later give solid documentation for attribution.

[chopin-liszt]

Flippin' disorganised hippies.......

 

I wish I could help - I wish I could get my mitts on just ONE Labino piece - I've only ever seen pictures.

[ktiggeloven]

Thanks for your info so far. I'm going to try to contact the Toledo museum to see if they can help me further (if they are willing). I'll let you know if I know more. Any info through the forum is still more than welcome.

ps Does anyone know the name of the woman working in Labino's studio?

[Fuhrman Glass]

I'd be interested to see the signature on the Fischer piece. I have his signature in his book that he gave me in 1976 and I'm sure it is his as I had him sign it when I was at his studio. That way i could compare them. His young female assistant still operates from his old studio. Her name is Baker O'brien and Nick and his wife kind of took her in as their "daughter" as they had no children and she was heir to most everything they had.