Topic: Dump weight/frigger

[bat20]

Pushed the button on this one because it intrigued me,no one else however!? ,it has a lot of wear to the base and light surface scratches hinting it may have been around a while,it rests on it's very rough pontil with chicken of the wood type mushrooms or trumpet flowers coming out of a mist of chippings not bubbles,any thoughts on this one,many thanks.

[bat20]

Should add it's about 3" tall

[Lustrousstone]

It's not a dump or a frigger - both overused and abused terms. It's an ice pick flower weight and almost certainly a production item. Where from, I don't know though, perhaps Bohemia or Germany

[bat20]

Thanks Christine,nice to clear that up,looking at the base under high magnification there's a lot of dirt in the wear.

[bat20]

Not chicken of the wood,horn of plenty!!!i should know that I've picked enough of them,delicious with fish.

[bat20]

Just before this post slips of into the ether does anyone have a hunch about it's age,cheers.

[bat20]

 Sorry,the other thing I wanted to ask was about the glitter effect especially on the green colours,was this something used by everyone.

[SophieB]

Hi Bat20,

I think the glitter effect in your weight is aventurine. It is included in many glass objects because of its shimmer... Gold aventurine is more often used, but aventurine exists in all the colours of the rainbow. Here you have green aventurine.

Although it is commonly used by glass artists, aventurine is very frequently used by Murano glass-makers and its inclusion is seen a Murano glass-making trait (see the image of a 3Fiori weight below). Having said that your weight does not strike me as Murano (but as I have said it is resorted to by many glass artists).

SophieB 

[bat20]

Thanks Sophie,you read my mind I think,I was just thinking along the lines of if it is fairly old who was using adventurine at the time.

[SophieB]

Aventurine has been used for a very long time. You will find it in antique Venetian perfume bottles, for instance.

The fact that it is green (rather than gold) aventurine may help as I believe 'coloured' aventurine to be more recent (last quarter of 20th century?). But someone with glass experience will know better.

In any event your weight does not strike me as particularly old (but I may be wrong about that...) .

SophieB