Topic: millefiori ashtray - chinese or italian?

[josordoni]

What is the thought on this one?

the flower looks like a very large murrine cane, and the glass is quite nicely cut and ground to the top surface.  So where would it be from?  I thought Italian at first, but then...

Millefiori type ashtray

[Leni]

I think these are definitely Chinese.  I bought a very nice one a while ago, in the style of Daniel Salazar, but with the benefit of being well within my price range!   :lol:  :roll:

[josordoni]

Always a good side effect Leni!  :lol:

I do think some of the Chinese work is very nice.  Shame it doesn't make me any money!!  :cry:

[KevinH]

Take a long, close look at the leaves. Remember them. They are almost a signature for modern Chinese, just as three thin pale-green leaves beneath crimp flowers etc. were an easy clue to older Chinese weights.

[josordoni]

Oh Thanks Kev, that is a really useful tip.  

I still like the ashtray though for some weird reason!!

[Cathy B]

Fantastic tip, Kev. Thanks for that!

In the new Chinese weights, does the millefiori tend to be more smudged or less crisply defined, and are there more accidental bubbles--or would those be stereotypes of the older Chinese weights?

Thanks for bearing with these questions.

[KevinH]

In the new Chinese weights, does the millefiori tend to be more smudged or less crisply defined ...

In my experience ... No, not necessarily. Both modern and older ones can have very good canes and setting as well as quite poor.

... and are there more accidental bubbles ...

For the modern ones I have personally seen (which is actually an insignificant number considering the quantity that is avaialble) there have been far fewer stray bubbles. But ... maybe there a good and bad ones? And, as mentioned some time ago in another thread, perhaps weights made in Taiwan are of better quality than many from the Chinese mainland.

Just my thoughts ... in truth I don't really know the "correct" answer to these questions.

[Ekimp]

Think this is probably the same type of ashtray as the OP’s but the picture link has broken. Looks good quality. Loads of wear on the bottom. It keeps getting a last minute reprieve from the charity shop box