Topic: New Murano Looks Like Old

[horochar]

This will be old hat to longtime followers of this board, but a word to the wise.  New Murano glass is being produced that imitates classic 1950s/1960s styles, forms and techniques.  I don't believe I own many of these repros (which show great skill but a lack of imagination, and are guaranteed not to appreciate in value), but I'm sure I have a few in my collection.  This website has some examples:
http://fossilflyimports.stores.yahoo.net/muglva.html

I bought this rather large Oggetti Onesto vase from T.J.Maxx (of all places) yesterday for $125.  I thought it was a creative twist on the sommerso thing, only to learn from my Pena book that it's a re-interpretation of a Gaspari Salviati form from 1960 (see p. 58 of Italian Glass Century 20).  I know it's impossible to know, but could a derivative piece like this have investment potential?  My response is probably not, and for investment rather than strictly decorative purposes one needs to buy top examples by top producers (i.e. "spendy" pieces, as they say here in Minnesota).
Charles.

Mod: Photo uploaded to GlassGallery
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-8271

[Frank]

I think the manufacturers site is mentioned here somewhere. Try Polish or Roumanian.

[svazzo]

Wow, those are even better repros than you usually see.
They are even doing the Barovier Tessera pieces?

[alexander]

I think Fossilfly's imports directly from Murano, at least that's what their site says. From what i recall Murano artists have a long and glorious history of copying each other's styles and designs, with their own twists.

The fazoletto's and the dovetail sommersos for instance, even 60'ies
dovetails have several sources, not all were made by Poli and not all
early fazoletto's were by Fulvio Bianconi.

Much to my dismay as I have an early dovetail that i'd have liked to be by Poli.  :wink:
Dovetail

It has the generic "Genuine Venetian Glass" red & gold label.

Alexander

[Jay Kaner]

Well, after looking at a lot of the chinese 50's 'poli' stuff like this flying about, I am happy to think none of my pieces are Chinese.  

But these are a different kettle of fish.  
I would quite easily be fooled by them.  
Thing is though, these are so good I don't think I'd mind, to be honest.  :wink:  
And they're not cheap either.  
No doubt some of my pieces are new like these, but they look so good and I paid a bit less (on eBay) than the prices they're asking for them!!  Obviously it would be nice to have the genuine 50's pieces, even if they are made by other artist of the period (and I'm sure some of mine are).

Anyway, while I'm here, there's something I've wanted to ask about the design influences on some of the Poli pieces, specifically the 'Dovetail, or 'Bow tie' style vases he designed.

But before i do that, I'll try and explain where I'm coming from with all this...

Now some of the pieces I have, and like some of those featured on the fossilfly website above, for example, are called 'Beak' vases (tho' fossilfly  calls them "V neck").  That's fair enough. The 'Beak' style was a popular design motif of the 50's.  Here's a couple of ceramic vases, made sometime between 1957 and 1961 that I own that have the classic 'Beak' style to them...

http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-4010

Then some other pieces I have, like say this one...

http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-3453

Or...

http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-3469

and the fossilfly "Spout" vases, have that classic 50's organic, aysmmetrical design to them that, again, was huge influence on many things in the 50's.

Here's a couple more ceramic vases I have to help illustrate this...

http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-4011

I mean, I can understand the design influences behind these 'styles' so far.
But what I don't get, and this is the point of all this (yeah, I know...finally!!  :wink: ) is the "Bow tie" vases, and why they are so named. (Or Dovetails as I've also seen them named)   I mean, the bow tie wasn't much of a design influence in the 50's.

I've always thought they had more of a 'Atomic bomb' shape and style to them.  Now bearing in mind the dawning of the atomic age in the 50's, and the huge influence that had on 50's design, then would it not be fair to say that it was this that had more to do with the design influence behind these style vases than ...say...bow ties?  :wink:

Here's a piccy of the bomb "Fatman" to show what I mean...

http://mothra.rerf.or.jp/Images/giff/fatman.gif

(obviously I had to google this piccy as, unlike with my ceramic vases, I don't have one of my own to illustrate where I'm coming from...too big for the mantlepiece, you know!!  :lol: )

I've always assumed this was the influence behind the 'bow tie' vases, but does anybody know for sure?

I'd be really interested to hear your views on this...

[Jay Kaner]

I've always assumed this was the influence behind the 'bow tie' vases

And If I'm right, shouldn't we calling them 'A Bomb' vases, or something like that?   :wink:

[David E]

Could be Mandruzzato - they are still producing.

http://www.mandruzzato.ve.it/

[Jay Kaner]

Anyway, while I'm here, there's something I've wanted to ask

I should've started a new message in it's own right to ask this question, instead of tagging it on the end of this one in here.  Got a bit carried away...  :wink:

So that's what I'll do.  

[horochar]

Nothing wrong with an "evolving" thread of talk, because it's still related to the general subject of distinguishing new from old and the ever higher quality of the new.  The second paragraph of my post has been lost in the shuffle, though.  Namely, what sort of glass is "investment grade"?  Or to phrase the question a little differently, did I overpay in buying the gigantic Onesto piece from T.J.Maxx for $125?  (My search of the web doesn't tell me if Onesto has shown price appreciation in the years they have been in business, and I cannot find any information on the "list price" for my piece).

Charles.

[Jay Kaner]

Nothing wrong with an "evolving" thread of talk, because it's still related to the general subject of distinguishing new from old and the ever higher quality of the new.  The second paragraph of my post has been lost in the shuffle, though.  Namely, what sort of glass is "investment grade"?  Or to phrase the question a little differently, did I overpay in buying the gigantic Onesto piece from T.J.Maxx for $125?  (My search of the web doesn't tell me if Onesto has shown price appreciation in the years they have been in business, and I cannot find any information on the "list price" for my piece).

Charles.

Hi Charles.  

I can't help you with this one.  The most important thing for me when buying glass is, will it look good with my other 50's things on display in my home.