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Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => Murano & Italy Glass => Topic started by: TxSilver on January 15, 2009, 11:53:16 PM

Title: Tips on Judging Murano Glass
Post by: TxSilver on January 15, 2009, 11:53:16 PM
Jennifer asked a good question in another thread on how to determine if glass is Murano and not a Chinese look-alike. I'll start with one tip I've found useful. Maybe other people will have tips they discovered.

Fratelli Toso did a lot of glass, many that have swirls of color. Chinese companies do some pieces that look very similar. One thing that has helped me in the absence of a label is noting the direction of the swirls. Fratelli Toso usually swirls counterclockwise when looking from the bottom to the top. If an unknown piece of glass swirls clockwise, there is a good chance it is a look-alike. I've attached a picture of a Chinese vase that looks a lot like Toso, but spins the wrong way.
Title: Re: Tips on Judging Murano Glass
Post by: Lustrousstone on January 16, 2009, 07:48:16 AM
A ground but unpolished, i.e., matte, bottom can be another clue.
Title: Re: Tips on Judging Murano Glass
Post by: antiquerose123 on January 18, 2009, 11:58:05 AM
Jennifer asked a good question in another thread on how to determine if glass is Murano and not a Chinese look-alike. I'll start with one tip I've found useful. Maybe other people will have tips they discovered.

Fratelli Toso did a lot of glass, many that have swirls of color. Chinese companies do some pieces that look very similar. One thing that has helped me in the absence of a label is noting the direction of the swirls. Fratelli Toso usually swirls counterclockwise when looking from the bottom to the top. If an unknown piece of glass swirls clockwise, there is a good chance it is a look-alike. I've attached a picture of a Chinese vase that looks a lot like Toso, but spins the wrong way.

If I may add to this as TxSilver states, here is a link to a confirmed Fratelli Toso piece (with foil label), see direction of swirls:
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?album=557&pos=38

And here in this link http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,17959.0.html you can see an example of a Murano bowl bottom.  There are several more examples here all over the board.  These guys/gals here have helped me so much.

Here is a Murano label section, should you stumble upon a glass piece with a label.  Hope that helps

http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/thumbnails.php?album=102

I too am still learning too (and get fooled too by some pieces), but always, I reach you to these helpful (super) people. ;)



Title: Re: Tips on Judging Murano Glass
Post by: TxSilver on January 18, 2009, 02:07:53 PM
A while back I checked to see if the spin rule also applied to Dino Martens designs. Most of his mezza filigrana pieces also spin counterclockwise, but he designed a few that go clockwise. I guess he was feeling contrary on the days he designed those pieces.  ;D
Title: Re: Tips on Judging Murano Glass
Post by: Missc on January 19, 2009, 01:21:45 AM
Does that apply to the Starry Night pieces? I have some and just love that design. In looking at them, they seem to be "counterclockwise" as well. That's a really good tip. It's just very hard for newbies to figure out all the little ins and outs to the real pieces without labels.
Title: Re: Tips on Judging Murano Glass
Post by: TxSilver on January 19, 2009, 05:01:18 AM
You are right. The coils of starry night and apparenza coil counterclockwise. I wonder if the movement is easier for right-handed glassmakers. I don't know.

Most of the things I've noticed have, unfortunately, come from mistake purchases. For example, I bought a Chinese vase a lot like the one from the link Anne posted in another thread: http://www.theglassmuseum.com/Chinese.html. It was a multicolor vase that was designed like the first vase on the page. The stems of the applied glass flower look like they had been broken, instead of cut. The color particles of the flower looked like confetti that had been dumped under the flower. There was no attempt to fuse the particles to the glass at all.  The vase looked like it had been made in a hurry. It would have looked better if the flower and stems had not been applied at all.

Salviati was pretty sloppy with some of their rigaree trim, but I've never seen Murano applied canes that looked like they had been broken off, instead of cut and shaped. This sloppiness is a good indicator of high-production Chinese pieces. I gave the Chinese vase away to someone who thought it was gorgeous. There are many people who enjoy the contemporary wares of China. Some of them are very nice, but not that dreadful multicolor vase! It was in danger of being tossed in the trash.
Title: Re: Tips on Judging Murano Glass
Post by: Anne on January 19, 2009, 05:49:11 AM
I asked about left-handed glassmakers in another topic an age ago, and Adam responded. My question and his reply are here: http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,512.msg2021.html#msg2021 in case they are of interest in this topic. :)