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Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => Murano & Italy Glass => Topic started by: Aircooled on February 21, 2010, 04:34:38 PM

Title: Thick bowl in amber white and pink
Post by: Aircooled on February 21, 2010, 04:34:38 PM
I have had this dish for many years now, but only searched to find out more about it today. I believe I found the designer. But my question is...is there a way to tell how rare, or desirable one is by the colors...or?
Thanks Pros'.
Title: Re: yet another bowl
Post by: antiquerose123 on February 21, 2010, 06:18:18 PM
Not sure, but might it be Barbini (guess)?  TxSilver will know much better than I.....
Title: Re: yet another bowl
Post by: TxSilver on February 21, 2010, 06:35:14 PM
I'm afraid I can't add anymore to what you said, Antiquerose. The label looks like it might be a remnant of a generic sticker, so it may be difficult to attribute. The form and colors do make me think of Barbini. I also think of Fratelli Toso. It's a pretty bowl -- love the colors.
Title: Re: yet another bowl
Post by: antiquerose123 on February 21, 2010, 06:41:41 PM
Yeah - that what I was thinking too TxSilver...
Aircooled - Is it possible to get a closer pic of the label?  Thanks
Title: Re: yet another bowl
Post by: Aircooled on February 21, 2010, 07:00:24 PM
Thanks all. Yeah, the label was the red with silver, said something something glass over the top, and then just Murano in the middle. I found it this morning I'l try to find it again, while my batteries are charging.
Title: Re: yet another bowl
Post by: KevinH on February 21, 2010, 11:55:10 PM
With my Moderator hat on, I have moved the image of this bowl's label to here from another thread that aircooled has posted. I have also changed the title of this thread to be a little more specific.
Title: Re: Thick bowl in amber white and pink
Post by: langhaugh on February 22, 2010, 12:28:10 AM
Hi Aircooled:

The label could be this one http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?album=102&pos=87
which is a generic Murano label, that is a label that can't be attributed to a single company. If it were Barbini or Fratelli Toso it would at some point had one their labels on.

Are certain colours worth more than others? Perhaps, but colours are so personal. It's not a piece that you could attribute to a specific designer, imho, as many companies produced very similar pieces.

You could check completed sales on eBay for this style and colour. to get a sense of rarity and value on eBay. Also have a look at soem of the Internet sites that sell Murano to see if they have a similar piece. The prices will be much higher there.

I'll add that I don't intend to sound negative about the piece. I've got a few very similar pieces that I really enjoy. Part of the enjoyment is having a production piece of a functional object that has some real artistic appeal.

David
Title: Re: Thick bowl in amber white and pink
Post by: Aircooled on February 22, 2010, 12:46:07 AM
Hey, thank you so much. Nice to learn something about them and future ones. I appreciate your time.
Title: Re: Thick bowl in amber white and pink
Post by: Anne on February 22, 2010, 05:17:39 AM
There's one which looks to be the same shape but with a white inside, in Judith Miller's book 20th Century Glass, which is attributed there to Tomasso Buzzi, c.1940. Might be an avenue to explore...?
Title: Re: Thick bowl in amber white and pink
Post by: langhaugh on February 22, 2010, 08:25:13 AM
Anne:

There are a couple of differences: the three folds in Buzzi's and the four in aircooled's, and the gold fold foll in Buzzi's and the amber casing in the other. I'd love to know why Miller thought this was by Buzzi. The gold foil is part of his style, but he's not known for his ashtrays. I still think it could be a by a number of makers and it would be impossible to pin down one.

David
Title: Re: Thick bowl in amber white and pink
Post by: Anne on February 22, 2010, 02:40:55 PM
Presumably that's what the auction house / dealer told them David. :) There is an image code linking to Auktionhaus Bergmann in Germany if that helps?
Title: Re: Thick bowl in amber white and pink
Post by: langhaugh on February 22, 2010, 04:36:49 PM
Anne:

Thanks for the explanation on the Buzzi attribution. The obvious evaded me there.  It's still an interesting attribution. Buzzi was primarily an architect, designer, and artist from Milan with the Gio Ponti group. He was artistic director of, and a designer for, Venini 1932-4, his only two years designing glass. This isn't a 30's Venini-like ashtray.  I would also expect the piece to be marked if it were Venini. And why attribute it to a designer without naming a maker? I suspect the attribution comes from the gold foil. I don't mean to be argumentative, Anne. I think I'm reacting to many listings on eBay a couple of years ago when Buzzi was used like Scarpa, some ridiculous attributions.

Aircooled: Sorry for hijacking the thread there. If you want to look for makers, I agree with Anita and Antiquerose that Barbini and Fratelli Toso are more likely, and from the 50's and 60's.

David
Title: Re: Thick bowl in amber white and pink
Post by: Anne on February 23, 2010, 12:10:31 AM
David, I don't mind at all.  :kissy:  I know precious little about Murano Glass so should probably keep quiet in here anyhow.  :24: It just struck me as similar enough to flag up even if it lets Buzzi be discounted. Sometimes the process of elimination helps.  :-[
Title: Re: Thick bowl in amber white and pink
Post by: Aircooled on February 23, 2010, 12:43:22 AM
I actually found a Buzzi one exactly the same, let me find the link again. thank you both
Title: Re: Thick bowl in amber white and pink
Post by: TxSilver on February 23, 2010, 01:48:26 AM
I agree with David that it does not look Buzzi. The last few years of Buzzi's glass career (after leaving Venini and before WWII) are a mystery to me, so he may have done some things I don't know about. However, this bowl is unlike any of his things I do know about. The pieces that Buzzi is known for are all about the surface, which was not heavily cased in clear glass. He was not overly prolific in his designs. From what is written, he didn't fit in with Venini or Murano very well, so was not around for very long. You can see some examples of his designs in the Marina Barovier gallery at http://www.barovier.it/novecento/novecento_frameset.htm. There are others in Olnick-Spanu collection at http://www.olnickspanu.com/Collection.html.
Title: Re: Thick bowl in amber white and pink
Post by: TxSilver on February 23, 2010, 02:19:29 AM
I found a little more on Buzzi at www.archimagazine.com/bbuzzi.htm. It has to be translated from Italian, but it indicates that Buzzi didn't have time for pursuits in glass after he left Venini. I wonder if it was hard to work at Venini. Many of the people who worked for them seem to have been less than happy, though things were rarely written outright.
Title: Re: Thick bowl in amber white and pink
Post by: kane_u_pain on February 24, 2010, 09:20:43 AM
Hi & welcome aircooled! Car fanatic as well? I have a similar shaped bowl like yours as well...

http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,31185.0.html

Interestingly yours has such a dark inner layer with the 'Generic' (forgive my name on the label) Murano label. You inner layer seems to affect the outside amber layer. Could this be the reason why it may have been exported with that label? Just a thought! The other two layers (white & amber) look good. Does the rim feel like three layers or is it completely smooth?

Title: Re: Thick bowl in amber white and pink
Post by: Aircooled on February 26, 2010, 06:07:09 AM
not sure? it feels like one. at no point all the way around can you feel any difference in texture. a long time ago, my brother peeled one of the labels of one of them, I can not remember, but it could have got put on this one by mistake? I do not remember ever having onethat had a label on the bottom now that i think about it? I just remember being angry that he had taken it off.
Title: Re: Thick bowl in amber white and pink
Post by: kane_u_pain on March 16, 2010, 08:05:44 AM
I notice on mine that you can feel the amber layer against the white, but not really on the yellow and white layer. You should ask your brother, and hopefully he will remember, which bowl he put the sticker on. Would hopefully help in ruling out the label to the bowl.