Glass Message Board

Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass Paperweights => Topic started by: Lustrousstone on February 22, 2006, 09:22:58 PM

Title: Probably Italian
Post by: Lustrousstone on February 22, 2006, 09:22:58 PM: I now seem to have a small paperweight collection. Can anybody help with identifying these two please?

The first I describe as three mushrooms growing from a multi-coloured bubbly base.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b217/lustrousstone/PDR_0020.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b217/lustrousstone/PDR_0018.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b217/lustrousstone/PDR_0017.jpg

The second is lovely, as each flower has the most beautiful irridescence spraying out from it and it's signed. There are three flowers, one red, one black and one green with bubble centres, growing from a sort of white mist

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b217/lustrousstone/pwview1.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b217/lustrousstone/PDR_0014.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b217/lustrousstone/PDR_0015.jpg
Title: Probably Italian
Post by: KevinH on February 22, 2006, 10:05:26 PM: 1st one ... don't know, could be from many places.

2nd one ... At first glance I thought it was a regular Indian "trumpet-flower" weight, but the flowers seem to be "cameo etched" rather than internal. And that looks like a Mtarfe signature to me. Interesting.
Title: Probably Italian
Post by: Lustrousstone on February 22, 2006, 10:12:28 PM: What do you mean by cameo etched? They are inside the glass and in the same layer as the irridescence.
Title: Probably Italian
Post by: KevinH on February 22, 2006, 10:41:39 PM: Ah! Maybe it's my eyes.

But the photo of the base view seemed to show clear "edges" that give the impression of the coloured bits being on the outside. Just an optical illusion, then?

Presumably the coloured parts come very close to the surface?
Title: Probably Italian
Post by: Lustrousstone on February 23, 2006, 07:52:47 AM: Optical illusion. Yes some of the coloured parts are quite close to the surface, but there is definitely a clear casing layer over an irridescent layer. You can see it quite clearly at the top if you hold it right. The flower petals are practically just smears of glass, which gives a lovely translucence. I'll borrow the OH's camera at the weekend -his macro is better than mine!!
Title: Probably Italian
Post by: David555 on March 01, 2006, 02:30:34 PM: Hi

I have a paperweight similar to your mushroom paperweight.

(http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/7333/colinramsay0wv.th.jpg) (http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=colinramsay0wv.jpg)

It is by Colin Ramsay a Scottish paperweight maker - I see your weight has no etched mark to the base; he did not always mark his weights (the little I know about him). Again the closeness of flowers/mushrooms to surface is an optical illusion as is any sparkling - the bubbles as with yours are intentional.

Of course he was not the only artist making weights of this type, without a mark we can only speculate. My second guess would be a good Italian maker, my third Mdina

Your second weight is Mtarfa I think, base mark done with a quick hand - I have some like this and it fits in well with their style of weights.

Thanks Adam P
Title: Probably Italian
Post by: Lustrousstone on March 01, 2006, 06:52:37 PM: Thank you David. Not easy to find anything about Colin Ramsey though, will keep digging.
Title: Re: Probably Italian
Post by: Lustrousstone on September 22, 2009, 06:49:04 AM: Can a Mod change the error messages to links please, as they actually go to the right places. I'm sure Photobucket changed its system

Mod: photos now via links as requested
Title: Re: Probably Italian
Post by: alexander on September 22, 2009, 01:09:31 PM: Fiorst one probably Japanese, marketed as "Original Lutetian Glass".
Title: Re: Probably Italian
Post by: Frank on August 03, 2011, 04:38:41 PM: Quote from: Lustrousstone on March 01, 2006, 06:52:37 PM
Thank you David. Not easy to find anything about Colin Ramsey though, will keep digging.

There is also a Charles V Ramsey that also made weights as well as glassware, active from the 1970s until a couple of years ago.

Has anyone got any confirmation on 'Colin' ?
Title: Re: Probably Italian
Post by: tropdevin on August 03, 2011, 04:44:34 PM: ***

The first onw, with generic 'trumpet flower' or 'ice-pick' style flowers, could have been made in many places, but a lot of these come out of the Czech Republic or nearby.

Alan
Title: Re: Probably Italian
Post by: ahremck on August 04, 2011, 02:28:28 AM: I agree with Kevin H re the second weight - the signature looks like Mtarfa from Malta.

The first weight seems to have slightly brown glass rather than completely clear (See photo #1) - if that is so I would suspect an Indian origin. We saw lots brought over here by the Education Dept. - presumably because they were ultra-cheap. It does not seem to me of sufficient standard to be a reputable artist's work - and most would put there initials on the base if not the whole name. Hence I suspect it is of Far Eastern origin anyway.

Ross
Title: Re: Probably Italian
Post by: Lustrousstone on August 04, 2011, 06:39:14 AM: This is an old thread resurrected and I am now much wiser about paperweights. The second one is definitely Mtarfa.

The second one I am more inclined to go with Japanese than Indian. It is nothing like the Indian ice pick flowers we see here - there are plenty.

This particular paperweight only seems to appear in this colour and it is actually more sophisticated in construction than many icepicks.

More discussion about this here
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,28925.0.html