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Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Topic started by: Watcherinla on December 16, 2012, 11:36:49 PM

Title: Identifying glass vase from Austria
Post by: Watcherinla on December 16, 2012, 11:36:49 PM
I puchased a vase at an auction and it is handblown.   The mark is etched in the bottom and try as I might, I cannot identify the maker.   Any help is appreciated.

The lettering say 'Austria'    and 'V1~1933'    There are 2 marks.   One is a capital 'D' and the second is an old English 'D'.
Title: Re: Identifying glass vase from Austria
Post by: Lustrousstone on December 17, 2012, 07:29:10 AM
Welcome to the board. Seeing the vase as well would be helpful please
Title: Re: Identifying glass vase from Austria
Post by: Ivo on December 17, 2012, 07:32:26 AM
Welcome to the board. Your interpretation of German Gothic seems to be a bit shaky. One letter is the V, the other a C - but in any case, someone will come along and interpret these correctly.
Meanwhile, be so kind as to post a photograph of the piece itself, not just the underside. Please also consider that the inscription may not have anything to do with the maker of the vase. It could be a marriage date, for instance.
Title: Re: Identifying glass vase from Austria --- Picture of the vase
Post by: Watcherinla on December 17, 2012, 11:13:47 AM
Sorry... the only photo that I had of the vase was too big to post.   I made a smaller one.   The vase is about 12 inches high and the spot in the middle is almost like an oxidized glass.  I'm new to the glass world so please pardon my lack of expertise.   The picture is a bit deceptive.  There are no cracks in the glass at all.
Title: Re: Identifying glass vase from Austria
Post by: glasskillian on December 17, 2012, 11:20:54 AM
Sorry cant help with the attribution but what a lovely piece of glass looks quallity ???
Title: Re: Identifying glass vase from Austria
Post by: Ivo on December 17, 2012, 11:26:28 AM
Hmmmm.... just puzzled here.
Title: Re: Identifying glass vase from Austria
Post by: Watcherinla on December 17, 2012, 11:34:29 AM
The vase is really a puzzle.  Under a light, the colors just glow.   It was purchased at an auction but no one seemed to have any information about it.   
Title: Re: Identifying glass vase from Austria
Post by: Lustrousstone on December 17, 2012, 11:47:22 AM
Resize a high res photo so that the longest dimension is 700 pixels; that usually gives a good result and one that blows up so we can see detail. The apparent date and style seem somewhat incongruous. As does the fact that the writing is engraved, apparently using a stencil, rather than acid etched. How is the top finished?
Title: Re: Identifying glass vase from Austria
Post by: Watcherinla on December 17, 2012, 01:43:56 PM
Here is a picture of the top.  Sorry, I don't have a higher resolution photo --- not the best camera in the world.   The top is very smooth with no cracks or chips.   I should also mention that this is a heavy piece too.  It has to weigh about 3 or 4 pounds.   
Title: Re: Identifying glass vase from Austria
Post by: chopin-liszt on December 17, 2012, 06:03:36 PM
Your vase itself looks like a bit of studio glass - the rim is heat finished, the body not fully round, but a tiny bit "wonky" (to me wonky is good.)

The surface decoration seems to have beeen achieved with the use of both silver chloride and tin metal - very much my style of beast - but I'm clueless as to how such an inscription came to be on it - the studio glass movement did not "officially" start until '62, but things such as this were being made in the 60's by artists who were working behind the Iron curtain, using the factory facilities as a studio glass artist would have done in a studio with only their small pot - for example, there are a couple of fabulous one-off vases by Feliks Nawrocki from 1965 in Wroclaw museum, both decorated with silver chloride and tin.
Title: Re: Identifying glass vase from Austria
Post by: flying free on December 17, 2012, 06:32:55 PM
reminds me a little of Karl Wiedmann's pieces?  is that possible?
m
Title: Re: Identifying glass vase from Austria
Post by: chopin-liszt on December 17, 2012, 06:44:14 PM
I think Karl Weidmann produced somewhat more sophisticated pieces - he's been around for a lo-ooong time and I'm well aware he was probably well ahead of his time - I just feel that by the 60's, his more studio-style work was still finished beautifully. (says she, thinking of her stunning gralglas ashtray.  ;) )
Title: Re: Identifying glass vase from Austria
Post by: flying free on December 17, 2012, 06:57:46 PM
yes I agree, but I wondered whether it might actually have been produced in the 30's ?  is that possible?
m
Title: Re: Identifying glass vase from Austria
Post by: chopin-liszt on December 17, 2012, 07:18:33 PM
This doesn't look '30s to me at all...
How "inexperienced" was he in the '30s?

ok, you've twisted my arm - here's my Gralglas Weidmann ashtray. I display it upside-down, so that's how you're getting it. It's bum is it's prettiest side. This is, of course, his much later work.
Title: Re: Identifying glass vase from Austria
Post by: flying free on December 17, 2012, 07:28:01 PM
gorgeous!  and all beautifully finished.
Aah well, perhaps not then.  I think we need very good clear large shots of the vase in question as it's too hard to see the decoration on it - there is a patch of what I thought might be bubbles so that brought him to mind.
m
Title: Re: Identifying glass vase from Austria
Post by: chopin-liszt on December 17, 2012, 07:36:57 PM
I thought the patch in question might be the tin..  ???

I'm afraid, Watcherinla, we are going to need much bigger images so we can see the whole thing much better.
However, your description of colours coming out everywhere in the light would suggest I'm probably right about silver chloride; any duller metallic bits, I think are the tin.

From your username, are you in the states? Did you find this piece in Austria, or get it from there?
Title: Re: Identifying glass vase from Austria
Post by: Watcherinla on December 17, 2012, 09:03:46 PM
Sue.   I don't have the vase with me but I'm going to borrow a better camera and get some closeup pictures and try and shine a light through it.   There are swirls of blue and yellow in it that do not show up on the posted photos.    I'm in Canada.   So I'm going to try in the next couple of days to get those pictures read.   

I want to thank everyone on the message board for their kind input.   This is a great help.
Title: Re: Identifying glass vase from Austria
Post by: chopin-liszt on December 18, 2012, 11:51:25 AM
You've got a very interesting piece there!
Thanks for sharing it with us.  :)
I do hope we'll get a bit further with it.