Glass Message Board

Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Topic started by: davidfish1212 on November 03, 2012, 03:16:30 PM

Title: Large Maltese vase, help needed on ID please
Post by: davidfish1212 on November 03, 2012, 03:16:30 PM
Hi All,

I bought this vase yesterday with another piece of signed Mdina glass. This vase though has no Mdina mark and a polished pontil mark. It is a large size at 10.5" Could anyone point me in the right direction please.
Thanks in advance.

Cheers, David
Title: Re: Large Maltese vase, help needed on ID please
Post by: Greg. on November 03, 2012, 03:35:50 PM
Nice find David, looks like an early large Mdina Rosenthal cylinder vase, quite a scare thing to come across, if it needs a home, I am more than happy to make space.  :)
Title: Re: Large Maltese vase, help needed on ID please
Post by: chopin-liszt on November 03, 2012, 04:46:07 PM
Nothing I can add, really.  ;D
Michael Harris period, quite probably made by him.
I do have one, so I don't need another.  8)
Title: Re: Large Maltese vase, help needed on ID please
Post by: davidfish1212 on November 03, 2012, 05:05:25 PM
Wow, and wow again, I wasn't even sure it was Mdina, I thought maybe MDG! I am really chuffed, thanks so much for your help and info. I can't believe it's such an early piece, so would this be early 70's? For a change my wife actually commented that it was 'quite nice compared to some of the others' so I guess I might get to put this out!!

Thanks again, David ;D
Title: Re: Large Maltese vase, help needed on ID please
Post by: chopin-liszt on November 03, 2012, 05:23:54 PM
Well, Michael Harris left Mdina in '71.  8)
This really does look like his work.
Rosenthal was a range he did develop specifically for the American market - and many of the bits that went to the states were signed - it was something the american market wanted. I would think unsigned bits are ones that possibly stayed in Europe.
Polished out round pontil makrs do not appear on things made after MH left, even though Vicente Boffo was still there. 
Title: Re: Large Maltese vase, help needed on ID please
Post by: user9318 on November 03, 2012, 05:31:23 PM
Stupid question here, what does MDG stand for, I have seen it mentioned quite a lot on the board recently, but I have no idea what the initials stand for.

Nice vase by the way.
Title: Re: Large Maltese vase, help needed on ID please
Post by: chopin-liszt on November 03, 2012, 05:40:28 PM
Malta Decorative Glass.
A short-lived company, set up by the Maltese government with funding from China, inspired by the success of Mdina.
Vicente Boffo was told to leave Mdina and train a load of brand-new apprentices at MDG, or to leave Malta. However, it did not achieve the success that Mdina did and died a death.

It has been assumed it probably started around '77, because Wolfie found out from Joseph Said that Vicente Boffo was at Mdina until then. We don't know how long it did last, just that it wasn't very long.
Title: Re: Large Maltese vase, help needed on ID please
Post by: user9318 on November 03, 2012, 08:44:01 PM
Thank you Chopin-Liszt for relieving me of my stupidity and for the informative explanation of what MDG stands for, I will no longer be confused.
Title: Re: Large Maltese vase, help needed on ID please
Post by: chopin-liszt on November 04, 2012, 11:12:14 AM
Not knowing something doesn't make you stupid!  :-*
It's something most folk haven't been interested in until very recently. And you do know now.  :)
Title: Re: Large Maltese vase, help needed on ID please
Post by: user9318 on November 04, 2012, 10:37:07 PM
I do and thank you again.