Topic: How do I describe this sculptural piece?

[Anne]

I found this piece today and bought it because (a) I like it and (b) I have not seen anything like it before. Being a poor Chippendale girl trying to expand my glassie horizons I'm trying to find out who may have made it and where. It's smokey coloured glass, 6.75" tall and the base is about 2.5" at the widest part (though it's not circular so the width varies). There's a rough pontil, and there are three holes cut into the sides of the piece. The glass varies between 1/4" and 3/8" thickness, and it reminds me of a gourd in some ways. Can anyone tell me who it may be by please? Or where I may be able to look for more info... with not knowing how to describe it it's very hard to go Google!

http://yobunny.org.uk/gallery1/displayimage.php?pos=-102
http://yobunny.org.uk/gallery1/displayimage.php?pos=-103
http://yobunny.org.uk/gallery1/displayimage.php?pos=-104

I've been hunting to see what I can find like this and about the only design anywhere similar I've seen is Per Lutken's Flame vase - but I cannot imagine mine being Lutken - the rough pontil and no signature seems to say not him. Would that be right?

[paradisetrader]

Most curious and interesting Anne
Try googling glass object, glass sculpture, freeform, .... candle holder ? Lantern ?
Rough pontil tends to suggest NOT Scandi as they tend to be fussy on that score.
Experimental ? Frigger ? Student piece ?
Any glass studios near-ish to where you bought it ?
They would need some serious cutting machinery. Engravers ? A poly or university teaching glass tech ?  
Sorry can't be more help.
I like it !

[Anne]

Thanks for your thoughts Peter - the rough pontil was making me leery of Scandi as well. Other than the pontil being rough it's beautifully smooth and very well-made. If a student piece then s/he's a good student and I'd love to see future works for sure.

It's not big enough to hold a candle or nightlight - the holes are just large enough to slide my hand in and out through another one, so it looks like a glass knuckle duster when I do that! :lol:

There's a couple of glass makers in the south Cumbria area but it doesn't look like either of them from my experience - Ray would recognise if it was a Heron piece as he is a near neighbour of them, and I'm sure it's not Adrian Sankey either. I don't know of any of the colleges offering glass-making course round about - it all seems to be catering, computers and suchlike - nothing as exciting as glassmaking here!

By the way, I found it in a charity shop in Kendal, and it just appealed to me.

I've still not managed to find anything like this piece. I've searched on Peter's suggested words but nothing seems to fit... any other suggestions please?

[Max]

Hi Anne

I'm with Peter with this one.  This piece does have a Scandi flavour.  It just looks *classy*, doesn't it?  As Peter says also, the rough pontil mark seems a little ill at ease.  Sorry Anne, glass is sooo difficult to pin down sometimes, isn't it? xx

[paradisetrader]

It's a fascinating piece Anne but I think it's going to remain a mystery for quite a while and then one day BINGO you'll get a "lead".
I've looked again and stand by my inital observations.
It might also be interesting to speculate how it was done.
It would seem to me that the gather was blown into into a basic open topped "cage" giving the bulges and the rod just pulled away. The bulges  would then have been cut away with some serious cutting equipment.
The quality of the glass looks good ...

[Anne]

From looking at it that appears to me to be almost how it was made too, Peter.
The top isn't open though, it tapers to a closed point, so it looks as if it's been blown and stretched, then the punty removed leaving the very rough mark, and the sides cut off to make the three openings, which are almost exactly the same size as my hand across the base of my fingers.

[Anne]

Almost 3 years on and I've found pics of two similar-looking items...  both made in clear/coloured glass rather than smoked, but the shape is close. See here under Jablonski Newest Items page: http://www.chamberofcommerce.pl/glass/jablon/new/newitems.html - I'm not at all convinced that mine is Jablonski, but I thought it worth flagging up the similarity in design given that we drew a blank when this was last discussed. This one is a very similar shape: http://www.chamberofcommerce.pl/glass/jablon/img/JDA501.jpg

[Anne]

still no clue about this one.   Jablonski has confirmed it's not one of theirs.