Topic: 5-spout vase ID (tentative) = Gordiola, Spain

[TxSilver]

I am beginning to think we need to start a special collector's market for 5-spout vases. There are so many of them that seem to differ along a continuum of characteristics.

The Zecchin vase appears to have gentle optic ribbing on the body of the vase, but the ribbing does not extend onto the neck. The neck looks to be about 1" long. The rigaree of the ones I've accepted as Zecchin is set back slightly from the end of the spouts. The rigaree is not all that neat, but it is orderly. I would bet the ends of the spouts are all smooth, as mentioned before. I've seen what I think are legitimate vases in golden amber, rose, and celeste? blue.

I saw one for sale online a few weeks back that looked almost perfect. The only thing that caused me pause was that the "kick" on the bottom of the vase looked mishapened. It was off-center and messy. The vases that I have trust in all had small, nicely formed kicks (bottom indentations).

I like your vase. It reminds me of some of the old oil lamps.

Anita

[svazzo]

Maybe this type of vase is some other older classical shape that has been reproduced not only by Murano artist?
I have never seen 1 with a foot attached, so that is 1 more different type.
Also noticed that some of the vases have crimped decoration on the spouts, others rope type decoration.

Javier

[TxSilver]

It could be that the design is based on an older model. Salviati & Co made a 4-spout oil lamp in the late 19th Century. The oil lamp looks very much like Zecchin's vase, only it is fused to a saucer. The similarity with the spouts and rigaree made me wonder if Zecchin was modeling his vase on Salviati's lamp.

Anita

[TxSilver]

Resurrecting an old thread with some new info. I found this auction on eBay (150295835306). Some of these types of vases appear to be from Spain (Mallorca). I have been running into this area a lot lately. It appears to be the area where the Royo glass that is apparently mistakenly attributed to Moser comes from... But then, that is a discussion for another group.

Anita

[TxSilver]

I double-checked and the Royo glass is from Majorca, instead of the nearby Mallorca. I believe that the original vase pictured in this thread is, like the vases in the eBay auction, from Gordiola glassworks near Mallorca. The dimensions, look, and appearance of the glass is right.

Goes off mumbling to self 
Anita

[shandiane78]

I was just thinking about this thread too, after seeing these ones ebay with label:

1187: Pair of Art Glass Vases, signed Gordiole

[TxSilver]

I am sure that many people, when they look at glass, get the feeling that something is not quite right with the appearance of the glass. It is probably our instincts trying to tell us something. The trouble with buying online is that a lot of time the sellers don't have good pictures. Then one has to get the vase in hand before figuring out that something is not quite right.

I've read that many of the Spanish glassmakers worked in Murano for a while, so I guess it isn't surprising that some of the designs made their way to the Spanish borders. I have handled a lot of the Royo/Cire-- pieces and found they were great, but not of Moser quality. The same is true for these 5-spout vases. They aren't soffiati and the sharp edges are not polished out. Still, they are fine vases. I see quite a few of them sold on eBay for respectable money. I think people are more aware of them than they used to be, though, so the prices are not so great anymore. I imagine that knowing about the vases also makes people a bit shy about investing in the real Venini pieces.

After seeing a few of the real Venini and a lot of these copies, it is pretty easy to select the Venini pieces -- that is, if all the good quality ones are really Venini. I am glad that the auctioneer listed his Gordiola (correcting the Gordiole) vases. I believe he solved a big mystery. I had wondered if the vases might still be Murano, just not Venini. Now I know what they probably are.

Anita

[johnphilip]

Hi Anita it took me about ten years to prove ROYO  was  GORDIOLA  every time i told people they said i had it wrong , but i promise you it is right ,they have a fantastic glassworks  at Algaida in the centre of Majorca or  Mallorca the Spanish name for the same . the Museum has a collection of international glass with some amazing Italian glass from the top designers and if you say please they will let you have a blow .Regards .JP  :angel: 
 PS -Ivo and Fank helped with the final proof . :hiclp:

[TxSilver]

It looks like two mysteries converge on the same area then. I have a friend who lives in Spain that has been trying to track down the origin of the Royo pieces. She forwarded a message to me that had the research Deborah Truitt (of Bohemian glass fame) had done. Paraphrasing, apparently the glass was imported by Ardalt from Majorca in the US c 1960. The glass was simply identified as "Arte Catalan."

There was another couple of bits that clenched that Moser wasn't involved in the glass. Moser denied any association and it didn't have a Spanish market in the 1920s -- the time when Moser was reputed to make the glass for the Spanish market.

Online information is so difficult to find for Spanish glass! Do you have any online links? I'll have to write my Spanish friend to see if she might know something about the Gordiolas glassworks.

Anita
Maybe we should bounce this over to the general glass board, since none of this glass is Murano.

[johnphilip]

Hi Anita  the gmb has the Gordiola website on one of the threads loads of info in several languages and a very nice video, Royo was one of their main men and came from Catalonia hence the Catalan connection .jp