Topic: Is it or isn't it by Michael Harris?

[lddlsa]

Hello

I mainly collect Monart and Vasart glass but , as you do, I am occasionally tempted to buy other glass.  I have had a couple of interesting discussions with Ron Wheeler of Artius Glass at glass fairs regarding Isle of Wight (IOW) glass.  Last week I was on holiday on the IOW and just had to visit the IOW glass studio, I bought a lovely perfume bottle and enjoyed watching several vases being made.  I also bored my ever patient husband with the little knowledge I have regarding Michael Harris and IOW glass.

Please be patient with me, I am getting to the point of this story
Later in the week we popped into an antiques and collectables shop for a browse and having scanned for any interesting glass, I was ready to leave.  My husband picked up a paperweight which I hadn't bothered to do because it just had an orange swirl in it and I don't like orange, and I don't collect paperweights.............   Husband called me over "Look at this" he said, on the bottom was engraved "Michael Harris Isle of Wight".  At this point I became interested in the orange paperweight but thought either it is genuine and it's going to be £40/£50 at a guess,or it might be a fake.  The owner said he wanted £5 for it and I negotiated the price down to the princely sum of £4.  At this point I thought oh well it's most probably a fake but then why would you bother for £4?  I just couldn't believe that anyone selling antiques etc on the IOW wouldn't know about Michael Harris.

Now we get to the point of this posting............ I think that it may well be genuine having compared it to other Michael Harris signatures I have located.  Please does anyone know where I can find a good example of his signature on the internet?

Your help would be very much appreciated.

Lynne (LDDLSA)

MOD:  PHOTO'S AVAILABLE LOWER DOWN THREAD
 

[David E]

You could start by contacting Artius Glass

[Lustrousstone]

Why not post a picture of the weight and the signature? Some of have the IOW book, which may offer some clues

[lddlsa]

Thank you both for your replies.  I will try and get a decent photo of the weight and signature, the hard bit for me will be posting them on the board but I will follow the instructions to the letter and who knows I might manage it
I am hoping to go to the Cambridge Glass Fair at the end of the month, Artius Glass are usually there so I will take it along and ask Ron Wheeler if he will give me his opinion. 

Thanks again for your help.

Lynne (LDDLSA)

[Max]

Lynne, if you get stuck trying to upload your photo, please send it to me at  maxeen AT aol DOT com  and I'll sort it out for you.   

[lddlsa]

Hi Max
Thanks for your kind offer, I may well take you up on that.  I haven't had a chance to take the photos yet as I have spent most of the day creating pieces of glass of my own which are in the kiln fusing as I type.  It is always a pain to have to wait for it to cool down enough so I can see if the results are any good.  Hopefully I will be able to get the photos done tomorrow.  Thanks again.
Lynne (LDDLSA)

[David E]

Sounds interesting - you must post photos of your own work

[Max]

Lynne has kindly sent photographs of her paperweight:

http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-8448
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-8449

Hopefully these will help.   

[Pip]

That signature looks absolutely fine to me - compared to the MH signature I've got it's virtually identical.  What a great find - and like you say, how odd that the dealer on the Isle of Wight didn't realise what he had!

[lddlsa]

Thanks for replying Pip, I was fairly sure it was genuine but I am no expert on paperweights.  Hubby will be pleased when I tell him as, after all, it was him that found it.  Now I will be inspecting everything more closely, I have just got to find something for myself.  I know that valuations are not given here but I am guessing it might be worth £30-£40.  Certainly for the forseeable future it is going to sit between two perfume bottles, one each by Timothy and Jonathan Harris.  I still don't like the orange though

Lynne (LDDLSA)