Topic: FM Konstglas Ronneby

[taylog1]

Came across this Scandinavian glass board today


http://www.precisensan.com/antikforum/forumdisplay.php?f=31

If you like Marcolin you should definitely check out the first (very long) post for the pictures alone.

taylog1

[David E]

Very interesting. I'd just notified Ingela, who is a member here and an avid FM collector, but see she has posted there anyway!

I have a few pieces myself, but it's the first time I have seen that tiger - an impressive piece

[inca]

Hi taylog1,

Thank you for mentioning this Scandinavian Glass Board.  :hiclp:
We do have a nice collection of pictures in this thread and I think it gives
quite a good overview of FM's production.

However, I must point out that there has been a couple of queries: "Is this
FM Konstglas/Marcolin?" and the answer is sometimes that it is not so there
are a few pictures in this long thread that are not FM objects. If any
queries about any of the objects please contact me and I will do my best to
give an answer.

I have been able to find some really lovely FM objects and I have included a
couple of pictures for you.

regards,

Ingela

[David E]

Thanks for sharing, Ingela :clap:

It is surprising how diverse the FM output could be. I'm sure I sold one of the latticino bottles as 'Murano' before  and I wonder how many of those milllefiori flasks have been sold as Fratelli Toso (or whatever)?

In particular the green/yellow sommerso dish is striking. Do you know how many different shapes and colour combinations the company produced? I see it has textured sides as well, but all the textured ones I have are plain.

[Ivo]

I have a Marcolin brochure and have not seen any panel cut somerso or millefiori glass in there. These are quite specific techniques. So - are these certain attributions, or did the brothers import from the homeland as well?

[David E]

Could these be 'Marcolin' when the brothers returned to Venice?

[Ivo]

no FM Ronneby IS Fratelli Marcolin; the larger-than-life brothers tried to switch production to Sardinia Crystal in 1999 but this soon resulted in fisticuffs, and business ceased in retirement. Or so I've been told.

[inca]

no FM Ronneby IS Fratelli Marcolin; the larger-than-life brothers tried to
switch production to Sardinia Crystal in 1999 but this soon resulted in
fisticuffs, and business ceased in retirement. Or so I've been told.

......"the larger-than-life brothers"..........

What do you mean?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FM is NOT Fratelli Marcolin. FM stands for Färe-Marcolin.
Josef Marcolin was married to Ingalill Färe, thus the company name
Färe-Marcolin Konstglas AB.

FM closed down in Ronneby in 1991 and the Marcolin brothers went back to
Italy to work with Sardinia Crystal. The idea was to continue production of
the existing range of products but the collaboration did not work out.
Benito moved back to Sweden and Josef to Austria.
I do not have much details about this collaboration but Sardinia Crystal
retained some rights to both the name Marcolin and some of the design for a
number of years. Possibly from 1994-2004.

1994-2001 Benito worked for Vas Vitreum, Vadstena, Sweden.
http://www.vasvitreum.se/

Josef has (after Sardinia Crystal) collaborated with Waterford Crystal,
Dartington Crystal (1997-1999) and also Colle Vilca (Italy).

Colle Vilca produces (since 2004?) the Marcolin Art Crystal collection.
http://www.marcolinartcrystal.com/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have a Marcolin brochure and have not seen any panel cut somerso or
millefiori glass in there. These are quite specific techniques. So - are
these certain attributions, or did the brothers import from the homeland as
well?

The Marcolin brochure. Is that the one you have mentioned earlier, from ca
1990? That one would not show FM's earlier production.

The panel cut somerso was made ca 1965-1971 and the small
latticino/millefiori vases ca 1977-1978.


FM Konstglas in Ronneby was run by skilled glassblowers, trained in the
Murano technique.
During the 1960's and 1970's quite a number of Murano glassblowers moved to
Ronneby to work for FM Konstglas, for longer or shorter time periods.
The Marcolin brothers' brother-in-law Aureliano Toso also worked for FM
Konstglas.
The Murano influence was strong during these years. I do not know if FM had
any need to import from the "homeland".

Do you know how many different shapes and colour combinations the company
produced?

Good question!
I do not have an answer to that question but I know that in 1970 FM
Konstglas had 700 combinations available in different sizes, shapes and
colours.
At http://www.marcolinartcrystal.com/shop/index.php you can get an overview
of the different colour combinations used today by Marcolin Art Crystal.

Ivo records the Marcolin Brothers as having their own company from 1961 to
1994.

You raised this question in another thread and I never got back to you.
Sorry!
The company is still active.
http://www.marcolinartcrystal.com/shop/index.php?main_page=contact_us

I have included some more FM objects for you! 


regards,

Ingela

[Ivo]

......"the larger-than-life brothers"..........
What do you mean?

Apparently they were very colourful characters.

[David E]

Do you know how many different shapes and colour combinations the company
produced?

Good question!
I do not have an answer to that question but I know that in 1970 FM Konstglas had 700 combinations available in different sizes, shapes and colours.
At http://www.marcolinartcrystal.com/shop/index.php you can get an overview
of the different colour combinations used today by Marcolin Art Crystal.

Thanks Ingela!

I would be very interested to learn of the various panel-cut shapes and colour combinations they produced. Also whether they signed them. I have quite a few in green/amber/clear (and other colour combinations), but there are noticable differences between some of them. Of course, mine could have all been produced by Murano makers, so knowing which styles derived from FM Konstglas would be very revealing.

Have you contacted the factory? They might have old catalogues to confirm the various combinations.

Re. the company: I was aware it was still in business, but was really referring to the Marcolin brothers' direct input.