Topic: Pink Ribbon Vase

[Springhead]

Does anybody know who made this one?

[Anne]

Does it have any indication (label/mark) of being Murano? If not I'll move it over to Glass Id.

[Springhead]

Pink canes imbedded in cristalo glass with ash inclusions would seem to indicate to me it is murano glass. I would respectfully point out to you that 90 percent of postings on this board are of pieces that are not marked or labeled. See below for a comparison of the canes in the pitcher below which is also not marked but which I'm pretty sure is Murano glass.

[TxSilver]

Springhead, the vase reminds me of some of the sommerso paperweight vases that are made in China. I notice that your vase doesn't have the same type of rim, though. Is the rim rounded or ground? I have the feeling that the vase may not be Murano. I can't say for sure because I do not recognize the vase.

Anita

[Della]

No disrespect, Springhead, but the main glass forum gets more visitors than the Murano forum and an item is normally viewed more often and a response given (if one is unsure of the land of origin). Once members are of the opinion that the item is of Murano (or Scottish, etc.) origin, then it is normally moved to the correct forum.

[Springhead]

I'm pretty sure this is an Archimede Seguso vase from the 1950's

https://web.archive.org/web/20080705144342/http://www.italian-glass.net:80/seguso.html [Mod: link updated to show original website not its current adult site.]

Not a Chinese sommerso paperweight... heh...

[Springhead]

A little background... The first Italian art glass vase I ever sold was the Alfredo Barbini sommerso piece seen on page 73 of Leslie Pina's Fifties Glass in which she refers to the insiso as "etched lines"... That was around 1978 or 9... I must have gotten it pretty cheap 'cause I sold it for $65 and was very happy... I have learned a lot since then including how to tell a vintage piece of Italian art glass from a made in china paperweight. I also have been selling on eBay since 1997 and while pondering whether the bowl you had just purchased for fifty cents at a garage sale is Fratelli Toso or not you may have noticed a few of my early Venini pieces sell at a pretty good level...

Move the vase if you see fit but I was hoping for an open minded and fair discussion of this piece of glass with knowledgeable people.

[TxSilver]

Springhead, half the people you are talking to on the group are Murano sellers. We challenge each other all the time on this and other groups. There are no absolutes when it comes to glass. And there are few people -- even the experts -- that have a fraction of the answers.

About the Chinese glass -- Some of the Chinese pieces are actually very good quality. I am attaching a copy of a nice one that rivals the work of Orient & Flume. Chinese do get a bad name because much of the modern work coming out of the country is shoddy. (I have a Chinese copy of the vase pictured that is low quality work.) The Chinese used to be among the most masterful in making glass, pottery, and ceramics. I am sure that there is still a lot of quality pieces made.

Again, as I said before, I do not know if your vase is Chinese. It just reminded me of some of the vases.

Anita

[TxSilver]

I took a look at some more pictures of the vase in your store and noticed it was not as deep as it is wide. I also noticed the spiral went onto the bottom. Seeing these things gave me an entirely different view. I hope someone can identify the vase. It is very pretty.

Anita

[langhaugh]

I have a piece of glass (not as pretty as this) that has long puzzled me. It has applied lattimo stripes spiralling round the vase and with vertical lattimo stripes embedded in the vase. In the (vain) hope that the vase might be something it's not, I've been looking at vases with applied spirals for quite while. I can't recall any Seguso looking like this (nastro richiamato is a bit of a stretch). The closest I ever found was a fasce by Scarpa for Venini, which is close in spirit to this vase.

However, Springhead has far more knowledge and experience than me so I'd be interested to hear why he thinks it's Seguso.

BTW, the second edition of Fifities Glass, Pina changed "etched" to "textured with fine lines on the surface." I guess it shows we can all learn. $65 for the Barbini makes me weep.

David