Topic: Are rare Dartington find or a new copy?

[lyndhurst44]

Hi,
Please take a look of this Greek Key vase I wisely??? purchased last week. Is it a rare colour on an old favourite or just a new and less than subtle arrival from way down east. The base suggests it has been moulded.

Cheers,
Bryn.

[Lustrousstone]

I think wisely was the wrong word. Not enough texture, the proportions look wrong for the size of the spiral, it should have a polished pontil and this style wasn't made in blue... 

[lyndhurst44]

Hi Christine,
Much as I thought and to think a couple of hours earlier I had just missed a large red example by two paces at a boot sale, I actually saw the £1 coin being passed over. Drat!!! . Oh well can't win them all!
It just goes to show that there are almost as many copies out there as there are originals. I recently wen't to TKMAXX and saw some quite brilliant pieces. There were 2 superb multi layered large and heavy Murano sommerso type pieces going for about £7 each brand new. If I had seen them at a boot sale going for twice that price I might well have been tempted. It really is a minefield out there.
Cheers,
Bryn

[robert1960]

I have seen blue examples of this..

But this isn't one of them 

[Ivo]

I have a clear one (Why?) and I cannot possibly imagine why anyone would want to copy it. It is not as if this is an important piece of design or a technical achievement - or am I missing something?

[skegby73]

I wouldn't necessarily treat this as some sort of fake.  From the publications on Dartington they were known to have produced cobalt blue items in 1974 and then again in 1994, the latter being earlier "Recycled Designs" made with recycled crystal.

Assuming it is 5.5 inches tall, such smaller Greek Key vases did not have polished out pontil marks and the slight variation in the pattern may simply be reflective of the use of a later mould.

I have seen several items which have deviated from the published "standard" Dartington production colours, not only these small Greek Key vases but:
An FT88 Hexagonal Candleholder in cobalt blue.
An FT52 Ugly Head vase in cobalt blue.
Daisy Dishes in green, (when the books say they were only produced in clear or grey).
I'm sure there are many more examples out there.

The good news is that the small cobalt blue Greek Key vases tend to make more than the kingfisher blue ones on e-bay, but still considerably less than Flame red examples.

As to the design, each to their own, but I quite like the geometric shapes coming out of the UK in the late 60s!

[lyndhurst44]

That is good news.  I'm out of jail again and It's back in the cabinet. I also agree with your sentiments on the 60's geometric shapes.
Many thanks for the message.  :clap:
Cheers,
Bryn 

[yelooc]

Hi

This is a greek key vase by Frank Thrower in Bristol Blue. The colour is very rare (rarer than Flame) and was used in 1977 for a short period (6 months). Any of the original textured range designs in this colour are chickens teeth.

Graham

[lyndhurst44]

Hi Graham,

This is a greek key vase by Frank Thrower in Bristol Blue. The colour is very rare (rarer than Flame) and was used in 1977 for a short period (6 months). Any of the original textured range designs in this colour are chickens teeth.

It just get's better, nice one!
Cheers,
Bryn