Topic: Glassmaker Bischoff marketed Venetian imports 1956

[paradisetrader]

Glassmaker Bischoff (WV, USA) marketed Venetian Glass in 1956 as the advert in this Ebay auction shows.
http://cgi.ebay.com/14-1-2-RED-RIBBON-MURANO-DECANTER-1956-ADVERTISEMENT_W0QQitemZ190238636479

No subterfuge here: The advert clearly states that these items were imported. However they were marketed as "Bischoff Decanter Sets" without, as far as I can see, any mention of the Italian glass company who actually made the items.

We don't know how the decanters and boxes were labelled, if at all. It may have been sufficient for the outer packaging to be labelled as "Made in Italy" for customs purposes. No wonder owners and collectors get confused.  I can just hear an heir insisting that "Mom always said it was a Bischoff decanter". Even more confusing is that Bischoff did actually make decanters which look Italian.
 
We have noted this practise happening in more recent times, in these forms previously. I find it instructive to realise that it happened back then and maybe even before 1956. I hope others do too.
Pete
 

[TxSilver]

All is not so bleak. The decanter is a Bischoff Brandy decanter. Glass and ceramic artisans from various places made collectible decanters for Bischoff Brandy. Murano glassmakers made many designs, including the one in your picture, during the 1950s. Your decanter is often attributed to Fratelli Toso, but there is no evidence they made the decanter. I have had a couple of these decanters and the clear glass is too crystal-clear for Toso, IMO.

Other Bischoff Brandy decanters made in Murano include the ones with lion-head's prunts set like a doughnut hole in the middle of the decanter. These are often attributed to Salviati, but the attribution is doubtful. I believe the most we can say about these decanters is that they were made in Murano for Bischoff Brandy (which is Italian, I believe). Bischoff Brandy is a liquor company with no ties to Bischoff Glass that I know of.

(I just noticed the advertisement in the listing has pictures of the decanter I was writing about. The advertisement is a great help for people who run across these decanters often. I did not know what they were until I saw this advertisement the first time.)

Anita

[Ron]

More:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200226204634

[paradisetrader]

Bischoff Brandy is a liquor company with no ties to Bischoff Glass that I know of.
Anita

Thank you Anita for setting me straight on that. Of course there's no expectation of a liquor company to give the manufacturer details of the packaging it uses, even if decorative; so the basis of this posting is erroneous. I leave it to the mods to decide if it should stay or go; could be misleading if googlers do not read the whole thread.
Pete

[TxSilver]

I am glad you posted this, Pete. The bottles are often sold as something they aren't. I have seen people pay high prices for lion head prunt bottles that were misattributed to Salviati/Barovier. The bottles are collectible, but their values would probably be in line with what one would pay for the more common Murano vases. From the few bottles I have seen, the quality of the workmanship is variable. Some of the bottles are perfect. Some are rather messy.

I would leave this post in or maybe transfer it to the Murano group. It's nice to have information such as this. I attached a picture of one of the decanters without a stopper so we will still have a photo when the eBay listing is gone.

BTW, I do not know if these vessels were made only for Bischoff. There is a possibility that they were also marketed in other ways.

Anita

[mro]

According to Bischoff Bottles book Seguso made 6 figural bottles for them in the 1960s. Golden fish, Duck, Dachshund Dog, Alabaster Dog, Ruby Fish and Black Cat.