Topic: Large Solid Glass Horse's head

[dinklepip]

Acquired this the other day, nice cranberry colour and stands 6".  Solid and heavy. By no means old I would think as there are no scratches to the flat base but just wondering who might have made it and it's not something I have seen before

[TxSilver]

Your horse head looks like Murano glass in its design. Many artists made horse heads, so it can be difficult to tell one from the other once the label is off. The eyes of your horse look like those of some of the Formia horse heads. Formia made several different designs of horse heads, some with spike manes and some with smooth manes, so the company is a good possibility.

[dinklepip]

ooooooooooo I wouldn't have thought Murano, suppose I am used to seeing older pieces, thanks hon, I will have a look round

[dinklepip]

ohhhhh yes so it does, just had a look

[GlassIsGood]

I have absolutely no qualification, but on the basis of seeing all my mums Murano animals I must admit my first thought on seeing that head was Murano - its interesting to find out that my hunch was probably correct.

[inca]

V. Nason Murano is also a possibility.

[inca]

Here is another horse head from V. Nason Murano, together with a horse head
FM Ronneby/Marcolin, Sweden

[dinklepip]

oh blimey they are so alike

[GlassIsGood]

Horses are my thing - looking at those above I think the Marcolin horses are more lifelike - the artist has spent longer looking at horses.  The Nason ones are too narrow at the top of the neck and the jaw flex is wrong.  Out of the two artists I would say the horse in the OP was closer to the Nason one pictured above due to the shape of these areas.  That is nothing taken from knowledge of glass only from an interest in the anatomy of a horse.

[TxSilver]

You'll have to keep your eyes open for Pino Signoretto and Ermanno Nason horses, GlassIsGood. They are the masters of the Murano horses.

I considered Vincenzo Nason for the horse, but the eye was not quite right. This type that is made by V Nason have eyes that are set in either arch-type or high-relief pointed oval. The Formia horses of this type have eyes that look like someone applied a oval cane around them. I can't see the eye very well in the OP, but it looks more like this to me. There's an example of the Formia eye at http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-formia-murano-stallion-horse-head-large-bust. I have to note that most Formia horses don't look like this, but some do.

dinklepip, have you tried looking at your horse head under flourescent vs. incandescent light? I wondered if your glass might be neodymium (alexandrite). I have seen some that look pink like this under incandescent light.