Topic: Please help me ID this gilded charger

[glassproblem]

Hi all,

I don't know Murano glass well, but I couldn't resist picking up this large charger which I believe is Venetian.  My thoughts are that its circa 1900.  The gilding is applied and then the design is worked with some sort of stylus by hand.  I have not been very successful in researching this piece.  I do gather that the technique may be called "graffito".

Any thoughts on period and/or maker would be deeply appreciated. 

Many Thanks,

Frank

[tam bam]

Hi Frank,

You have a gorgeous charger.  Good find!  I can't resist anything cobalt blue.  It could very well be Murano in origin, but the graffito technique looks nothing like that.  Here is an example of graffito.  http://www.fossilfly.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=2625

Many companies could have made your charger.  Hopefully, someone with more knowledge will be able to identify it for you. 

tam bam

[TxSilver]

The style of your charger is Venetian and the hand-painting style was known as graffito. But the naked breast of the lady make me believe that the plate is from the Austrohungarian empire (Austria, Hugary, Czech countries). The Italians were a bit more prudish in the art at this time. For example, plates decorated by Moser (Bohemia) during this time had men and women that had fully exposed legs. Other body parts could be tastefully exposed. The Catholic Italian art tended to be more prudish with Victorian dress from head to toe. No legs or breasts usually.

My guess would be that the plate glass itself might be from Italy, but that it was decorated in Bohemia. The charger is very lovely.

[TxSilver]

Hi Frank,

You have a gorgeous charger.  Good find!  I can't resist anything cobalt blue.  It could very well be Murano in origin, but the graffito technique looks nothing like that.  Here is an example of graffito.  http://www.fossilfly.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=2625

Many companies could have made your charger.  Hopefully, someone with more knowledge will be able to identify it for you. 

tam bam

It does get confusing, Tami. There is more one type of graffito. I learned this when I was selling some old Salviati glassware.

[tam bam]

Good reply, Anita.  I learned something new today.  Boy is that confusing. 

tam bam

[glassproblem]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.  I had originally considered Bohemia to be a possibility.  But then things seemed to point towards Venice.  This was one of those pieces I just couldn't walk away from, even tho I collect glass of a completely different sort.

Frank

[TxSilver]

Frank, the hand-painted pieces can be under two flags. Moser and other companies bought blanks from other glass facilities, then decorated them. Some pieces made by Salviati and painted by Moser can be found in catalogs of both companies. Even in Bohemia, the style is known as Venetian. The painting looks very Venetian to me, too. Salviati had some things that were very similar. The only thing that made me favor Bohemia was the breast. However, there are always exceptions to all trends, so the charger may be totally Venetian.

I haven't seen Ivo lately. Maybe someone can give him a poke to see if he has an idea on the plate.

[Anne]

I'll move this over into Glass for more input.

Frank that is a seriously gorgeous charger!  :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

[glassproblem]

This piece is decidedly "decadent".  Of that there is no doubt.  Also of interest, each of the 5 ladies is a different individual in a different pose, and because of the original owner's initials in the center, I have been speculating that this was a custom job.

Frank

[TxSilver]

I see monogrammed pieces sometimes. I figured that people buying a set requested the monograms.