Topic: Early Mdina Stoppered Decanter - Restore or NOT to Restore...?

[Greg.]

Hi All,

Hoping someone can advise on what to do with this early Mdina decanter which I have just acquired very cheaply but has significant damage.

Appreciate that this might be a bit painful to look at! There's a large section that's come away from the top rim and been re-glued by someone, not to a very high standard. The section that's come away is around 2 inches deep and 4 inches wide.  I have tried to show the damaged section in pictures 2 and 3 below. The only good thing is that the damaged section is in one piece.

I would think that the damaged has happened when the stopper has been replaced by someone without much care. I have looked tentatively into getting this professionally restored and this would cost around £75.  Not completely convinced this is worth doing, apart from a preservation point of view.

The damage  is a real shame as its a beautiful object.  All thoughts appreciated.

Greg
 

[RAY]

i think that the stopper would of cracked the neck due to the sun " expansion " they look nice in a window but for any decanters it's the worst place for them , myself i wouldn't get it restored

[Greg.]

Thanks Ray

[flying free]

It sounds awful to say it, but personally I wouldn't.  I'd save the money for another piece, maybe similar as possible, at a future time.
m

[glassobsessed]

Interesting dilemma, glad it is not mine.

You don't see these overblown bottles with (or without) a stopper in this colour that often, are you sure the stopper is original? The inside of the neck will be ground if it originally had a stopper.  Forcing a stopper that does not fit can cause a lot of damage (as a general rule try not to twist stoppers).

How much do you like it? I think I would do it if it were cheaper or more likely look into having a go myself. I bet it could look good until a nicer example comes your way whether you do it or not.

One of my Tricorn bottles has a big lump out of the button rim but it still looks good: https://picasaweb.google.com/Johnmj100/EarlyMdinaGlass#5503914249931460290

John

[chopin-liszt]

I reckon the answer lies in how big a piece it is.
This is the Rosenthal design, stoppered decanters in this pattern are very scarce - and come in two sizes - big and massive. The massive ones are even more scarce than the big ones. I reckon the massive ones should be worth around £400, though whether or not you'd get that for it I don't know.
Folk are still being very slow to recognise and appreciate non-fish and non-crizzle stone early pieces of Mdina from the Harris period - which this is.

[Greg.]

Hi All,

Thanks for your comments M, John and Sue, much appreciated.

Just to touch on a couple of points. I had a look at the inside of the neck and it has been ground to accept a stopper. However, having said that, the stopper doesn't fit quite as snugly as I would have thought. While the fit isn't that bad, I would have thought that it should have fitted slightly better than at present.  I don't think the fit has anything to do with the damaged rim, although I am pretty sure that it might have contributed to the damage in the first place, where someone has forced the stopper in to get a tighter fit. Apart from just being a slightly loose fitting stopper, the only other possibility is that someone has replaced the stopper with one from a different Rosenthal piece..? I would have thought a replacement stopper in this design would have been relatively hard to come by..?

As you mention Sue, I see that these come in two different sizes, mine is the 12 inch or 1 foot version. I understand that they also come in a very scarce 16 inch version, which must be absolutely glorious. I was wondering if you have one of these, in either sizes, Sue, and how tight the stopper fits out of interest..?

On reflection, I think that I am going to hold off on the restoration for the time being, or unless I come across a very reasonably priced restorer in the mean time, which is probably very unlikely. Still a beautiful item and didn't cost much because of the damage. I'll live in hope of one day encountering the larger version (without any damage).

Thanks again for all your thoughts.

Greg
 

[pamela]

I once bought a damaged and terribly re-glued figurine; and kind of restored it myself:
Put cotton-wool in a glass large enough to host the damage, put the item in and covered with adhesive remover, left over-night. The two pieces had separated. After a thorough cleaning I replaced the pieces and glued them with a better, special adhesive. (in Germany: Pattex Blitz-Glas) Guess, more professional would have been an UV-hardening glue, but I am happy with the amelioration.

Good luck, if you try  :thup:

I agree with all of you to better save your money for another find  :angel:

 :t:

[chopin-liszt]

 :sm: I have two of the massive Rosenthal ones, with stoppers.  :smg: 
The stoppers don't fit, they wobble around quite madly. They are not, sadly, interchangable, because the patterns of each stopper go better with the other bottle.

I've always called them "sweetie jars", they're about the same size as the big jars in old-fashioned sweetie shops.

[Greg.]

Hi Sue,

Thanks for the info.

I thought you would have one or two of these in amongst your hoard of Mdina! I bet the large ones look pretty impressive, roughly the same height as the tall attenuated bottles.

I guess the stopper in mine is probably original to the piece on reflection, however, I'm pretty sure that someone has forced it in the past, which caused the damage. Its a real shame, they are really stunning items.