Topic: Early....ish Isle of Wight vase? ID = Raynor, Island Glass or early Alum Bay

[chriscooper]

Small squat globe vase, rim a little uneven, sand coloured tones a couple of nice big bubbles and swirls.
The base is quite thin similar to the attenuated bottles with a broken pontil mark not much sign of a flame though.
Quite a small one just 2.5" high.

https://picasaweb.google.com/107067405711297858658/IsleOfWightEarlySquatVase#5631435363085962434

Chris :sun:
[Mod: Edited to remove empty space and duplicate sign off line]

[dinklepip]

mmmmmmm I am leaning more towards Mdina, I had a similar one

[chriscooper]

My first thoughts included both but the base seemed to steer me towards IoW ?

Chris

[glassobsessed]

Not Isle of Wight I suspect, the shape and large rim are not quite right. Neither is the colour or the snapped off pontil mark, you find them on attenuated bottles and not a lot else.

Not Mdina either I reckon but sadly I can not help with who may have made it. It's rather nice though.

I suppose it may have left the back door at either works but I would be inclined to look elsewhere, the base would make me check with Alum Bay first.

John

[flying free]

If the base curves in slightly towards the pontil mark I would also lean towards Alum Bay.  It is a beautiful colourway and I'm not used to seeing their pieces without a white ish interior but it could well be.
m

[chriscooper]

Definitely rules out IoW then, checked out Alum and can find nothing that closely resembles this vase except the rough pontil mark m.  Did Michael Harris have any imput at Alum Bay glass John do you know. Does the colourway resemble a Mdina pattern, as in if I had not posted a picture of the base would you have had a different opinion? thinking  aloud here using the Nigel Benson theory Lol.
Not sure if you can tell from the base but it 'kicked out' and quite thin.
Chris :sun:

[glassobsessed]

Alum Bay have been going a long time Chris, almost forty years now (predating the Harris family's arrival). Not finding it in the current catalogue does not exactly rule it out. It may bear some passing resemblance to either IoWSG or Mdina but there are more features that say no to me than there are that say maybe.

John

[chriscooper]

Hi John, have looked at the website and apparently began in 1972 has Island glass and switched to a new purpose built studio in 1983 and renamed Alum Bay. I have looked beyond the current catalogue and have emailed them some photos.
Chris

[glassobsessed]

After having another look I am coming down in favour of I don't know.

Random thoughts:
The snapped pontil mark and the width of the rim are not consistent with early IoW.
That pretty iridescent swirl is a bit of a give away for the use of silver chloride.
Those colours remind me a bit of Malta Decorative Glass....

John

[chriscooper]

Hi John, must confess thought long and hard about the title and having been 'rebuked' on several occasions for the use of 'early Mdina' and any indiscriminate mention of the 'Boffo'  word seems provoke a similar response decided to tread carefully.
Coincidently the vase was in a cabinet with an Amber M D G dog, the dog has been there a long time and at £35 it may well be there a bit longer. Read nothing into that though because both were  actually described as Murano?
Personally I think it's a interesting little vase with a lot going for it and considering the Mdina / IoW buffs on here I was hoping for a few more comments if only to discount either, maybe trying to be clever with the title has backfired
Thanks Chris :sun: