Topic: Mdina Vase help with dating / any other information?

[mattglass]

Hello all,

I purchased this piece of mdina in an auction recently, some of you may have seen it!

I was wondering if anyone can help me with any information regarding age what the corect name for bit would be?

It is cut on one side, like cut ice lollipop vases.

Thanks for looking!

[chopin-liszt]

I suspect it is probably called "Experimental". 

Without getting my mitts on it, age might be difficult. It could be really quite early - or it might be something from later that went wrong. Bits that went wrong were still sold.
I've got a completely neckless (Said-shaped)  Fish and  Ziz-Zag bowl with no Zig-Zags on it.

The interior looks slightly moulded - perhaps with the same mould bit that the big round disc-shaped paperweights with the sort of sea-urchinny thing inside them - the blue looks a bit bright for it to be very early, but that might be different lightings and photographs etc. Colour is a nightmare to photograph correctly - and then it looks different to somebody else anyway.  Colour is subjective.
Unusual. The neck is very short!

[mattglass]

Thank you for looking Sue.

When I purchased it, I had only seen one image so I did have come concerns that the neck was damaged or had been broken and repolished, but it definately appears to be original, but as you say it is very short!

I will try to get some better pictures posted that show the colour in a more natural light. Having looked again at the images I posted, they aren't very good!

[mattglass]

A few more images, very hard to get the colour correct in a photograph, the middle of the blue has more green in that the pictures are showing.

[mattglass]

last few

[chopin-liszt]

When I said "something later that went wrong", I was still meaning fairly early - probably mid-'70s!
It's definitely a "Cut-Ice Lollipop". I do have one in this sort of elongated, tall form with the three colours of ribbons inside, but it's not a common shape.
I've never seen anything quite like yours before. 

[David E]

I've colour-corrected the image to give a far better representation. Usually you will get better results if the item is taken in daylight (but not direct sunlight) on a white background. Using interior lighting will always give it an unhealthy colour-cast and direct flash always obliterates detail from the image.

I hope all that helps 

[glassobsessed]

I am not 100% convinced it is from Mdina, it probably is but I would rather handle it, it is so much easier when you have an item in your hands.

It does not look like particularly early to me, the glass is too clear and there is next to no silver chloride used.

John

[chopin-liszt]

It's the "jewell-like" blue that worries me, John. And the use of a mould of some sort. I would think it is post-Harris - but won't swear to it. I do suspect my elongated Cut-Ice is his work.
Not all of the clear glass used early on was badly coloured.
I can see shadows which indicate the cellulite-like texture found on the surface of earlier work. And silver chloride wasn't used in loads of really early stuff - think small early Fishies!
My Cut-Ice, and an image of a sea-urchin-style weight I'm referring to for the mould.

[mattglass]

Thank you for your help with picture david, i will try taking one in daylight to see if it shows it in a better light.

I am fairly confident it is a Mdina piece, but I do have the benefit of being able to handle it.

There is silver chloride on the 'shoulders' of the vase, and a few areas lower down on the vase.

I have several of the seas urchin type paperweights (any ideas when they date to?)

It is interesting to see other peoples opinions on it, I love that it is a bit different, and it displays very well with my other pieces.

Sue, the elongated cut ice vase is beautiful.