Topic: Bowl with dragons and chinese motifs

[Cláudio]

Hi everybory!
Can someone help me identify this bowl?
It Has some dragons and around the dragons the glass is frosted.
The border reminds chinese motifs.
And the glass is very, verys clear.
I don't know if it is pressed glass.
Thanks!

[Anne Tique]

Hello,

There are several of these bowls on the net, but nobody seems to be able who made them.

There's one seller, i'm a little confused because the add's in french but the seller in Michigan if i understand it right.....anyway, he's talking about Hofbauer.
Now i am totally unfamiliar with this brand but maybe it's a start in the right direction.

http://www.etsy.com/be-fr/listing/153722310/hofbauer-belle-comme-cristal-de-plomb

[Ivo]

Hofbauer is the German firm whose fame lies mainly in crystal car models. But I am not convinced Hofbauer actually produced these himself, I think he subcontracted to Walther. This type of decorative crystal bowl would also have been made there - or rather at Annahütte Bleikristall which was taken over by (you guessed it) Walther. Can't prove it, I should add.

[Anne Tique]

Hello,

There are several of these bowls on the net, but nobody seems to be able who made them.

.............able to tell............sorry, got distracted............

I came across that name too, Annahütte..........heard of it before but i wouldn't be able to say anything, so i won't pretend.....

The dragons are funny though 

[chopin-liszt]

I think one needs to count the toes to find out if they are Chinese or Japanese dragons.
One kind has 4, the other has 5.

Males and females are told apart by the absence or presence of a pointy spearhead shape at the end of the tail.
(but I can't remember which is who, for either definition)

[Anne Tique]

Correct me if i'm wrong, but i always thought that the difference in the amount of toes tells you whether it is an  chinese imperial dragon (5 toes) or not....
Not that this is going to contribute to the ID of this bowl, but just thought it was worth mentioning 

[chopin-liszt]

I simply wondered if identifying the nature of the dragon might be helpful; perhaps in terms of country of origin.

You may well be right about Imperial, Anne!  it's my brother who is the "dragon expert", not me. I just knew you need to count toes, and look for a pointy tail, because they mean something significant in dragon lore. 
Thanks for correcting me.

I find such an unusual piece of pressed glass to be quite interesting, it's not normally my area.
There was a fabby bat plate not long ago.

[Anne Tique]

I'm not that into dragons...some of my colleagues might consider me as an old one from time to time ...it was just a question i was asking , i heard or read about it somewhere....
I find this piece interesting too and the dragon's fantastic, even with 4 toes! 

[Cláudio]

I didn't know that exists chinese and japanese dragons. So i looked for more informations and in one book named "história da arte" was written that chinese dragons has 3 toes and japanese dragons has 5 toes (?!!?)
The dragon in this bowl has 4 toes!!!
Maybe he is half chinese and half japanese!
(5+3)/2 = 4 !!! 

Sorry, i know it was very bad!

But let me do a question, can we say that it is from esterno germany?

In the link that Anne found in etsy, the Borders of the bowl looks the same, but there are some differences in the dragon...

[oldglassman]

HI ,
           The Korean dragon has 4 toes.
cheers ,
             Peter.