Topic: Help to ID Mushroom Cloud PW. ID = Murano, Ferro and Lazzarini

[chrisade]

This rather weird PW has a flat black base that is layered with sparkly stuff and above that is a cloud like formation with glittery bronze coloured flecks. I would appreciate any thoughts as to origin and age. There are some age related scratches to the base. It is 6cms  high x 7cms across. Thanks Chris

[SophieB]

Hi Chris,

I think that it is Murano (I would venture from Ferro and Lazzarini). The 'sparkly stuff' is aventurine and used quite widely in Murano items. The weight is quite recent, maybe 1980s (any way, last part of the 20th century).

SophieB

[flying free]

There are two similar weights to this in Paperweights by Sybil Jargsdorf.
Both by Ferro and Lazzarini as Sophie has said.
One on page 57 which is a lampworked flower bouquet in a mushroom type shape and on a very similar aventurine ground to your weight.
The other is on page 58 which also has a similar ground I think and has the aventurine shapes.  In this weight these look like balls of aventurine bobbles in ball shaped clusters floating above the ground.
It's difficult to tell from the pics whether they are on a black 'base' ground underneath the aventurine but I think it's possible they are.  I have two of their weights, one of which is very similar to one described in the book and where the book doesn't denote that it is on a dark ground, but it is (in this case dark blue, in the case of my  other one, it is black).
m

[chrisade]

Thank you very much SophieB and flying free. The information is appreciated - I would never have thought Italian, but it all makes sense with the aventurine and colour and style.
Cheers
Chris