Topic: Czech or Murano tapered sommerso vase

[courtney]

Hello all,

I have an ID request. I found a nice sommerso vase the other day. It is mainly a lilac colour with an inner base layer of cobalt. The base has been cut and polished flat and features a kind of 'puckered' (for want of a more accurate word) effect where the glass is gathered-in at the bottom toward the base. I am aware that it might be neodymium but unfortunately there are no white fluorescent lights in my house. We do have warm tone 'energy saving' (read non-incandescent) globes, would these turn neodymium blue in appearance? I will update when i have tested this out.

I have a burgeoning knowledge of Czech glass and a better knowledge of Murano but i have not been able to place this shape or colourway with any single designer. the vase is well made with a nice, subtly asymmetric narrow mouth that has been fire polished (i think that is correct).

Glass boffins - on your marks, go! (sorry, sooo corny  )

Please see attached pictures. Many thanks.

[Lustrousstone]

I think we need pictures in daylight against a plain white background but I suspect your vase is not sommerso because there is no clear boundary between the colours. My instinct would be Czech or Japanese before Murano

[courtney]

Hello,

It may be hard to tell but the cobalt glass is a layer within the lilac glass which runs from tip to base. I have included new photos to hopefully give a clearer impression of the vase. I am under the impression that a layer of one glass that can be perceived as distinct from another layer encasing it can be considered sommerso. What this vase has is a layer of cobalt which is distinct and heavy toward the base and clearly separate from the lilac layer (which is not neodymium/alexandrite - tested since). However the cobalt  becomes imperceptible from the lilc layer in the upper section. it fades away. Is there another term for this? As the glass is submerged i took this to mean sommerso.

It seems most likely Czech to me, however it being lilac rather than neodymium would be surprising for Czech glass, to my knowledge. Please see photos below.

I should mention that the piece has the feel of good quality - is well made and free of tool marks and the glass is clear and free from bubbles. Thanks!

[langhaugh]

It certainly looks Czech, although I agree that the colour is a little odd.  Not a piece I've seen before.

David

[ahremck]

Don't discount Christine's suggestion of Japanese from a good maker like Hineri or Kamei.

Ross

[courtney]

Hi Ross,

Thanks for the pointer. Whilst i haven't found my example i did learn a lot searching through images of both those companies. Hineri, of which there is not so much online, frequently seems to mimic Czech glass, Skrdlovice in particular, or perhaps they were first?
Kamei is interesting too. Quite acid colours but kind of cool. Another label that i found along the way was Sanyu. They also seem to have produced a lot of glass which could easily be traded as Czech or Murano. It was so helpful of you to mention actual production names, thanks again.

Cheers.