Topic: Mdina bottle show and tell

[glassobsessed]

Sadly this is not mine but while I have it here I have snapped a few photos.

Date of manufacture will probably be towards the end of Michael Harris' tenure at Mdina, my guess is 1971 or 72. Most early bottles found are triangular in shape - the Tricorn bottles, this one is round. At some point it has lost the top few inches. This is the first bottle that I have seen with this type of pattern for which Sue and Suzy coined the term Seaweed.

Variations of this Seaweed pattern crop up in fish vases, Verdala bowls, Bell vases and now in a bottle. The glass is thick throughout (even the attenuated neck) and it is very heavy. Flat polished base, amethyst cased,  it is now 38 cm tall.

Because of that thickness of the glass and depth of colour it is difficult to capture a good likeness with the camera but back-lighting helps.

First some other Seaweed bits.

John

[glassobsessed]

The attenuated bottle.

[chopin-liszt]

It is an absolutely stunning thing - what a desperate shame about the loss of the top.

However, there was an ordinary tricorn bottle doing the rounds, minus its top part - cut off and polished just like this - it's image is even used as an illustration in many books. Sometimes it was described as an obelisk.

I would agree, it would have had to be towards the end of Mr. Harris' time at Mdina - in order for his skills to have developed and improved enough to produce this beauty.

"Seaweed" according to my (and I think Suzy's) "definition" is the teal blue strapping that is encased/surrounded by the yellow silver effect along with lovely golden bubbles - like bladderwrack, so yes, it is in the lollipops, but they have amethyst strapping inside too, so not pure what I would call "Seaweed".

[chopin-liszt]

Some more "seaweed";
One of my best (and scarcest, this is the only one I know of, early) pieces is a tricorm bowl in cobalt, with the seaweed decoration in a spiral.

And a very large Verdala bowl, 10" in diameter.

(I am not using a capital s for the seaweed name, because it is not an official name - just one that is descriptive)

[glassobsessed]

The bell vase on the left is a new addition, add some blue for the vase in the middle, then add some amethyst to get the cylinder vase on the right.

[chopin-liszt]

I've just had to rush through to the other room to check if my amethyst one is as nice as yours.
Whew. It is. 

[glassobsessed]

 

You may have noticed that my amethyst example has been swapped since the start of this thread, the new one is simply more fluid to my eye.

[chopin-liszt]

I did, which is why I got worried.
It is still one of my most prized pieces, one that called to me from across a crowded fair. 

[rocco]

Finally found one of these amethyst "seaweed" vases!
Ever since I saw all your lovely examples I wanted one.

I think it is one of the nicest designs ever made at Mdina glass.
And I like how the colours change depending on the light conditions...

Thanks,
Michael

[chopin-liszt]

No mistaking that for WMF, Michael.
Delighted to hear you've finally got hold of one. It's lovely when you finally get hold of something you've lusted after for a long time.
(I got my Hlava recently, after lusting since Greg's was posted here in '14.)
I can be gleeful with you!