Topic: MUCH NEEDED HELP WITH WEIGHT ATTRIBUTION.

[MPB911]

Hi all, i need help with an attribution for this weight. Its 50mm high by 60mm wide. Any help would be much appreciated. Regards, and thanks for Your help.

[paperweights]

It is made in Murano, probably by Fratelli Toso.  This style is somewhat unusual in that it is hollow in the center, unlike most modern weights of this type which are solid.

[alpha]

It's Murano, made by AVeM company.

[MPB911]

Allan: That has been My line of thought for a while about this weight, that its a Fratelli Toso. And Your right it is quite unusual that it has a hollow centre, could this mean its a bit of an older weight??? Im not quite sure why they would leave it hollow in the centre??? Stylistically its very much like a Toso weight, so ill keep on that same train of thought.

Alpha: You've thrown up bit of a conundrum here with Your thoughts of it being by Avem. Ive haven't been down this Avem route yet so ill delve deeper.

All in all its an intricate weight with great colours, and lovely spirals. 

Does anyone else have any thoughts???

Many thanks.

[paperweights]

I've considered AVEM also, but this weight does not have the feel of a typical AVEM product.  A similar hollow crown paperweight appears on page 51 of Jargstorf Paperweights and is attributed to Fratelli Toso.  Antique crown weights are also hollow, meaning they are blown out a bit after being constructed.

[Nick77]

Are we seeing different photos?  Because I can't see that it's hollow, the base looks solid with the ribbons of the crown meeting in the centre as they do on top.

Nick

[MPB911]

Nick,

Thanks for Your interest. Its really hard to capture in a photo, and some computer screens differ as to what You see, but the centre of the weight is indeed hollow. The ribbons and spirals start at a point at the base then follow the sphere of the weight to the top where they end back in a point, thus creating a hollow centre. The more i compare this weight with F Toso the more I'm convinced its a Toso. Ive still got more research to do, but ill get there, especially with this Forums help.

Thanks.

[RAINBOWGIRL]

Murano, but not Fratelli Toso, which has been closed for decades. This is a very modern Murano currently being sold in shops in Europe, including at the Louvre.

[KevinH]

... the base looks solid with the ribbons of the crown meeting in the centre as they do on top.

The ribbons and spirals start at a point at the base then follow the sphere of the weight to the top where they end back in a point, thus creating a hollow centre.

There is definitely some confusion about what is meant by "hollow". It is known that St Louis, in the 19th century, made Crown weights which were truly hollow (i.e. they were blown as an open bubble). However, most other makers of Crown weights (19th, 20th and 21st centuries) used a solid dome to which the "twist canes" were applied and usually covered over with a further layer of clear glass.

Sometimes a truly hollow weight will retain its opening in the centre of the base. But in some cases, it can be closed off and finished neatly such that it is not obvious (apart from the weight feeling distinctly light in weight for its size) that it has air inside.

The same point has been made in the past about millefiori canes which have been described as being "hollow" - in fact, apart from one instance that I know of, all millefiori canes that look "hollow" simply have a clear glass centre.

My view of the weight in this thread is that is, as said by others, a Murano item (and not necessarily Fratelli Toso) with a solid clear glass centre - not truly "hollow".