Topic: Mdina Seahorses... dates made???

[rosieposie]

Does anybody know when Mdina Seahorses were first made and if they were made before Michael Harris first went to Mdina with Eric Dobson?

[Lustrousstone]

There was no glass industry in Malta before Michael Harris (1968) and I believe the seahorses were post-Harris (1972)
(Don't get over-involved Rosie, leave them to their delusions.)

[glassobsessed]

I have a vague memory (presumably from Mr Hill's book) that the seahorses came about after a commission for a chess set was undertaken. Presumably the horse piece was developed but eight pawns in the shape of seahorses would also have looked good!

John

[Baked_Beans]

I have always held the belief that the "seahorses" showed a resemblance to the Knight in the classic standard Staunton chess set shown here..........

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staunton_chess_set

My dated 1973 example ....

The Knights of Malta are of course very much part of Malta's history and the design could be representative of this...or started off that way perhaps.

Cheers, Mike

[chopin-liszt]

The paperweights with knops on top were the pawns. Both "chess" pieces were made in abundance.
To my knowledge they are Said designs, I've only heard the same story as John has, that a chess set was commissioned some time shortly after MH left.

[WhatHo!]

Dear God!!!! What is this mythfest Does no one remember previous post when I went to Malta

I have visited the Mdina factory in Malta and spoke to Joseph Said about these. They were designed and originally made by Vicente Boffo about 1972-73 and are not chess pieces as sometimes suggested. (These were also made with the help of Jim Munnelly who was Boffo’s servitor)
The earliest dated examples I know of are dated 1973.
The first ones were the ‘punk’ examples with about 5 pulled spikes around the head and the nose facing forward.
Then there is second type which has a more flat mane and is pinched 5 or 6 times done the mane, these are also found dated 1973.
As time went on the pinches on the mane became less and nose dropped lower and lower.
Boffo and Munnelly both left in early 1975 and the horses were made someone else and the shape became altered.
By the end of the 1970s the pinches had all but disappeared and the mane became one long flattened pinch.

[Patrick]

Here is an early one........

 Undated and it has a broken top mane pull that I have 'repaired' courtesy of Photoshop. 

[rosieposie]

Thank you all for your very interesting and informative help and pictures.
(Christine,  I think you are right..... thankyou.)

[WhatHo!]

original info here,
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,41620.40.html#quickreply

[Patrick]

Hi WhatHo,

Once again you have told it how it is.......... 

This is what you said about Boffo and his friggers............

Joseph Said also said that boffo made Friggers for the first 2 years, in his lunch breaks and at weekends. WF style penguins, fish, bowls were mentioned, in Mdina colours, yes please!!!!!! He has a Boffo Mdina fish at the factory (which his mother broke, grim) but couldn't locate it, I was dying for a quick snap of that! Wolfie