Topic: Blue milk glass sculpture

[DJ1985]

My husband was given this opalescent blue glass sculpture by his grandmother and I'm trying to find out more info on it. I'm curious if it may be Venetian
Any ideas?
TIA!

[glassobsessed]

Welcome to the forum.

It does not look typically Venetian to my eye or typically anywhere else for that matter! Interesting item, presumably it is all solid - not blown, perhaps what is in glass making terms called a frigger.

How tall is it and is the glass completely opaque?

John

[DJ1985]

Thanks for the reply!
It's a little over 6 inches tall and the only place it's not opaque is on the right side where it has those little bubbly extensions; there it thins out and is a bit clear.

[chopin-liszt]

Do you think it is a stylised rabbit or squirrel? I do, although I have to turn my head sideways, which might affect my thinking.
I don't think it's opaescent glass. Opalescent glass is (often diluted) milky white, and has an internal "fire" of sunset colours when held up to the light.

[DJ1985]

This sounds crazy, but to me it looks like a stylized inner ear!
It doesn't come through in the pictures but the glass does have iridescent reflections of pink and gold. I think because it's opaque it's harder to see.

[Mod: Encyclopaedia Britannica image of "bony labrynth of inner ear" removed as per Board Guidelines on copyrighted images. Link to basic page showing diagram with spiraled cochclea]

[chopin-liszt]

I'm reasonably familiar with the workings of the inner ear, (did you know the hair cells map onto the brain in a natural logarithmic scale?  ) and while the image and the glass are both spirals and the same shade of blue, I still think your scuplture is a bunny rabbit or a squirrel nutkin.

Iridesence is a surface treatment, which will give rise to a lovely rainbow shimmery effect.

[DJ1985]

I'm pretty familiar with it too- my guess had nothing to do with the color. Lol
I don't see a squirrel or rabbit but the figure is so abstract that it's anyone's guess.
Is a surface treatment something that could be scratched away?

[chopin-liszt]

 
just a freaky co-incidence about the colour, then.
Thanks for taking my comment in the right way, not overly serious! 

I see the bottom spiral as the body, the top one the head, the sticky out (clearer) bits being rabbity ears (or squirrel tail) and the front paws.

I suppose a surface iridesence could be scraped away, but it is fused to the surface of the glass, so it would involve scraping away the top layer of glass itself. It's not a cold-painted thing.
Many contemporary glassmakers use a spray of stannous chloride on the surface of the hot glass (in a fume cupboard) to create this effect. Different chemicals will produce slightly different colours/finishes.
Stannous chloride produces a very slightly matte rainbow effect.

However, there are some cold-painted surface finishes which would scrape off. This does not tend to be found on any item of quality.

[DJ1985]

Haha yeah I probably clicked on that google image because of the color, subconsciously.
I was hoping that maybe the color would indicate when or where it was made, but I guess it's just too obscure. No matter; I still love the weird little thing!
Thanks for the help!

[KevinH]

When the first two photos are viewed in the upright position, then to me it is definitely a stylized rabbit.
(If it were a squirrel it would have had an obvious tail of some form.)

It might be a one-off piece. I can't find anything similar anywhere else.