Topic: ' Ndina ' signature for Mdina .... two examples.....

[Baked_Beans]

Thought I would post pics. of these two which have been signed by the same person . The 'M' in Mdina looks like an 'N' and the d has a distinct curl (like a Cumberland sausage) . The paperweight is 4.5 inches tall , has a circle of controlled bubbles towards the base and internally has a lot of red (ish) swirling. Lots of tiny bubbles throughout.

The earthtones vase (6.5 inches tall) is not a great example but at least they both have the same style signature.....I believe .

Anyway, might help, in some small way, to date 'Ndina' as a signature. My guess, mid-seventies...but could be earlier    Thanks for having a look.
Cheers, Mike
 

[Baked_Beans]

Another photo ..........

[rosieposie]

Interesting and useful information Mike.... now I will have to get all my N/Mdina pieces out to see if any of mine are like that! 

[chopin-liszt]

This is a style of script I associate with '70s and '80s. It appears in this style in both a thick "dremmelled" sort of appearance (often on pink splodgy stuff as in trailed decanters with coloured prunt, produced in the '80s, but also in a diamond point etch.
(The slimmer line I asociate with '70s, the thick with the '80s.)

I did, once, many years ago, attempt to go through all the differing scripts, but gave up after identifying about 25 variations.
I suspect there are many different hands, all attempting to produce something similar - as would fit in with what we know about it being simply a matter of stuff getting marked only if and when there were staff, time and equipment to do so.

[Baked_Beans]

Thanks Rosie & Sue,

It would seem to be a big old task to try to ID sigs. with age, as there are so many, and much would depend on shape and colours .

So I guess a broad categorization between thick and thin script will suffice ! ('80's/'70's respectively ).

Interesting that this script spans both broad 'dremmelled'  and thinner diamond point though.

Thanks very much for the info..

Cheers, Mike

[Baked_Beans]

P.S.

The 'N' looks like a ' U' too...in both examples .

Does anyone have a recognizably  earlier  Mdina piece with this script...or a much later one ?

Cheers, Mike

[chopin-liszt]

This is the sort of script that appears on early stuff, (unless it's one of the really unusual ones, written by Dobson or Harris, both of which are recognisably different and individual).
I have not seen this style of script on later pieces.
Whether or not it looks like an N at the beginning, I think, might depend on the strength of the first stroke of the whatever-was-used-to-do the marking.

When I was going demented trying to differentiate between marks, it was all pretty much early stuff, and variations on this style.

Later scripts tend to be a lot smaller and often read "Molina".

[Baked_Beans]

Thanks Sue,

So there isn't really a need to identify individual handwriting for 'Mdina' on earlier pieces.

It does look as if some sort of vibrating point was used in the above examples though ....both sigs. seem to have been made from a whole series of small dots. Later becoming much thicker as far as I can gather.

Ta,Mike 

[chopin-liszt]

Yes, it is often a dotted-ish slim line.

No, there is absolutely no point in trying to identify different scripts amongst these marks.

[Baked_Beans]

Cheers Sue !

This might be something of a faux pas to mix in a different Maltese glass company into this thread but here is a MDG glass boat/ashtray dating from between 1974-1978. (chipped/damaged )

It too has the same redish swirling going on . It's just turquoisey- blue & red streaks in amber base and clear cased. No green what-so-ever.

It does (however tenuous it may be ) demonstrate that this redish 'streakiness ' was going on in Malta during the same period of time.

I haven't seen this before in a Mdina paperweight of this design or any other for that matter .....but that's not saying much 'cus I don't have a vast collection.