Topic: Please help me! Ice Cut vase, signed 'Michael Harris, Mdina Glass, Malta'

[Ruralcouple]

Hi all,
I'd appreciate some of your expertise.  My husband has been carrying out house clearances for many years; he is a hoarder of anything old, interesting, signed or unusual!  Amongst his hoard is what we think to be an Ice Cut vase, signed 'Michael Harris, Mdina Glass, Malta', this was an item from a house clearance my husband carried out several years ago, the owner was an elderly lady who had obviously collected fine items throughout her life, she had an appreciation of arts, music, painting and glass.  Shortly after acquiring the vase and being quite ignorant to the history we learnt a little about Michael Harris and were/are quietly confident that this is a genuine piece.  We did list it on ebay a couple of years ago, with a good reserve, it didn't sell, thankfully as my husband really likes it! We don't display it, just store it carefully!  We would be really grateful to receive the input of the people on this site; I'm having problems uploading photographs but will keep trying. Any input will be gratefully received .... thank you.

[Ruralcouple]

I have managed to upload a photograph of the base of the vase - the signature ... really looking forward to your feedback... thank you!

[Ruralcouple]

Another photograph...

[Ruralcouple]

Another photograph....

[Ruralcouple]

Photograph...

[fatbelly]

Look right to me,looks like a really nice piece,I'm no expert though.I'm sure if you re list it again at the moment it might sell better than a few years ago,my partner has a decent sized collection of mdina mostly packed away now,shame really as all things should be appreciated not just stuck in a box.get it out and enjoy those colours.

[Ruralcouple]

Thank you for your response.  You are right, it is a lovely piece and should be displayed in its full glory, however, our home is being renovated and we have a house full of pets so putting such a beautiful piece on display could result in it being damaged, we'd never forgive ourselves if that happened!  We truly appreciate it's beauty and know we're not going to be able to show it like it deserves to be, we'd like to pass it on to someone who will appreciate it daily but in the meantime we're enjoying finding out a little more about it!
Thank you again for your input.

[Ruralcouple]

Hi all,
I thought it might help if I added the measurements and weight of the vase:
It is 224mm high and 192mm at it's widest point (measured with a tap measure so may not be mm perfect).  It weighs 2051 grams.
One side of the vase has a mottled effect, like rain on still water (beautiful); the other side is polished smooth with a definite centre line giving a left and right perspective.... the more we look at it the more we love it!

[chopin-liszt]

  It looks absolutely right to me. It is an Ice-cut Lollipop. The signature is right and the glass itself is right.

It's also a reasonably heavy piece, it shouldn't get knocked over by pets, unless they're very boisterous and/or prone to climbing on your shelves.

You can buy little gel pads to stick on the bottom which make them far more secure - which also helps prevent scratching the base more when moving it and protecting the mark on the bottom.
What about putting it on a mantlepiece? Admitidly, you won't get the light behind it, but it's still better than not having it out.

You don't want to lock it away and not see and enjoy it.
I'm pleased to hear you do like it so much. There really is something very special about Michael Harris' own work.
I particularly love the expression used by one of the chaps on antiques roadshow to describe glass.
He described it as "the fossilised breath of the maker".

[Ruralcouple]

Thanks Sue, my husband was left a lovely oak & glass display cabinet, by his grandmother. He has a plan to display all his pieces in that, unfortunately the home renovations have been slow going due to a busy work life; he has recently been ill and not so active so started going through some of the collected items with a view to valuing and potentially selling on.  My husband found this site and asked me to put our vase 'out there' to gather the views of enthusiasts and collectors regarding the authenticity and I must say we're pleased with the responses so far, with your experience would you consider this to be an early (68) or later (72) piece? .... it seems we may have a genuine Michael Harris item, like you said "fossilised breath", it adds another dimension to a beautiful piece.