Topic: Murano Or Early Chinese?

[Penelope12]

Now I know that there is a lot of Chinese glass out there masquerading as something a bit more up market, but since studying the massive amount of info on this amazing site, I am now starting to doubt some of my own items which I thought were the real deal. I have always thought that this vase was Murano, although I have struggled to find anything similar. It stands at 10” inches tall and is incredibly heavy at just under 5KG. It is of very good quality with a highly polished flat base, although it is showing signs of wear, so I am fairly certain that it is a 1950’s-1960’s piece. It is one of my favourite vases, so I am really hoping that it is the real thing...any thoughts?

Thanks Penny

[Helen W.]

I'm struggling with the same issue. I keep seeing interesting glass (currently an unusual and well-made bowl that might turn out to belong to the ubiquitous Snowflake range), but nowadays a little warning bell rings if the object in question lacks an attribution I can check. 

Your vase is lovely, and the colours are a fit for 1950s European. The design seems (to me) to be a combination of influences, but as for who made it, I can't really offer firm advice.

[Ekimp]

Hi, may not help too much but there’s another similar one here:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fabulous-Vintage-Colourful-Murano-Sommerso-Swirl-Vase-Heavy-Weighs-4kg-/372426025442?rmvSB=true&nma=true&si=X%252FVY0plHlmJVOV%252BwJ5OIY2autZs%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Seem to be a lot of bubbles in the Ebay one and the colour twists look a bit random?

[Penelope12]

Ahhh...the Snowflake range (yet to come across a bowl though) obligatory in every charity shop, I’m sure they must buy them in bulk!

Well spotted Ekimp, looks like it fetched a reasonable price anyway. I did have a vaguely similar one with a multi coloured corkscrew type swirl running up through the middle, I managed to find another which was attributed to Murano by someone asking a great deal of money for it...but then they would do wouldn't they! 

[chopin-liszt]

  How long have you had it?
It is only fairly recently that the Chinese glass is well finished on the base.
If you've had it some time, it might be inconsistent with the kind of glass coming from China at that time.
My guts have an uncontrollable habit of announcing "Beranek" when they see things with spiral twists in deep bases.
I'd be thinking Czech long before Murano, from the overall style and colours.

NB. I have spent my glass life ignoring Murano as much as I possibly could get away with. It's too big a field, there's too much to learn and far too much competition for the good stuff. It's difficult. It's much easier to pretend it's not really there.

[Helen W.]

Re Murano, thought it was just me who took this view. 

The vase could well be Beranek. I have a Palecek vase with an elaborate inclusion in the deep base (no photo atm), with a firm attribution of 1969 from the Skrdlovice pattern books. I've come across similar designs of his, but all dating late 1960s onwards.   

[Helen W.]

Meant to add, I think of green-brown combos as being mainly a fifties thing, but I might be wrong about that.

[chopin-liszt]

Green brown combos here are well into the '60s. I was there, just about.
mother made me wear a green and brown tweed dress when I was 8. '65.
She was decidedly the '50s, stepford style but thought she was ultra-modern. She was, right up to the '50s, where she stuck. Vogue and Simplicity dress patterns, perm and sets. Didn't approve of women wearing trousers.

[Helen W.]

Sue, I think your mother was my mother's twin!  I'm trying to suppress the flashbacks...

[Helen W.]

I'm having to eat my words about dating colours. The 'Magnified Mica' designs by Palecek were only made in green-topas, and they date from 1967. I think Sue is right, and Skrdlovice/Beranek is a definite contender for your vase.