Glass Message Board
Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => Murano & Italy Glass => Topic started by: OHARA5150 on October 17, 2007, 06:21:48 PM
-
I just got this lovely piece from eBay and it said it was made by Toso, but there are no marks or labels. Opinions?
-
even though i don't recognize the canes i would have thought maybe... but the handles look off to me. are the handles crimped or twisted. are the cane pieces surrounded by yellow or metalic? it's hard to tell from the picture. the fact that the handles are clear (as opposed to made from the same canes as the body of the vase or satinized glass) doesn't fit with what i've seen of marked f. toso millefiori pieces but i can't say that it's definitely not as millefiori really isn't my focus. hopefully, someone who knows more will stop by and set us both straight. :)
best of luck,
bidda
-
No, it is not Fratelli Toso. Toso millefiori pieces have depth to the canes. Toso workers fit the canes together in a way that there was no room left between the canes, though there are exceptions. Usually the canes were satinized, though again there are exceptions. Handles of the millefiori vases were usually made of multicolor canes or satinized clear glass. Toso pieces tend to look and feel smooth and chalky. The base will have "runny" canes on the bottom that were probably made from canes that were tangentially cut. (Leslie Pina's book Fratelli Toso is excellent for learning the look of Toso pieces. I recommend it to anyone interested in investing in millefiori. The book will pay for itself quickly in helping to pick only the best pieces.)
Your vase is a very nice one. I have seen it before, but cannot think of who makes them. I'll have to go through my catalogs again to see if I can locate the design.
Anita
-
I thought again about the runny canes being tangential cuts through canes. Maybe they are just stretched. Does anyone know how the runny canes are made?
Anita
-
So, it probably isn't a Toso piece. Is it even Murano?
I haven't actually received it yet, so I can't give any more info other than the picture. But, I just think it's so pretty even if I got fooled by an eBayer! ;)
Thanks!
-
Does it have a gold wash over the surface? If so, than it's contemporary, probably from Murano.
-
I believe it is Murano. I think it may be Tommasi. I checked their new catalog and couldn't find this specific vase, though I found a similar design with a red background. It is a nice vase, so definitely not a piece of junk. So enjoy without remorse :)
Tommasi has an online catalog at http://www.tommasi-store.com/catalogue/jewelry/index.htm. This catalog is a good one for eBayers to bookmark. So many of the pieces seen on eBay are in the catalog. The red vase with a design kind of similar to yours is under the Artistico section. I hope someone runs across your exact pattern so you will know what you have.
Sorry you ran into trouble on eBay. A lot of sellers list anything that is spotted or swirled as Fratelli Toso. I think that many do not know, though I know several do it deliberately.
Anita
-
Great--thanks for the very helpful catalog link!