Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Topic started by: obscurities on May 21, 2009, 06:07:35 PM
-
And lastly for today.......
I bought this as Italian and am fairly sure it is, but not 100%. It is a thick walled (3/8 inch) piece of glass weighing several pounds. It is Cobalt glass cased in Vaseline that does glow under a black light. There is appropriate underside wear indicating some age, and the form strikes me as mid-century. It measures 8 inches tall and 5.75 inches in diameter at the shoulder. Does anyone recognize the form? Company? Designer? It is not in the Pina books I have.
TIA Craig
[oversize attachment deleted by admin]
-
Unfortunately, no picture yet. If it is Italian, I would suspect it is Seguso VA. Cobalt wasn't used as often as other colors for Italian glass. Seguso is a company that did make some cobalt pieces, a few that were cased in uranium glass.
-
Anita,
I was having issues yesterday trying to get images up on this one.... here are a couple of pics....
If it is Seguso VA, what time frame would you think?
It is one of Peggy's favorite pieces that we own. Nice form, and great color combo.....
-
The trouble with saying something without seeing a picture... ;D
The vase or bottle doesn't look like Seguso to me, although the cobalt is right for them. I've not seen a uranium glass layer by them that was this thick or this color. I don't really get a Murano feel for the glass, even though I could be wrong. Maybe with the pictures, someone will know exactly what it is.
Added on -- I thought I would add something about Murano artists who worked with cobalt and uranium glass. Cenedese also worked a good bit with uranium glass. IME, Cenedese glass glows like vaseline glass, while Seguso glass is more muted. This probably has to do with the thickness of the layers and concentration of uranium in the glass.
-
The Vaseline glows quite strong under a black light. It is not what I would refer to as muted at all. I should also add that the vaseline glass is a little more muted than the images seem to make it appear. It is not quite that vivid in person.
I have felt the form and unique color combo could Cenedese, but like I said, not in any of my books.
-
Craig,
it looks familiar, i will go through my books while watching the F1 at Monaco.
Somethings saying Scandinavian to me?
Cheers
Andy
-
Thanks Andy... I guess I would not have thought Scandinavian due to the Vaseline glass, but now that you say it, the form does strike me that way a little... I guess I don't associate the Vaseline glass that way, although I was just watching a thread on a Riihimaen Lasi vase on here that is quite stunning and completely made of Vaseline glass. We just never see that stuff here in the US and not much comes on ebay US. I have only really started looking at and trying to learn Scandinavian glass in the last year or so, and as a result I go on European ebay sites pretty frequently now.......... Ever since we remodeled the upstairs loft/office into a Mid Century decor room and I have wanted to learn about and find appropriately cool glass to put in there.... Isn't it funny how we can rationalize our addictions...... At least that is what Peggy calls my obsession with the stuff!!
I am really looking forward to finding out what this one is!!
Craig
-
Hi Craig,
How much does the base glow under blacklight?
-
Hi Cathy, It glows very brightly with just a small hand. The casing also glows almost enough to obscure the cobalt glass......
-
Craig: I get more of a Cenedese than a Scandinavian feel to this. On the other hand, Cenedese of this period are often signed.
David
-
I looked through an Italian auction pamphlet yesterday that had several Seguso sommerso vases. One vase had a mouth and neck similar to this one, though the body was different. It made me re-think the possibility that the vase might be Seguso. I guess we should keep Murano on the table as a possibility for this one. Sommerso vases are always difficult for me.
-
I would with Murano too, not Scandinavia
-
I too am now thinking Flavio Poli Seguso, i keep seeing similar pieces here and there,
Millers glass guide , page 292, a cased vase, the top looks just the same.
Cheers
Andy
;D
-
Andy:
In another thread about Archimede Seguso and sommerso, Gerard van Hienen made the point that all the Seguso pieces he had seen didn't have a clear layer added at the end. I checked the books I have (I don't have the Miller book you refer to) and that seems to be true of Poli, also. I did find a comment by Marino Barovier in the Olnick Spanu book that said Poli designed a "series of sommerso glass pieces in a Nordic style--essential forms and sharp, cold colors." That explains the original debate about this piece.
I also finally remembered where I had seen these colours before. Try http://www.design-and-arts.com/images/products/00017_01.jpg. Unfortunately, it's not attributed, and the company do sell Poli and Cenedese pieces. However, the price will cheer you up, I hope. It's Artikel Nr. 00017 at http://www.design-and-arts.com/de/show-products.php?category=19#51995.
David
-
David,
In another thread about Archimede Seguso and sommerso, Gerard van Hienen made the point that all the Seguso pieces he had seen didn't have a clear layer added at the end. I checked the books I have (I don't have the Miller book you refer to) and that seems to be true of Poli, also.
I have a huge piece of Sommerso which has a clear outer casing. The piece weighs just under 25 lbs. The internal colors are cobalt and cranberry. I have had it for many years now. When I first got it I contacted several respected dealers and collectors around the country who confirmed that they believed it to be a Poli piece.
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,25821.0.html
As far as this Cobalt and Vaseline piece goes,
The image comes up, and the link to their site works, but I can not find the piece on their site. (I may have suffered a recent and severe case of brain death :huh:) I have also looked at their ebay listings.... Do you remember what type of price they showed on that piece? The green is a little different, which could just be photography, but the feel of the piece is similar...... I must say that I looked yesterday, and again today and still could not find it, although there were a whole lot of changes to what glass was showing....
Thanks, Craig
-
Craig:
Sorry about that link. I was having difficulty when I put the link on, and when I went back today it was impossible to navigate. They must be working on it. The price, if I remember correctly, was 240 euros.
I spent more time looking for Poli pieces and I think you're right about Poli also doing clear as well. That would have been nice way of determining attribution but it's a bit simplistic for Poli. I also checked the thread you mentioned, Great piece you have! Also, I was interested in Jerry's post, where he said that it was difficult to determine attributions for sommerso, as everybody copied everybody else. I was in Italy, including Murano, last October, and there's still a huge number of sommerso pieces being made by a multiplicity of furnaces. I think your approach of contacting several respected dealers is probably the most valid way to determine attribution, possibly even if it does have a label.
My apologies again.
David
-
David,
No need to apologize. I figured they were doing something to the website when I went back this morning and everything had changed...... As far as 240 Euros goes.... :thup:, I got it for just under $50 US ($35 Euros) with shipping..... so 240 Euros (350 US), is fine with me.... Regardless of price, it is one of Peggy's favorites, so the only way it will ever leave the house, is if she leaves me and takes it with her!... and she would have to fight me for it!! ;D
Craig
-
If I might reply on this thread...
Seguso and Poli used this color combination fairly often. Their important Valva series combined the same two colors. Actually, the Valva series used both blue and red/dark pink and purple and red/dark pink. Here are some links where you can see a few of the color combinations:
http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?pos=6&intObjectID=1933885&sid=
http://www.architonic.com/dcsht/valva-vase-wright/4107314
http://antiquehelper.rfcsystems.com/Full/775/67775.jpg
Seguso had many pieces, throughout the years, which floresced. For decades many of the glass furnaces in Murano used glass which contained magnesium (and probably some uranium as well). Cenedese used it quite extensively. I have a large Valva bowl - I've never used a blacklight on it but I should try sometime!
I do believe the piece you're discussing is a Seguso designed by Poli. The colors - how they're used and where they're used (the proportions) is practically a Poli signature. The shape and the opening was used by several houses (not totally identical but very close), Seguso being one of them. The other bottle, with the bright yellow below the blue, looks trademark Cenedese. I have a documented Cenedese vase with the same colors in the same proportions. It's in storage right now but the next time I get over there I'll bring it home, take a picture and post it.
Shell
-
I have continued the search to identify this piece. I came across this image in an ebay auction. It is used here with the permission of the seller. The piece is attributed to Seguso in the auction, although I do not know if that is correct or not. At least it brings me one step closer to identifying the piece, especially knowing now that it had a stopper originally. This is the only other one I have ever seen....
With the stopper this piece measures 19 inches tall...... sure wish I had the stopper for mine...
Craig
-
It does look a lot more Muranese with the stopper in it!