Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass Paperweights => Topic started by: Baked_Beans on July 12, 2009, 10:01:22 AM
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This is one of my favourite paperweights . I love the 'jazzyness' of the canes and the vibrant colours. Could this be a Dino Martens inspired design ?
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The top of the paperweight does look like an Aureliano Toso piece, particularly the vaseline-like color that is in a couple of the large canes. I haven't seen a A Toso scramble bottom like this. It is very AVeM or Fratelli Toso-like. Is the weight low-dome? I suspect it is Aureliano Toso. I don't know if Martens had anything to do with the weights except being the artistic director of the company. Martens is often credited with designing the latticino-cane scramble work of AVeM and Fratelli Toso. I really haven't found any evidence for this. Judith Miller said "maybe" in one of her books. It was repeated by a couple of people, then finally evolved into a "fact."
I enjoy finding A Toso paperweights because they are not as common as other companies. The workmanship is often a bit sloppy, but it is just part of their charm.
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I should add that the way the canes wrap around the sides, instead of making a flat surface, also points to Aureliano Toso. So, I think your A Toso diagnosis is probably right.
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Thanks TxSilver very much for your clarification on this matter. Very interesting ! It's only a small weight , diameter 5.5 cm height 4 cm. I've added a side view photo so I guess it is low-dome. As you say the workmanship is a bit sloppy , there is a small dimple at the apex of the dome which slightly distorts the view from above ...but the non-formal aspect of the cane work totally does it for me ! I've been looking out for other examples with a scrambled base and have been unsucessfull so far. Thanks again for your help.
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Sorry it's high-domed ....just read your other post !! ....I'm new to paperweights ! :-[
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I'm not sure now. I've added a couple of side views of Aureliano Toso paperweights that have labels. Maybe people can compare and see what they think. I believe that both of these paperweights were about 2.5" (6.3 cm) wide. Notice that both of them have a vaseline-like color around some of the canes. I can't remember how they reacted under black light. My brain is disintegrating into a million shards. I guess I am looking at too much glass. :huh: All the AToso paperweights I've handled have had tooling marks and swirls in the middle of the dome.
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Well mine definately has a polished little bump at the top of the dome. Also I have checked it under UV light and it is radioactive !
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I think mine was uranium, too, but I didn't write it down anywhere and I don't have the weights anymore. My thoughts are that your weight is probably Atoso. I saw one small weight on eBay once. I think it was about 5.5 cm if I remember right. I tried to win it, but came in second place.
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Well, I bought this on ebay so it could be the same weight !! It was described as Dino Martens style, that was why I posted this question. Thanks again !
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The one I saw on eBay had a label, which is why I wanted it so much. It sold for a good price. At least we know that AToso made some smaller weights.
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I thought I would add these photos of a possible AVeM, low-domed scramble, that I have. It doesn't have a label . The twists have a border of gold aventurine very similar to the first PW. The colours are also very similar but there isn't a mauve in the first weight. What is interesting is that there is yellow in the ground of the first weight and also yellow in this scrambled weight , both of these yellows in the scramble have no reaction to UV light. However , the yellow and orange in the canes of the first weight (and not the yellow in the ground of the same weight) have a reaction under UV light. So it seems that uranium was only used in the canes??.
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What colour reaction to UV from the yellow and orange canes?
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Under UV light the Uranium content of the yellow colour in the canes glows brighter (under darkend conditions & in normal light to some extent). Other colours which don't contain an element of uranium do not have this reaction and remain dull.
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In that case, what you have in your canes is NOT uranium, more likely cadmium, a common yellow/orange colorant. Uranium gives a very bright green glow that is easy to see in normal light
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Thanks very much for the info.. I didn't know that there were other elements which reacted under UV light...I thought it was only Uranium ! The yellow just glows more yellow....not a bit of green ::)
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Hi Baked beans , i have two of those weights ( avem )? put one on ebay two weeks ago didnt get one bid . :huh:
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The question was: Did Dino Martens design paperweights ? :hiclp:
Right? :thup:
My answer is: no and never!
There are only presumtions.
Of course : he was working for Toso and some of his designed glass objekts were made by Aldo "Polo" Bon.
Referenz book: "Dino Martens/ Marc Heiremanns/ Arnoldsche" , GERMANY, in three languages with "liste del Opere".
If anybody has a Dino Martens Paperweight I would be surpriesed und would really like to see the pics.
Regards
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I am with you Lothar on that one , but about six months ago i picked up a fantastic Dino/M bowl for Aureliano toso the nice black white and gold mezza filigrana for peanuts at a smallish auction the only other bidder was after the ricardo Licata angel fish that was with it, if he hadnt rushed off he could have had the fish cheap .
the amazing thing is there were a lot of london dealers present . it was a described as a nice striped bowl .
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Thanks to everyone who has responded to my question , especially to Anita and Christine , Uranium Towers ! As you may have gathered I am new to this whole subject area and seem to be at the base of a very long learning curve. These forums are a huge help in getting up the curve ! Thanks once again :chky:
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Hello JP!
Would you be so kind and send me some pictures to :
lbaeumker AT web . de ?
(Mod@ email address converted to anti-harvesting form - better to just refer to email icon in member profile)
I think the weight we discussing is
arte vetreia muranese
cold : AVeM like you have said.
Regards
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Hi
So, what if this was designed by Dino Martens.... what does that add to a rather dull Murano weight? Should I be impressed, and pay more for it? I think not. I like weights because of their inherent quality and attractiveness to me (a qualitative concept, I admit) - not because of the attributed name of the maker.
Alan
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Thanks to everyone who has responded to my question , especially to Anita and Christine , Uranium Towers ! As you may have gathered I am new to this whole subject area and seem to be at the base of a very long learning curve. These forums are a huge help in getting up the curve ! Thanks once again :chky:
You're certainly welcome. I have to add that, though there is no evidence that Dino Marten designed the AVeM scramble vases and bowls, there is nothing to say he definitely didn't. Dino designed for a few companies before joining Aureliano Toso. Two of the companies were Salviati and Fratelli Toso, but Heiremans hinted there may have been others in his book. That leaves the door open to a lot of maybes. It is easy to see Martens in some of the Salviati designs, so I wouldn't be surprised if they are his. I don't see him in the cane scramble designs though. They are actually conceptually simple, so may have just arisen like end of day pieces did. It would be interesting to learn who did the first.
I think we can say pretty safely, though, that Martens didn't design weights. However, some weights may have been derived from his designs.
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As a generalised summary, I would offer the following ...
Scrambled weights from Murano are undoubtedly based on what has been made in large numbers in Murano since the 1830s/40s. And their roots go back (at least) to surface-decorated glass beads and other items which were a main produce of Italy since the mid-15th century [ref the book Paperweights by Sibylle Jargstorf, amongst others].
A major difference between 19th century paperweights from Italy (Murano) and those of other countries in the same period was that the Muranese items did not change very much in style until the early 20th century. And even when the chages did come about, the basic concept of the close-to-surface decorated weights remained a primary feature - and that is probably still true today.
What really changed in Murano in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was the use of canes and filigrana in brighter colours and with clearer definition. The addition of such as aventurine edging to the filigrana was also another step in the direction of brightening things up. However, those "new" concepts were used widely in Murano and it would hard to pin down any particular maker or designer as an originator of those changes. Perhaps Salviati & Borovier had some strong influence, although that does not mean that scrambled weights were "designed" by them specifically or by any other glass master in Murano.
Its simply comes down to a very old technique that has been modified over a long time.
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Very well said, KevH.
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[As an aside BB, take your UV light to a museum or a shop with mineral samples and try shining it about. You will be surprised at the reactions. It must be noted that not all UV reactions to light are produced in the same way, but that is far too complicated for this time of the morning. Just remember uranium = a VERY bright green reaction.]
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Hi Alan ,
There should also be room for spontaneity ...and any appreciation of paperweights which is only confined to perfection of execution could leave one somewhat blinkered . (Not that I'm saying you are blinkered !!)
I'm sure many of Dino Martens designs with glass could have easily been formed as a paperweight and make superb examples.
This little, vibrant, paperweight , with it's scrambled ground was purchased on ebay and described as 'Dino Martens style' (as mentioned above). This isn't the first paperweight I have seen (on ebay) which mentions Dino's name with it's description ! Thats why it's been good to find out if his name might be being used in vain (when it comes to PWs) .
Christine...I will start pointing my UV pen at things in public and hope not to get any strange looks !!
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Christine...I will start pointing my UV pen at things in public and hope not to get any strange looks !!
I do it all the time!! Found a huge uranium glass vase stuffed on a shelf in a pantry/store cupboard in the National Trust Property Castle Drogo in Cornwall. I wanted to rescue it and put it somewhere better.
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Christine...rescuing glass is what it's all about. Museums, collectors and dealers (at a premium ,or not) ...are all doing it ! Such a fragile medium..it's what it asks for !!
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Except you can't rescue stuff from the National Trust , it's already rescued!
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Hadn't thought of that one ! eeerrr ....did you save it from the pantry ? I guess it's still there....ho hum.. :cry: !