Glass Message Board
Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => Malta Glass => Topic started by: chriscooper on May 16, 2011, 06:55:50 PM
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Bought this at the weekend seller had lot's of Mdina glass plus this and a Malta decorative glass dog.
Posted a picture in a past thread on whitefriars.com where a good source says he has seen one with a MDG label on.
The dogs have been discussed before maybe made by a different hand but under the guidance of Vincente during the short time he was there?
For anyone who as not seen one the dog is poor quality glass and to be honest not that well made?
https://picasaweb.google.com/107067405711297858658/MADEINMALTAAMBERGLASS#5572060681558808690
The penguin is a little different well made (IMHO) though again not the best quality glass.
https://picasaweb.google.com/107067405711297858658/Penguin#5607330215628915986
Chris
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I think I should keep out of these "potentially, might be Boffo in the right light and the correct shade of rose coloured glasses" animally things!
I'm no judge of them at all. Phoenician Glass made a lot of penguins, very similar in basic penguinny shape to the one you show here, though I think they tend to have a lot of colours.
To me, the dog looks like a far more complicated thing to achieve then the penguin, I would say it took a lot more skill to make!
If it's Boffo attributions you're interested in, I reckon you're better off with the wfs experts and their opinions - it's them who will be interested in them, Chris. :spls:
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Have you been on the site lately Sue? it's like pulling teeth to even get someone to respond.
This was my original post.
http://www.whitefriars.com/bb_orig/viewtopic.php?t=4314
Note the listing title and the price :wsh: note the response from Wolfie he seems to think MDG and as seen them labelled
I am not in any shape or form, rose tinted glasses or otherwise suggesting they were made by 'Boffo' though the seller clearly was along with-frigger- Mdina and W/F ;D and certainly not 'fishing' for a Boffo attribution. See my original post and you will see how sceptical I am regarding the sellers attributions.
Simply posting a question on a general glass board and trying to start a discussion.
Of course everyone made penguins and birds and fish and dolphins that's why we post on here hoping someone can help or maybe a labelled one comes along, we don't pack it away in a box because we don't know what it is.
Not seen many labelled MDG pieces so it was good to find the dog with the label sure I for one wouldn't have had a clue who made it otherwise and by the way in the flesh it is 'ruff' trust me.
Chris :sun:
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Most of the MDG stuff is a little wobbly around the edges, that is all part of it's charm I think. Given what we know about the works that is not surprising.
By coincidence this arrived today, a Malta Decorative Glass whale. Like many MDG items it is cased in amber, the core is mottled white and purple (looks black), 17cm long.
No idea about the penguin but would like to see one with a label before I trusted the attribution, even then it's not cast iron. If you could find one with the MDG style Maltese Cross impressed mark I would be most impressed too. ;D
John
I have just noticed the MDG initials around the cross on the label for the first time.
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I sort of need pulled by the teeth to go there, Chris, no, I've not been. :thud:
I've seen the big wfs Boffo penguins. They're ok if you like that sort of thing.
My interest in MDG is in the beautiful colours and the way Boffo could put them together, building on Michael Harris' designs. His way of producing them is, to me, easily recognisable.
I honestly couldn't tell one of these (to me) ghastly little penguins from the next.... I'm not interested in them, I don't like them, I'm sure Leni's hubby could easily make one in his kitchen with his little blowtorch - if he had the inclination to do so. So sorry, I'm not much use with these things.
I emailed Patrick a bird for sale in the distinctive Boffo way of executing Earthtones. He didn't seem convinced it was Boffo, though. I sent him the link to the whale John has but got no reply.
Tut, tut, John, you have seen the whole label before - don't you remember I bought a paperweight (eeeeeek! :wsh: ) just to get hold of one - and it was that weight which led us on to the whole MDG thing and allowed us to work out what bits were which and where and when (though still working on that one) they were made!
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I know Sue. :-[
I had my blinkers on and your label is a bit more worn than this one, well that's my excuse anyway. ;D
How big is the penguin Chris?
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Only around the edges John, not where it counts (just like me :smg: )
I have not one iota of doubt that your whale is a Boffo bit John, it is beautifully formed, sleek and elegant - quite reminiscent of the wfs penguins, (but far more interesting with all the colours).
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I did choose the most 'photogenic' shots. It's not as sleek in some. ;D
John
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Here is a link to a penguin chick of mine (similar but different !).
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,31117.0.html
I have always thought that there is a Whitefriars link to these little penguins, however tenuous that might be.
I've posted a couple of shots of the penguin chick next to a Whitefriars Kingfisher Blue door stop and I cannot distinguish between the two colours .
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can you please send more pictures of this penguin to my hotmail
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Pinky, it might help Chris and Mike if you could clarify who you are asking for more images as they've both posted penguin pics. :)
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Hi Pinky ,
I've sent you some pics anyway :t: ! It's a very interesting topic espically the MDG connection and the general lack of information on the company . Best of luck to everyone researching it ! I love the whale !
Cheers, Mike.
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I don't know much about the Boffo penguins Mike, but I do know they're very valuable...wouldn't it be nice if yours had a Boffo connection?! :thup:
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Hi Max,
I think it would be impossible to say if Boffo made the chick or not (without a signature !) . I hope there might be a Whitefriars penguin chick style ...after Boffo ...and it would be nice to see if this is can be proved in some way with similar examples from Whitefriars and MDG ! I hope my example can help in some small way . I don't know when Kingfisher Blue was introduced at Whitefriars (probably after Boffo left) but I did read on Whitefriars.org that there was an old Kingfisher Blue colour and then a newer one ...I'm unsure of the dates though.
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Hi Mike, Kingfisher blue introduced in 1969 around the time the Boffos left for Mdina?
More photos here of my penguin
https://picasaweb.google.com/107067405711297858658/Penguin
Chris
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Thanks Chris,
Great photos & ta for the date-line !
Here are some more shots of mine . The Kingfisher Blue colour (if it is Kingfisher Blue , which I strongly suspect it might well be!), seen in thinner blown cased Whitefriars vases , is more noticable in the thinner glass of the beak in these photos .
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Hi,
I have one with a MDG label........ I suspect they were made in the hundreds and if Boffo made them he must have been bored out of his mind !
Regards,
Patrick.
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Nice one Patrick ! ....hmmmmm....I'm sticking with my theory that mine is of Whitefriars pedigree :nix:
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Hi Mike,
You can but dream............
Patrick.
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Ta Patrick,
I will dream on then :ho: !
Here is a good link which shows the difference in Kingfisher Blue colours which might be of general interest.
http://www.whitefriarsorg.org/a5-galleries/a5g-unusual/unusual_items.htm
If you scroll down , almost to the bottom of the page , you can see the two hooped vases the one on the left is the more turquoise version the one on the right is the original kingfisher blue also used in the knobbly range.
Cheers, Mike.
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I found this little one today. Sadly the end of the beak is chipped (but I had to buy it for the colour ID ). It's only 7.5 cm tall .
It might be a turquoise colour used at Mdina (I don't think it is Kingfisher Blue looks a bit washed-out for that ::)) .The base is polished . There is no grinding around the foot , it's just where the light has caught the base in the photo.
I think it might be Mdina or MDG . Cheers, Mike.
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I have one of these penguins in a dark blue that I am going to put up for sale, but now I have no idea how to attribute it! Or how to price it
I could just copy this ebay seller, but I don't think the people who buy from my antiques unit are in that bracket ;p
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/EXTREMELY-RARE-BOFFO-FRIGGER-PENQUIN-WHITEFRIARS-MDINA-/320677178638?pt=UK_Art_Glass&hash=item4aa9d96d0e#ht_500wt_1195
Has anyone any new information on these?
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It's just a glass penguin with no provenance, stick a £10 on it
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I think someone said further back that they had one with a MDG label, so I will probably put that, with a question mark, and around £10 sounds about right, although £250 sounds better - lol.