Glass Message Board
Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => Malta Glass => Topic started by: BRADBURY7308 on May 23, 2011, 01:22:36 PM
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Found this this morning to my astonishment after my first nights read of the new mark hill mdina book lol i read some where that books pay for them selves it was £11.50 described as murano!!
The vase has lovely colour in some light the trailling can appear slightly purple too vase itself is 7" tall plus 1" base its a good fit i think its original??? And it is 6.5" wide quite fine too under 1/4" thick glass!!
Im Thinking this maybe an early piece maybe a piece for the rosenthal collection??
My astonishment got the better of me when i got home and i decided to take it apart and see if it were signed the excitment was hard to bare but it wasnt signed lol my question, I was expecting to find a small drill hole but it was a neat 1 1/2" hole is this correct or a piece that has been broken and made into a lamp?? ive never seen lamps by mdina before any info please im over the moon thanks for a great book mr hill!!!
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Yes to Mdina and the 'Rosenthal' kind of pattern, here is one I bought recently: http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,40512.0.html
Not a lamp base (I think!) but a bell vase that has been converted and the black base did not originally belong. Does it work well as a light?
John
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Hi John, Yep its all in good working order, In room lighting it is a great deal darker the trailing i mean. The cut in the base is on an angle and perfectly round not done in a bodge manner the fittings arent new either and appear old it was dirty as anything inside. the base is wood and has good signs of wear to the feet. Im well chuffed with the price too. The other thing is the outside of the base shows some wear so i was wondering if it may have been a ex-demo piece that they decided to convert but never cought on so just one or too were made i guess im clutching for something maybe!!
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I don't think the conversion is original but would be happy to be proved wrong. I have converted three items I have here into lamps (but without drilling any holes) it's not a hard or technically demanding thing to do, if you want to drill a hole you just need the right type of drill bit.
You could contact Ron Wheeler at http://www.artiusglass.co.uk/ and ask if he has seen any before, his email address is right at the bottom of the page.
John
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Thanks john i may contact ron but i think im gonna get some new bulbs ie smaller less brighter ones and enjoy it but i will post some more pics of it on lateron i also got my first lollipop at the weekend ill dig a pic out in a bit and list it i think its a good early one!! :smg:
8" x 5" 1kg
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Very nice example.
It says in Mark Hill's book (page 51) that this is a Michael Harris design, I don't how to distinguish the time period these lollipops were made in without a signature. Subtle differences in technique and finesse may help but you will need to handle a few to build up an impression. I tend to think the thinner they are (in relation to overall size) and the finer the neck is drawn out the better, but that is just me....
John
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Hi, you say there is purple - but there really isn't honest! >:D
It is a slightly "opaqued" yellow, frothy background, with blue strapping marevered in, then cased.
When you look at it, you see yellow and blue, because the glass does not absorb these wavelengths of light, but reflects them outwards.
What it is doing is absorbing reddy purple wavelengths. When you look at the glass with light coming through it, you "see" reddy purples, because these are the only wavelenghts that get through - the yellow and blue can't.
Light is not the same as paint! :smg:
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Blue?
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Yes, John :-* blue - you can see it in the pics at the top of the rim.
It's like my bell-jar - the blue strappy bits have beeen blown quite thin - and the photographs are with the light coming through the piece, so you're seeing the redder end of the spectrum - the light that gets through - browns, reds, purples.
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Hi Thanks for the replies interesting technical information on lighting effects etc! On reflection ive just re-measured the base hole and its 2.5" diameter im unsure how this would be done as the edge is tapering towards the middle of the vase like its been countersunk y would it be required to put this large hole when a small drill hole would be suitable? REGARDS DAN
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There is no blue in these vases Sue.
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I'm sure there is in mine - it's just very, very pale.
I suppose it might appear because of the blue effects of silver metal, having just gone and peered at it and through it and around it, both backwards and forwards.....
Do you think this one is brown or amethyst over yellow, then?
- I'm giving up on colours for today - I'm getting a purple headache with it all!
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Sorry Sue, I should have said in these two vases, the vase in this post and my one. Mine is all yellow ochre, brown where it is most concentrated.
The blue effect at the top Dan's looks like the slightly bluey green tinted glass that was used at Mdina at first. You are right though, the other colour variations of this design definitely include blues.
John
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There are so many variations to remember and think about with the earlier designs my head hurts and ive only just started collecting mdina, The blue trailed version of my vase is said to be the sort after colour if i remember rightly from the book i must say i prefer anything that doesnt look like every other piece of modern mdina the more i handle the earlier pieces the more it amazes me the how the input of michael harris and friends was in a far different league than the people of today no offence meant to the people who work there but the earlier stuf is just superior ... :tof:
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You've noticed then? ;)
Some of the stuff produced for the few years while Eric Dobson was in charge is rather nice too.
John
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:24: :24: :24:
However, do not dismiss the current work by Olivia Said - she really is an artist to be reckoned with!