Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Topic started by: KULASHAKER on March 28, 2012, 05:53:35 PM
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Hi This is my first time on this site.
I'm looking for help ID ing a large ribbed vase with an acid etched ring which says FOREIGN.
It is 10" Tall and is in very dark purple glass. No pontil but lots of base ring wear age.
Any help would be great.
Thank You ???
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Hello Kulashaker and welcome to GMB.
People here usually like to see at least 3 photos, one of the base and any distinguishing marks - like 'foreign'.
You have an interesting piece of glass there. 'Foreign' usually denotes post war German or Japanese exports to the UK. Are you in the UK?
Just a note on style, it reminds me a little of the Italian Futurist 'Profilo Continuo'.
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Thanks for getting back to me so quick.
I'm in the UK. Do I post the other pics one at a time or use links?
Where can I find examples of the Italian Futurist 'Profilo Continuo'
Thanks
Tom
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http://www.mottodistribution.com/site/?p=14512
google. ;D
Welcome! You can post 4 images per posting.
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You can google it. It's obviously not the same as 'Profilo Continuo' is a piece of pre WW2 Fascist art. It just reminded me of it.
Very collectable pieces as one sold a Christie's for about £12,000.
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I'm sure I've seen Czech spatter glass in similar shapes.
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Kralik do something a similar shape. But I don't think Czech stuff wouldn't be marked Foreign, Sue. Foreign was used on stuff imported to the UK from either Japan or Germany because of bad feeling amongst the British population towards Japan and Germany after the war. However, as both countries were occupied after the war the allies wanted to revive their economies. Stuff imported to the US had to state it's origin explicitly. I don't think US citizens had such bitter feelings - they hadn't been bombed.
I think it would most likely be German. Friedrich and Ingridglas could be contenders.
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I was under the impression that at one time, shortly after the war, everything from "abroad" was marked "Foreign"....... I may well be wrong. 8)
History and geography are mysteries to me. They were badly taught and very uninteresting back in those days - and I didn't get as far as the 20th century before I dropped them.
However, I have got out my Ruth Forsythe to check - on p 12, there's a spatter vase, No. 48, which is the one I was thinking of - the shape is different - the wing-y bits are the other way up, and are not tapered. I also suspect the Czech glass is a LOT thinner - this looks to be quite a substantial bit.
My guts, appeased on the Czech front, are now seriously considering Japan. I don't know why, just my guts muttering at me.
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Acid-etched marks are not common. Czechoslovakia shouldn't be ruled out, particularly as some of the Czech companies did use acid-etched marks
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far from conclusoive proof but agreement on part of my understanding of Foreign:
"I have tried to do some research, and it is almost certainly a Doll, or possibly a Doll made by Fleischmann - possibly why it has no manufacturers mark. It is marked 'Foreign' on the underside which was common for German made goods made in the imediate post-war period for the U.K. market as people were not too keen on buying stuff with 'Made in Germany' written on it!!!"
from this forum: http://modelsteam.myfreeforum.org/archive/your-starter-for-ten-is-this-a-doll__o_t__t_408.html
If memory serves me right, there is also a thread on here about Best Art Glass (Japan) where 'Foreign' appears on labels. I'm not sure, but I think Czech/Bohemian glass is always marked as such - if marked at all.
I remember being told this factoid about 'foreign' when I first started buying 1950/60s ceramics back in the mid '80s. Some of the best German stuff (imo) - depicted Parisian scenes ... I thought it was, and tried to sell it as Italian. I was told by an older and better informed dealer - 'These are German' he also told me about 'foreign' being used for Japanese stuff too. There was no need to mark foreign on stuff from Italy because they changed sides towards the end of the war. Spain also didn't feature much although they were an 'Axis' power.
Certainly not everything in the immediate post war period imported to the UK was marked 'foreign'. As I have said, Italy is a common mark on ceramics in the 1950s. I also collect 1950s Polish porcelain and this is always marked Poland, never foreign.
I'm 99.99% sure 'foreign' means either Germany or Japan.
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Some additional info about some of the earlier Foreign marks/stamps in the link below:
http://www.porcelainmarksandmore.com/resources/historical.php
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The problem with that Greg, is that it is specifically about goods imported to the US. The reason why I asked Kulashaker where he is because it matters a great deal.
And, I think it is safe to say from the design of this piece that it is 20th century.
Best Art Glass (Japan) 'Foreign' http://www.glassbudvases.co.uk/bestartglass.htm
I hope Kulashaker comes back to us with a photo of the mark as it might help attribute a maker and solve the mystery at last?
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Scavo, i posted it purely because I thought it may be of interest. :)
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And it is. I read that when I was trying to find a definitive answer to this same question before, probably concerning German Pottery. Sorry if I came across as antagonistic. I don't mean to be - I'm just frustrated at not being able to find the answer I'm looking for.
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Little is rarely black and white. You are assuming that the item was imported to the UK for sale; maybe it just arrived in the UK in somebody's household goods. It may have been sold through the US base shops in the UK. Maybe the manufacturer just marked everything the same regardless of where it was going.
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Just to throw another thought out there....just glancing through Andy McConnell's 20th century glass there is a brief mention on page 15 of anonymous 'Foreign' stickers / labels 'as commonly applied to Swedish 1960s glass' Although, I don't know if any companies in Sweden ever used 'Foreign' acid etched marks. I still think Czech/Bohemian might also be worth exploring further as there are certainly some similarities.
:)
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Little is rarely black and white. You are assuming that the item was imported to the UK for sale; maybe it just arrived in the UK in somebody's household goods. It may have been sold through the US base shops in the UK. Maybe the manufacturer just marked everything the same regardless of where it was going.
If it had been destined for the US market, then legally it would have had to state country of origin. I'm not sure about the legality of marking a product as 'foreign' and selling it in the home market would be allowed. These things tend to be determined by treaties. If for example it were made in Sweden for sale in Finland, would English be used?
Just to throw another thought out there....just glancing through Andy McConnell's 20th century glass there is a brief mention on page 15 of anonymous 'Foreign' stickers / labels 'as commonly applied to Swedish 1960s glass'
This is news to me and I appreciate anything that adds to my (often limited and sometimes stubborn) knowledge. I look through Wayne's 20thCenturyglass.com's 'Hooped' glass section shows some cousins if not brothers and sisters.
We know as a general rule that German ceramics (would it follow that glass was similarly marked?) were no longer marked 'foreign' in the '60s. As I understand they switched to 'Germany' as quickly as they could because it was popular knowledge that German = Quality. Is it possible that Scandinavian glass companies were trying to cash in on the confusion as 'foreign' marked goods disappeared from the shelves in the hope that people would think their goods were German? Unlikely, when Scandinavian glass was being emulated around the world. I find the quote "'Foreign' stickers / labels 'as commonly applied to Swedish 1960s glass" a little surprising - although I do not dispute it as I have no evidence.