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Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Topic started by: rocco on July 08, 2012, 12:40:28 PM

Title: Murano (?) heavy organic bowl, with rings-and-bubbles decoration
Post by: rocco on July 08, 2012, 12:40:28 PM

I am quite positive that this lovely bowl is Murano glass, but would be glad if this could be confirmed, and to find out a possible maker.

Oval shape with organic rim, 23 cm wide, 9 cm high, appr. 1700 g, thick glass towards the bottom, rim rather delicate.
Base ground and polished, no bevelled edge, and huge amounts of wear (if there ever was a mark, it is surely not visible any more).

Purple cased in clear (the colourless layer is very hard to see), with embedded rings (murrine?) in aqua green, each with an air bubble in the centre.

I found some vaguely similar pieces, Anzolo Fuga for AVEM (attributed) (http://www.trocadero.com/svazzo/items/1061076/item1061076store.html#iteml) and a Cenedese mushroom in David's gallery (https://picasaweb.google.com/lasilove/Murano#5497354044238440130), but no real match.

Thanks for any help,
Michael

Title: Re: Murano (?) heavy organic bowl, with rings-and-bubbles decoration
Post by: Ivo on July 08, 2012, 01:09:00 PM

I hope you will find a solid attribution you can live with. But I can tell you, I have this bowl in clear with red and white circles and I'm convinced it is Chinese.

Title: Re: Murano (?) heavy organic bowl, with rings-and-bubbles decoration
Post by: rocco on July 08, 2012, 01:19:19 PM

Thanks Ivo, I could live with Chinese (but it wouldn't make me happy ;D)
Is yours the same or just similar?
The colours in mine seem rather subtle for Chinese glass...

I bought it from a lady at the fleamarket, who had purchased it from Dorotheum (Austria's leading auction house) several years ago; I am used to see misattributed glass there, but not from China so far.

One more pic (detail) attached.

Michael

Title: Re: Murano (?) heavy organic bowl, with rings-and-bubbles decoration
Post by: Lustrousstone on July 08, 2012, 02:00:51 PM

That wear doesn't look convincing; it looks like scratching over a matte ground base. Even the wear on my most worn pieces of Murano doesn't look like that under a lens. The scratches are far too coarse.

Title: Re: Murano (?) heavy organic bowl, with rings-and-bubbles decoration
Post by: rocco on July 08, 2012, 02:12:58 PM

Thanks Christine, you are absolutely right that the scratching is very coarse (not a good sign I guess 8))
But I checked under maginfier, and I am rather certain that inbetween some of the scratches there are remains of a polished base.
Which of course doesn't mean that the wear could still have been applied on purpose to make the thing look older...

I should stick to areas of glass I know a little about ;)

Michael

Title: Re: Murano (?) heavy organic bowl, with rings-and-bubbles decoration
Post by: Anik R on July 08, 2012, 02:25:34 PM

Maybe it could be Polish?  Henryk Wilkowski designed a vase with very similar irregular placed loops and air bubbles for HSG "Sudety" in 1972.

P.S.  Michael, whatever it is, it's still a very attractive bowl.

Title: Re: Murano (?) heavy organic bowl, with rings-and-bubbles decoration
Post by: rocco on July 08, 2012, 03:00:41 PM

Thanks Anik -- Henryk Wilkowski sounds interesting; unfortunately not much on the web; do you have a pic of that vase?

And I agree, I bought the bowl because I thought it was attractive and from Murano -- better to be wrong with the latter.

Still Chinese didn't even cross my mind when I spotted this bowl; I happen to see so much Chinese glass here in second hand shops and at the fleamarkets, and was rather sure I would be able to make out the differences. Well, live and learn...

Michael

Title: Re: Murano (?) heavy organic bowl, with rings-and-bubbles decoration
Post by: Ivo on July 08, 2012, 06:08:42 PM

unable to find a photograph just now - even if i know there must be one. Mine is exactly the same shape, the same bottom finish (not hi gloss but somewhat matt, as in "chinese") - so who knows.

Title: Re: Murano (?) heavy organic bowl, with rings-and-bubbles decoration
Post by: rocco on July 08, 2012, 06:37:49 PM

Thanks Ivo -- if you ever find a pic of it do post please, would be interesting!

Michael

Title: Re: Murano (?) heavy organic bowl, with rings-and-bubbles decoration
Post by: rocco on July 09, 2012, 02:53:04 PM

At least I am not the only one thinking that the bowl came from Murano ;)

>> Link (http://www.auctions-fischer.de/kataloge/online-kataloge/193-i-europaeisches-glas-und-studioglas-sowie-die-studioglassammlung-kirchhoff.html?kategorie=18&artikel=1722&L=&cHash=f33832619a)

Doesn't really help in ID unfortunately...

Michael

Title: Re: Murano (?) heavy organic bowl, with rings-and-bubbles decoration
Post by: langhaugh on July 10, 2012, 01:01:55 AM

Michael,

The bubbles in my Cenedese piece are made using the same technique as the bubbles in your piece. However, I think your piece is a little more complex than mine.  It reminds me of the Stejskal pieces for Skrdlovice, but not with one colours.

I don't see the scratches on the base ruling out Murano as I've got pieces that I'm fairly sure are Murano  with similar wear. Ordinarily, I would follow Ivo, but, with a little moral support from the good Dr. Fischer, I'll go with Murano.

David

Title: Re: Murano (?) heavy organic bowl, with rings-and-bubbles decoration
Post by: rocco on July 10, 2012, 05:36:21 PM

Thanks David!

Good to know that Murano is an option :)

I assume that the piece could have been used as an ashtray, which would explain the heavily worn base (I have seen similar wear merely on ashtrays so far).

Michael