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Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => Malta Glass => Topic started by: petet63 on April 19, 2013, 04:30:04 PM

Title: Mdina Round Vase
Post by: petet63 on April 19, 2013, 04:30:04 PM
Hi, I have this piece and would like to get an idea of age and or Designer. It really stands out in the sun light. I would have walked past it if the sun was not shining (rare that it did)  ;D I have seen a number of vases in similar style but not in this design. It is 11 cm in height.
Title: Re: Mdina Round Vase
Post by: chopin-liszt on April 19, 2013, 04:40:26 PM
Definitely Mdina.
(perhaps we shouldn't be in Italy - this is Maltese!)

Nice one! It's post-Harris and from a range that went on until the mid-ish'80s, red-streaky-in-clear body with blue strapping - but this is a decidedly unusual shape - almost like an inside -out. I like this design very much and I love this one!  :)
Title: Re: Mdina Round Vase
Post by: petet63 on April 19, 2013, 08:53:07 PM
It's close enough   ;D ;D not thinking things through seems to be normal today  :-\  I had the Harris name because of the shape but thought I was being a bit hopeful. It is a nice piece and is 1075g so a solid piece as well. Thanks for the info, much appreciated.
Title: Re: Mdina Round Vase
Post by: petet63 on April 20, 2013, 09:00:38 AM
After a second day of seeing the sun  :o :o the vase looks to have red and orange bands in the inner and the strapping looks blue and green. It's hard to decide as it seems to change colour all the time. I need a pedestal to put it on in the sun !   
Title: Re: Mdina Round Vase
Post by: chopin-liszt on April 20, 2013, 09:28:14 AM
Loads of folk do describe this as being orange and green. I can't see it myself - it is a dull orangey red, but it's still red, and it might be a turquoisey-blue - but it's still blue to me.

Mdina never had a green melt in a pot, early on. (They might have, a lot later, I don't know) It does say green glass was used in Mark's book, but that is an error, which most likely arose because Malta Decorative glass items in (true) green were confused with being Mdina at the time.
There is a lovely green shade that can appear - it is the result of silver chloride creating a clear amber swathe during the making, which lies over the teal-blue base, giving rise to green.
Title: Re: Mdina Round Vase
Post by: glassobsessed on April 20, 2013, 07:02:27 PM
The trailing works well on the inside out shape, can't say I can remember seeing another.

They look like green on orange but the colour used is actually red, sometimes you can see this on the base where it can be more concentrated. The trailing is blue glass but it of course looks green on top of the 'orange'.

John
Title: Re: Mdina Round Vase
Post by: chopin-liszt on April 20, 2013, 07:22:34 PM
The original intention for this piece might have been a bottle decanter - and something went wrong about the neck during the making, so they just finished it off like an inside-out. I've got a Fish vase that happened to. They still sold stuff that was wonky - every single thing that was made got shoved into the shop - they were struggling so much to keep up with demand!
Title: Re: Mdina Round Vase
Post by: petet63 on April 20, 2013, 08:36:19 PM
The colours are confusing but it makes the piece more interesting. The mix of banding colours and the blue on the trailing will change with the colours underneath. People will think I am nuts if I don't stop holding up to the window and looking at it  ;D. Thanks for the help.  It will get listed eventually sadly.