Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Topic started by: friskybadger on June 19, 2013, 09:24:34 AM
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Hi,
I've been collecting Murano Glass Clowns and along the way have picked up a selection of glass fish. Recently I discovered one which had a 'Made in Romania' label. It looks the same as the Murano fish. Apart from the label, how do you tell them aprt and what is the history behind the Romanian ones?
Many thanks in advance.
Mart
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Welcome to the board. Unless they have labels how do you know your "Murano" fish really are from Murano? Perhaps they are all Romanian. The Romanian glass industry certainly isn't new and Romanian glass is often misidentified, like so much other glass, as Murano.
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Hello from me,any chance of a picture,fish and sticker please, ;D
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Hi,
The fish with the sticker is not mine, it's in a shop. I can post a photo of a similar fish. The sticker is a small round gold circle with made in Romania on it. It has three tail fins and can sit in the traditional way or upright as a vase.
The design is the same as tourist fish that you see from the seventies. I've attached a similar looking fish, same patterning.
Thanks
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I suggest that if your fish has the same patterning as the Romanian one, it is Romanian. IMHO a majority of these large fish are Romanian
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Thanks for that.
Is there a reason or history why they make identical fish? I don't think they are done as copies but as fish in their own right. I might be wrong.
Mart
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How do you know they are identical fish? I would like to see labelled identical Murano fish, because
IMHO a majority of these large fish are Romanian
I suspect the Murano attribution is actually another of those Internet myths, i.e., "it's hand blown and hot worked so it must be Murano", a bit like the "it's got a polished pontil mark so it must be Whitefriars"
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Have yet to see a label on one of these fish,Murano or Rumania,I have about 10,here's a few, ;D
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When I say identical, I mean in styling and manufacture. I've got quite a big collection so can compare different fish. The Romanian fish is identical as in if it did not have the sticker you would call it a Murano fish. Same markings on the fins, same colourization as Murano clowns, similar size. Maybe none of the fish are from Murano?
I just wondered if there was a reason for the manufacture of fish in two different countries to be the same? Is there a story behind it?
And Keith, you are right I have only seen the one label, the Romanian one, and I've got around 10 of the things.
Mart
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The big one at the back looks Romanian judging by what I've seen, although they may just copy the pattern and colours.
Mart
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Can I reiterate, I do not think these fish are Murano. I would be interested to know why you think they are. Can you show me a labelled one?
I think you also have to be careful with the clowns. Unless you can match one with a labelled one, these too may not be from Murano. It's the same with the multi-coloured "Murano" glass baskets; most of them are from Romania
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Hi Loustrousstone,
I believe you are correct about the fish, they are all Romanian! I was just going to ask about the little glass baskets as they are obviously made in the same way with similar markings etc. Again I think they to would be Romanian. Murano has been wrongly associated with these items for no reason and the tag has stuck.
The clowns are easier to identify once you have a bit of experience. You can tell the patterns and even some of the makers techniques and identify them. There are copies popping up which I think are Chinese imitations.
Thanks for the help.
Mart
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Clowns are also coming put of Bulgaria too >:(
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I'll keep an eye out for them. I've seen a lot of 'Murano' for sale from Bulgaria.
Mart
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remember that many glassworkers have traveled all over the world and work in many different factories. I know poersonally of several of the great Murano artists that spent time in Mexico for several years training Mexican workers nand doing work in Mexico. Also several UK and US people that have moved to China and run factories there after they trained the Chinese. The similiarities may because they are actually made by some of the same artisans or people that are trained by them. People travel a lot anymore and it's not unusual for some of the artists to work in many parts of the world.
I have a friend who many years ago worked for the following companies in the US, Blenko, Fenton, Indiana Glass, his own shop and several others. Who knows that many of the Italians may be doing some work in other countries since many of the Italian companies and studios have closed or downsized or the Romanians may have worked in Murano at one time or another and developed the same skills.
I currently have a friend that is doing major consulting and training work with a small Chinese company and he lives in the US. He's teaching them exotic color formulations, polishing techniques and all sorts of other things and some of the people from the factory are coming to the US to be trained.
I have another friend that has developed glass factories in Mexico and China after selling his factory in the US.
I'm not sure that the country of manufacture is that important as it is that the pieces are good pieces of art.
Dale Chihuly rented factories in many different countries for short periods of time to make some of his larger installations. including Waterford, and factories in Finland, Murano, and Japan.
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Hi,
I think you are right about the origin does not matter. If you like it then it's good. I would like to know if anyone has bought one of these fish in Murano or if they are all Romanian Splatter glass. Any clues?
Regards
Mart
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Lustrousstone said:
Can I reiterate, I do not think these fish are Murano. I would be interested to know why you think they are. Can you show me a labelled one?
So, has anyone EVER seen one with Murano label? Or any proof any were made at Murano? I ask as I had a bit of a ding dong with a friend not so long ago who got quite heated about her daughter's collection of "murano fish". Seems her aunt had been a general antique dealer, and swore they were Murano, so my comments about them being Romanian did not go down too well LOL!
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there is another thread here with lovely pics of Keith's collection and on that thread, one of our members said he sold a small blue speckled one with a made in Romania label on it.
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,28881.msg156534.html#msg156534
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I think they are all from Romania as it is the only label people have seen and nobody seems to have seen or bought one from Murano. You can go to clown factories and see them being made, I don't recall any glass fish factories.
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There were lots of these round where we live and they were always known as Chance glass fish,something I believed until I came here and was corrected :o ::) ;D ;D
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I'm coming a bit late to this discussion, but I have several 'Murano' fish that were certainly made in New Zealand! The Crown Crystal Glass factory in Hornby, Christchurch New Zealand brought in glassmakers from UK, Sweden and Germany in the 1950s and 1960s. An English glassblower named Tom Farrell has been identified as one maker. Subsequently, as the glassblowers moved factories, very similar fish were made at the Hokitika Glassworks on the South Island West Coast and in the Pye television factory in Lower Hutt near Wellington. Has anyone identified when this tradition of very similar looking fish began?