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Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => Malta Glass => Topic started by: WhatHo! on November 06, 2014, 08:25:38 PM

Title: Malta Decorative Glass bases and other identifcation.
Post by: WhatHo! on November 06, 2014, 08:25:38 PM
From previous lollipop thread as there needs to be on a new thread on this subject.

I was not attempting to categorizes anything but simply trying assist in identification by the study of production techniques rather than the object itself, which is something I do a lot and often very successfully.

Back to my question, I do not have a lot of MDG pieces but all the ones I have do not have a highly polished base like you get with Mdina, they are buff and often with that 'Battuto' like finish.
Does anyone have a labelled MDG piece (of any type) with a highly polished base? or are they all buff and not very shiny?
Title: Re: Malta Decorative Glass bases and other identifcation.
Post by: Lustrousstone on November 06, 2014, 08:34:39 PM
Six battuto bases fairly shiny and one circular rough ground pontil mark
Title: Re: Malta Decorative Glass bases and other identifcation.
Post by: chopin-liszt on November 06, 2014, 08:41:58 PM
This may take some time.
I have a pwt with a flat polished base, not gouged. 
Another with a base simply flattened on the marver, then a maltese cross prunt (the kind with the v-shaped notch in the ends of the arms of the cross) has been shoved into the place it was broken off from the rod, to disguise the scar.
I've got a stoppered bottle with the prunt shoved onto the base as well, but not nearly so deeply and the rest is all just roughly made flat
I don't have pics of everything.

But even the polished, sort of flat, gouged ones are still quite shiney.
Title: Re: Malta Decorative Glass bases and other identifcation.
Post by: WhatHo! on November 06, 2014, 08:46:56 PM
Excellent work guys, thank you. Nothing highly polished as yet then.
Title: Re: Malta Decorative Glass bases and other identifcation.
Post by: chopin-liszt on November 07, 2014, 12:43:09 PM
If you mean by "highly polished", a completely flat, non-gouged, shiney base, I have two at least.

A pwt, as I said above here, and in the other thread; and I have just found a stoppered bottle with a completely flat polished base, apart from a deep half-moon shaped pontil scar indent in that.
Title: Re: Malta Decorative Glass bases and other identifcation.
Post by: chopin-liszt on November 07, 2014, 01:45:21 PM
Just found another stoppered bottle with what was once a completely highly polished flat, non-gouged base, but with so much age-related wear it looks less shiney now.
Title: Re: Malta Decorative Glass bases and other identifcation.
Post by: keith on November 07, 2014, 02:36:20 PM
Just a quick question, does the post title refer to one maker or numerous as I have a piece of ' Creations Malta' and have yet to see another,
 ;D
Title: Re: Malta Decorative Glass bases and other identifcation.
Post by: chopin-liszt on November 07, 2014, 03:04:37 PM
We have found labels which refer to Malta Decorative Glass, other labels have appeared on the same sort of glass, which have the same design of label, but with the word Craft substituted for Decorative;
So we know of a Malta Craft Glass and a Malta Decorative Glass, what we don't know is how they relate to each other, as they seem to make the same sort of glass, completely indistinguishable from each other.

There also appears to be glass of different sorts coming from these "origins" but with perhaps some importing going on, the dolphin white and blue or white and red vase things, standing on their tails, which have been found with Japanese labels on too. I've seen the odd papweweight with canes in - and I suspected the canes might have been imported, unless anybody know of canes having actually been made in Malta, anywhere?

Then the things such as the conch shells - they seem to be of a completely different sort of construction to anything else, and a load of small animal things I know absolutely nothing about and leave to those of you who do know something about them. ;D
Title: Re: Malta Decorative Glass bases and other identifcation.
Post by: keith on November 07, 2014, 06:04:39 PM
Thought I'd post a picture of the base and label any way, ;D ;D
Title: Re: Malta Decorative Glass bases and other identifcation.
Post by: chopin-liszt on November 07, 2014, 06:09:48 PM
That looks slightly related to Gozo, in terms of the appearance of the glass (what I can see of it) and in terms of design of the label.
Title: Re: Malta Decorative Glass bases and other identifcation.
Post by: Baked_Beans on November 08, 2014, 01:22:05 PM
Here are some of my MDG bases.....

The first is a dghajsa ashtray (damaged) with label , the base shot shows the 'battuto' finish.

The second doesn't have a label but also has a similar finish to the base which hasn't been picked up by the camera.
Title: Re: Malta Decorative Glass bases and other identifcation.
Post by: Baked_Beans on November 08, 2014, 01:27:44 PM
Here are two types of MDG swans . The first green and blue one exactly matches the colour of the boat ashtray and has the same finish to the base. There is no label but I'm as sure as sure can be that it is MDG. The second swan does have a label , different design but a completely matte finish to the base.
Title: Re: Malta Decorative Glass bases and other identifcation.
Post by: Baked_Beans on November 08, 2014, 01:33:07 PM
Lastly a penguin chick which does have a good polish to the base. The other bases have a very very slight matte finish to them but they have been polished.
Title: Re: Malta Decorative Glass bases and other identifcation.
Post by: Baked_Beans on November 08, 2014, 04:51:43 PM
Sorry about the horizontal pics..........not sure how that happened  ::)

Here are some colour comparisons between the boat and swan....there isn't any amber colour in the swan.
Title: Re: Malta Decorative Glass bases and other identifcation.
Post by: WhatHo! on November 09, 2014, 01:36:45 PM
Hi Mike, thank you every much, certainly so far most of the labelled ones seem to have Battuto bases, very interesting.
Title: Re: Malta Decorative Glass bases and other identifcation.
Post by: Baked_Beans on November 09, 2014, 04:14:01 PM
I think what might be happening is that these very shallow groves might be caused by a build-up of courser particles whilst the base of the piece is being ground down using a courser grit to start with and then the piece is turned through 90 degrees and finished off using a finer polishing grit....that's my take on it as far as I can tell from my examples . They all seem to have it to a greater or lesser extent apart from swan with the circular base which was made from a mould and the penguin chick .  :)