Glass Message Board
Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => British & Irish Glass => Topic started by: ecoman on December 15, 2015, 10:34:58 AM
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We have this vase which I believe was purchased from the Adelaide Jam Factory. It does not have any signatures that I can see and measures approx 12.5cm high and 11cm wide. I has contacted the Jam Factory and they though it could have possibly been a Sam Herman piece from the 1970's. Any thoughts or comments re who the artist may be? See attached pictures (apologies for my poor lighting and photography skills)
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Not Sam Herman or Jam Factory, Isle of Wight Studio Glass, it's an Aurene "bell" vase, designed by Michael Harris, one of the first major production ranges, and a desirable thing.
The mark impressed on the blob of glass on the base is known as the Flame pontil mark, (it represents a blob of glass in a flame) it was used between roughly '72 until around '78 (I can't lay my hands on my book to check).
Welcome to the board! :)
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Thank you so much Sue, that solves this family mystery (and we where miles off the mark)
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Not too far off you know. It's related. ;D
Sam Herman came over to the RCA in London in '67, he inspired Michael Harris there to take up Studio Glass work himself, so he went off and founded Mdina. Shortly after he left Malta, he went to the Isle of Wight and set up the Studio there.
Your vase wouldn't have existed without Sam's influence. And it's from the same time period, roughly, as Jam Factory.
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thats a fantastic connection.... thanks once again
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Sam left the RCA to set up the Jam Factory ('75) - he was quite busy spreading the studio glass movement around the world then.
It is a lovely connection.
I started on Mdina, and as I learned, the work of Michael Harris; but I had to find some excuse, no matter how tenuous, to include some of Sam's work in my collection, after I first saw it... and made a beeline across the room to the stand in the Fair where it was, ignoring everything else. ;D