Glass Message Board
Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => British & Irish Glass => Topic started by: chilternhills on November 17, 2020, 09:51:16 PM
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It was a surprise to come across this distinctive pontil mark on a very early test vase for the Azurene range. Therefore, it may date from 1978. The vase was kept in the studio archive for over thirty years.
Timothy Harris says that this mark was made by pressing a flat piece of iron on the base of the vase. The concentric circles were formed when the glass cooled. The remains of a broken pontil mark can be seen in the centre of the base.
Thus far this mark has been seen on just a single piece. It would be interesting to know if anyone has a piece with a similar mark.
I shall publish further pictures of the vase on the museum web site in due course. (I haven't taken a decent picture yet.) It has a button top rim typical of some Mdina vases of the Harris era and IOWSG vases from the early 1970s. The vase was rather 'overcooked' when made. The silver foil is very grey. It doesn't stand very well either; it is quite lopsided.
Anton
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Why are you describing a broken pontil mark as new?
John
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I think it's the flattening with the bit of iron, giving the concentric rings that is strange.
But it sounds more like a one-off thing done for immediate practical purposes, at the time.
I really rather like the "overcooked" appearance of the early stuff - I see blues and yellows rather than grey. But that really does help confirm the idea of it being early Azurene. Along with a very unusual button rim - I think that's the most exciting thing about this Fish!
When something goes "lopsided" does that not often happen in the annealing oven, after it is put in?
I have a large, early, beautifully "well-done" blue Azurene Fish, unsigned. The only really strange thing about that is the "cellulite" appearance of the surface of the wings. The glass is all dimpled, not flat.
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Okay, see the same kind of cooling rings on some Mdina, a few examples here:
https://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,32132.0.html
I wonder if they can be found on the backs of the small 1970s IoW lollipops? Don't have one here to check but looks possible from this photo:
https://legacyantiques.co.uk/isle-of-wight-multicoloured-lollipop-vase-with-original-sticker-c-1980-82.html
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I don't remember seeing rings on little lollipops, just the flame mark, pressed deeply into the base. I don't have any to check either now.
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Here is a picture of the vase. It measures 19 cm high, 12 cm maximum width, and 5 cm across the rim.
As for the pontil mark, I guess the studio was experimenting with different things. The pontil mark measures 3 cm across, and each ring is about 2 mm apart. What surprised me was that pressing a flat piece of metal on the base caused the bullseye effect. As Sue says, it could be a one-off.
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Pressing a base flat on the marver causes rings. They're quite common on mouded vases too, from where the hot glass first touches the bottom of the mould.
It is rather nicely "overcooked", and I love the button rim. ;D
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Hi Anton,
Is this what you’re looking for—it’s got concentric rings and what look like the remnants of a broken pontil mark
( under what could be described as a button)
Not sure whether you’re only looking for examples on Azurene pieces. https://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,65454.0.html
Scott