Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass Animals & Figurines => Topic started by: JayM on July 12, 2023, 04:54:43 PM
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Hi all,
I need some help trying to ID the maker of this neodymium and ruby red sommerso piece. it is 15 cm tall and has a flat bottom.
I have seen some similar color pieces attributed to Archimede Seguso. Any ideas?
Also, what kind of animal is this? :o Looks like a bear with a long nose, maybe an anteater?
Thank you,
J.
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I know of some slightly comical animals made in a similar style with this red internal feature by da Ros of Cenedese. Might be a good place to start a search. I've found some pieces with neodynium glass too.
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Thank you Sue, will do some research in that direction!
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Have we spoken before?
- I suddenly see you have not posted often, so if I haven't said hello and welcome before, hello and welcome now. :)
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Yes! I see now you offered some help in a previous post of mine regarding a possible Jablonski piece!
Glad to chat with you again and thanks for your help! :D
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May be a honeybear?
I did wonder about Zelezny Brod Sklo but I don't know enough to know if they produced that colour combination. They used neodymium but I couldn't see any online with the red.
This is a marked ZBS owl for ear comparison although I suspect that might not be a defining factor :) :
https://www.20thcenturyglass.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=7770
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It might indeed be a honey bear! I thought it had a long and pointy snout but now I see it might be a tongue sticking out! Thank you :D
Will look into Zelezny Brod pieces.
Thanks for the hints :)
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Following chopin-lizst's suggestion of Da Ros I found this hippo which has a similar feel re curvature of the body etc:
https://iconicdesigngallery.com/bar/antonio-da-ros-submerged-glass-hippo-for-cenedese-murano
It seems on the few Cenedese I could find with labels that the eyes are similar to those on your piece.
I'm now not sure Železnobrodské sklo made pieces with the eyes done in that way but suggested it because the organic nature of the shape felt quite like some ZBS designs as well as the use of neodymium.
For comparison a ZBS animal here at auction:
https://livebid.cz/auction/zika_11ea/detail/131
m
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Thank you! I just found this piece attributed to Cenedese as well.. this one has no label but all toghether it seems to point in that direction...
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/124416517_cenedese-bird-and-bear-glass-sculptures
Thank you Sue and M for the help :)
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Is that one positively id'd through a label or signature though?
The thanks are all to Sue :) I'd never have thought of Da Ros as Murano glass isn't something I collect.
m
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I found a da Ros bear, John identified it for me. :-[
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I think Cenedese is a good bet for this bear, inevitably there will have been other makers who used a colour combinations like this. One that springs to mind is Seguso Vetri D'Arte but on first glance their bears appear a fair bit more cuddly than this - more of a toy teddy bear kind of form. As likely as Cenedese could be I would be reticent to attribute the design to Antonio Da Ros, his work tended towards the abstract a bit more than maybe this does.
John
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You have far more experience with Murano and da Ros than I do. Thanks for the word of caution. ;D
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Hi John, thank you for joining in! I think that's a reasonable conclusion, thank you all so much for your help!
The bear I saw was definitely from the same maker but had no signature or label so I could not ID it as Da Ros.
If it is not too much to ask, I noticed two small areas on the back of the piece have been carved and polished. Do you think it was common practice for companies to try and correct any imperfections such as bubbles through this method?
I can tell this was a fast job (not enough carving with finer grain before polishing, the carved area does not match the curve in the piece properly).
It might just be a later, private restoration...
I attach a picture of the carved area. Also, the biggest imperfections you can see in the carved area are actually the ones on the bottom of the piece (that was the best angle to photograph). So the carved area does not show any bubbles or deeper scratches, just the grain of the tool used for carving, such as a carburundum or diamond wheel). Thank you all :)
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I wondered if it might have had a tail that broke off?
Then I looked at Kinkajou but I don't think the likeness is right for those. The ears would have been set further to the side on the head and the eyes might have been larger - or at least if I was making a likeness for a Kinkajou I would have done that ???
Then there are Sun Bears which have a very long tongue and eat honey:
https://cdn.britannica.com/12/232812-050-918C866F/Sun-bear-Helarctos-malayanus-tongue.jpg
https://www.chesterzoo.org/our-zoo/animals/sun-bear/#:~:text=A%20sun%20bear's%20diet%20consists,%2C%20termites%2C%20fruit%20and%20honey.&text=Their%20tongues%20are%2025cm%20long!
They have no tail though so perhaps it's just where the pontil was removed ? And the base polished flat to enable it to sit upright?
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The tail possibility really makes sense, since the bigger from the two carved areas is placed exactly in the bottom-middle of the back.
Thank you M, it just didn't occur to me that could be a possibility!
As per the animal, the Sun bear really fits well I would say. I guess unless I come across a publication with this piece I might have to live with the mistery of not knowing 100 %. :)
Thanks for all the hints :)
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but a Sun Bear doesn't have a tail. Perhaps that's why it's polished the way it is though? Hmmm.
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I noticed two small areas on the back of the piece have been carved and polished. Do you think it was common practice for companies to try and correct any imperfections such as bubbles through this method?
Yes seen that few times over the years, usually but not always close to the base on an item. Given that they are not all that unusual perhaps the items were originally sold like that, a quick fix used to hide a small production flaw.