Topic: probable Murano drinking glasses.

[Paul S.]

These 'coloured' Italian glasses seem to be appearing more regularly, although I hadn't seem this design previously.          Style wise they are a pastiche of European C18 drinking glasses, when Silesian/moulded pillar stems and folded feet were all the rage (not the colours, of course).      Height is something like 3.75"/95mm - snapped pontils as usual, and a liberal sprinkling of gold (on the outside only I think).    Bit of a 'ding' also, so presumably some lead content.     I'd been looking at comments from Adam Dodds and Glen Thistlewood from a few years back re the yellow coloured examples, where it was suggested that a yellow uv glow was caused by cadmium sulphide in the batch (to make yellow glass).      However, looking more at the uv reaction (on the yellow ones), I'm seeing a bright cherry colour, not an amber or yellow reaction.     Apparently, it you put selenium into a lead batch, and add cadmium sulphide, you can end up with a 'brilliant sealing wax red' - or are these just a rather bright 'pink' from the addition of selenium only??         I'm assuming these pieces are of a C20 manufacturing date, although don't know when.     Shall be very grateful for any comments that people care to offer regarding origin (generic Murano?) and ideas as to age.    Thanks for looking.  
P.S.  the green examples appear to be standard 'green' uranium pieces.

[TxSilver]

Paul, if you lived on this side of the pond I would say they look like Mexican glass to me. I don't think you get much of this type of Mexican over there, though.

[Lustrousstone]

I doubt that you get much uranium recycled glass either 

[Paul S.]

thanks to both of you for your thoughts.      For me this was a case of assumption, I'm afraid, and seeing the folded feet, snapped pontils, gold flecks and uranium  -  all convinced me they were Italian  -  these things being trademarks of other known C20 pieces from Italy.    Not that I have anything against Mexico, personally, but I'd rather they came from the Mediterranean instead .    I must stop buying things about which I know very little.

[Lustrousstone]

I'm not sure we really had many thoughts. I would say they are perhaps late 19th or early 20th façon venise. They're almost certainly not new or recycled.

Isn't the fun in buying things about which you know little? I would certainly have bought them

[TxSilver]

I would have bought them, too, if the price was right. They are interesting. I just don't know what they are. What they make me think of is modern glass that was made to look old. The form is what reminded me of Mexico, but I do not think they are from there. They could easily be Mediterranean. Someone who knows goblet forms better than I should have a better idea.

[Paul S.]

I would agree about the 'facon venise' (in the Venetian style).        Christine's quote......"Isn't the fun in buying things about which you know little? I would certainly have bought them"  -  and yes, would agree again, and have done just this - probably all too frequently - which is why I have to be a little more circumspect about the quantity of glass I now buy .       Twice a month I visit a certain well known 'al fresco' antiques venue in the London area, and it is a struggle not to buy eveything that takes my fancy - but think I have at long last controlled my urges/lust for every piece that looks interesting - and I have refined my areas down to a managable level......not that my wife agrees, of course, and the house is still at bursting point.   You should visit with me Christine, and then we'd see whether or not you were able to control your urges.      To reduce the areas of collecting helps also with the ability to retain knowledge of the ones you do collect - it's very easy to collect everything and then struggle to remember all the facts.      Unfortunately, these cost a little more than my usual boot sale price - and to tell the truth part of the reason I bought them was because I thought at the time that the yellowish ones might have been 'Annagelb' or 'Annagrun'  -  needless to say they are not.            I was hoping that jp might possibly have offered some input, as I'm sure he has 100% more knowledge of this material than me.    Would be good if these were the age suggested  -  I didn't think possibly that old, although my usual criteria of 'wear' is difficult to ascertain when pieces sit on the very edge of a domed foot and the glass is coloured into the bargain.          My excuse for buying them is that I do quite genuinely collect old drinking glasses, so can at least say these fall into my area.    All I need now is some of these pre G. Ravenscroft examples with the frilly bits that stick out from the stem :24: