Topic: Black bird

[glassobsessed]

It looks as though it is made with gold and silver leaf.

John

[Terry]

Yes John you are correct. There are bands of gold and bands of silver that sometimes overlay.
A couple more photos attached.
Terry

[Terry]

Any chance that this may be an example of Yokohama technique or similar (Giulio Radi style)?
Terry

[rosieposie]

I have been looking ever since this was first posted here, and so far found nothing else like it.
Have you asked Timothy Harris at IOWSG if he thinks this might have been a trial piece of theirs Terry?

[Terry]

Elizabeth Harris and Ron Wheeler (retired Sales and Marketing Manager for IOWSG) both say that it is not an IOWSG design but Ron believes it may be an experimental piece by St Johns because of the eye detail.
Does anyone know if this black azurene technique was copied by other Murano or European glass makers?
Thanks for all you comments,
Terry

[chopin-liszt]

It looks a little bit too well modelled and too nicely finished off for St John's, but it is a possibility.

[glassobsessed]

They have been using gold leaf on Murano for well over a century, this could be from the island. The use of gold leaf on black glass was not original to IoWSG, their development was to use vacuum to hold gold leaf in place on the marver - leaf is so thin and light it can be a nightmare to control and it blows around with the lightest breath of wind inevitably sticking to the wrong things and getting folded up and ruined in the process.

John

Renato Anatra made a very similar form.

[chopin-liszt]

Silver foil was also used in Murano.

They did have more trouble with silver than gold at IoWSG, it reacts with the glass to produce colours at fairly low temperatures, but they refined it for themselves, eventually.
As John said, it was the (unpatented - so anybody can use it) suction marver for holding the foil in place that was the contibution to the process made by Michael Harris.

[Terry]

Thanks John and Sue.
I will try to chase down the Anatra possibility. There may be a link with the eye detail.
Kind regards,
Terry