Topic: Antique TOSO Murrine Vase - Signature Cane?

[svazzo]

Hi everyone,
Just got in this vase from overseas this past week....
Wondering if any of you that collect Fratelli Toso and other artists that produce Millefiore and Murrine pieces would know about this 1 Cane piece. To me it looks like it is a signature cane, but also thought it could be a figure? woman dancing?
It doesn't look like the other flower cane on the piece. What do you think?

http://www.trocadero.com/svazzo/items/466784/picture2.jpg
http://www.trocadero.com/svazzo/items/466784/picture3.jpg
http://www.trocadero.com/svazzo/items/466784/picture5.jpg
http://www.trocadero.com/svazzo/items/466784/picture4.jpg
http://www.trocadero.com/svazzo/items/466784/picture6.jpg MOD: Links dead

Javier

[TxSilver]

Javier, I don't know if FToso had signature canes. I haven't heard of them. Comparing the thin green murrine in the picture of the neck to the thin pink murrine in the last picture, it looks like they are branches. It is clearer for the green murrine than for the pink.

Gorgeous vase! and quite a good find.

Anita

[svazzo]

Hi Anita,
At first when I got the vase I thought it was a flower, but as you can see each of the flower canes has 3 different colors.
They are all in 3 parts, petals, center and branches. This Pink 1 doesnt have any other color except the pink, and the shape doesnt match the other stems of the flowers. That is why I thought it could be special cane, maybe a signature.

The vase has 4 flower canes, 3 different types.
You see 2 types on the pictures, but it has another 1 with red petals on a white background.
I'll attach a pic of that one too.

Javier

[KevinH]

I am not a regular contributor to messages in this forum, but this one caught my eye.

On occasion, when setting a cane into a paperweight or a vase, either surface-decorated or cased, the cane can become distorted and various elements can disappear or become shaped differently from the intended design. I have a good example of this in a Scottish, Paul Ysart weight where, from the top, a clear cane design is seen, albeit a little fuzzy, but from the base, through the clear glass, that same cane looks quite different with several elements seen that are not in the top view. Unfortunately, my ISP seems to be having trouble displaying home pages right now, so I can't show you exactly what I mean.

I think the pink of the queried cane is identical to that of one of the flower canes and it may well be the same cane but the petals have warped over the central part which has then disappeared.

I have never heard of a signature cane in any Fratelli Toso or other similar maker's items. It would have been incredibly useful to collectors (and dealers) if they had used them, though.

[svazzo]

Hi KevH,
Thanks for the contribution.
I was just emailed by the Fratelli Toso website, and they dated the vase to 1900-1910, and that the pink cane is an abstract design, not a figure like I thought, or a flower. They also said they didnt have signature canes for the vases. I still it is a very unique cane piece as I have never seen 1 like it before.
Javier

[TxSilver]

One thing I like about the early FT millefiori pieces is they have certain murrines that I've not seen on glass by any other company. Your flowers are distinctly FT. I believe that all of the vases with the flower cane like yours were made c 1910. The later (1950s on) FT millefiori pieces can be more difficult to pick out, especially from pieces made by AVeM. The murrines used on the vases are similar to those used by other companies. I wish they did have a signature cane on these later pieces. It would make a positive identification so much easier.

Anita

[glasstrufflehunter]

I have seen a sig cane on a couple FT paperweights. It's white with black letters and reads F.lli Toso. In an LH Selman catalogue they misread it as Fili Toso.

[svazzo]

You are so right!
Now that I think about it, even in the Fratelli Toso book there is a signature cane pictured, from the 50s.
I do think they meant that for this early of a piece, 1900s, there were no signature canes.

Javier

[TxSilver]

Good information to have. As much as I look at F'lli Toso, this is the first time I have heard of their signature canes. I will have to keep my eyes open for one of them.

Anita

[Anne]

Javier, can we have the images added to the board instead of linked to your hosting? That way if you move them around there'll still be here for reference.