Topic: 'Murano' glass sculpture on plinth - no signature

[scavo]

I picked this 'Murano' sculpture up today. No signature.

11"  x 7" x 2" (plinth 2 1/2" x 4")

There are bubbles and a few surface irregularities. There are 2 shades of green cased in clear glass.

I am fully aware that someone may say not Murano hence my ''s suggesting the generic term. What I am asking is - has anyone seen them in TKMaxx?

[flying free]

No but I have seen similar in the British Heart Foundation - I couldn't say they were identical but a similar idea. 
m

[Anne]

The bases of examples in this style from China which I've seen in various high street stores always have had square bases, not curved ones like yours, so that may be a good sign, or not... I don't know.

[scavo]

I had a look on ebay and all those on there had bases about 1" high and were square.

British heart foundation. Hmmm, maybe. You've reminded me that my local BHF had some glass that was impressive but the fact they had too much of it gave the game away. I remember they had a rather nice glass Buddha. Were the bases like this?

Thanks to both of you for your thoughts.

[Tigerchips]

Do you live anywhere near Sunderland? It reminds me of these... http://www.joannemitchellglassdesign.co.uk/commissions.htm

[scavo]

Thanks Tigerchips. I quite some of her work. And of course it would make sense why this has a high plinth - to take award details.

I was scratching my head as to why it would be on a plinth in the first place. The majority of Murano sculptures are not on plinths.

And if as 'm' says, they were being sold in a BHF (I bought it in a Charity shop but not BHF), they could have been a donation from a business that went bump? They did look a bit expensive for them to have bought in to sell.

In the shop I bought it from they told "The woman who donated it said it was Italian." Now of course I know that doesn't mean a thing.

[isleofwight collector]

There are very modern versions of these - available from Next and TK Maxx.  Ive had 2 of these from both places mentioned and they both had the clear glass plinths at the bottom.  But these were available in the last year or so (the two I had were made in China).

I do think there may be earlier pieces that the chinese have copied but it depends how new your looks on closer inspection.
It is a nice shaped one either way 

[scavo]

Thanks IoW,
I made a trip to TKMaxx on the weekend and checked their glass out. They had some similar sculptures but they were not the same. There is a lot more substance to mine. However, I'm fairly sure they are not in this league, but in terms of substance they are closer than the TKMaxx chinese ones:
http://www.muranoglassgifts.com/murano-glass-calcedonia/calcedonia-abstract-P1185.html
http://www.muranoglassgifts.com/murano-glass-calcedonia/murano-knot-P2513.html but I am not hopeful that they are the same quality!