Posted 7 years ago
Hamish
(57 items)
Hi all
Ok, I seen this today in a shop, and it made me think of a few things. I'm trying to learn so I appreciate any info I am given.
Firstly, how do they make a vase like this with what appears to be coloured glass poured into already set clear glass? It's possible I have just answered my own question!
Secondly, to my untrained eye, the quality of this looks really good, however on the front if a clear sticky label that says 'Hand made - Made in Poland'. Now, with a label like that you automatically think of a generic item that is sold in a department store in their hundreds. But would someone spend the time to produce something like this for a secondly bulk seller? Surely that would not be cost effective for the maker. And, I assume, a generic label like this indicates that these are produced by a company and not a specific artisan, as they would likely either have no label at all or something to indicate it is theirs?
I think it can be made by one of the manufactures that existed/exists in Krosno,Poland.
If an item is hand made the process of blowing doesn't have to be time consuming.There are several people who work at a glass furnace.I watched a process of blowing vases few years ago and everything was going quickly and efficiently.
Are there any markings on the bottom. I think you have a piece of 'cased' glass. If I'm wrong I hope someone will come along and let me know.
http://www.ehow.com/about_5037912_cased-glass.html
There is a lot of information on cased glass on the internet. Also, much information on glass made in Poland.
I interpret "Hand Made" to be quite the opposite of yours - it is artisan work, that someone uses special skills to make, and it is often made in limited quantities - e.g. you may find a label that says "Only 100 pieces if this items have been produced."
The library can offer many, many books about glass making.
Hi again, the words I was searching for are 'Limited Edition'.
I agree with Ivonne and Gillian here. Glass like this is always handmade bu ta good glass workshop would have the process so refined that 3-4 people working together could produce these in a realtively short time. It depends on the work but say around 1/2 to 1 hour per object. It does take great skill to make a beautiful cased vase like this.
Hi all. Thank you for the info, I just find it confusing that you can find something that to my eye is flawless and beautifully made, yet is relatively worthless intrinsically. I think there are many instances where we pay for a name as opposed to what the name is attached to. This, as you say, is basically a commercially made piece to sell in stores throughout Europe, most likely. But if I etched a famous name on the base then suddenly it's worth a fortune and everybody wants it. I've seen plenty glass vases on here that are not as refined as this one but are proudly displayed by their owners and showered with comments of wonder and awe. It is a common practice in the world of art and sculpture for a piece to be produced by a world famous maker yet they have never touched one piece of it with their own hands (I know because my wife works in this industry). It is made by a team of specialist to a brief documented by the artist, so you think you are sending a small fortune on an original sculpture moulded by the hands of Anthony Gormley, yet the reality is that it was made by Fred Smith from Basingstoke in his studio at the bottom of his garden. It appears, certainly in some respects, that quality does not make something valuable, the name attached to it does. Loetz could make something awful, yet because it is theirs, it would be bought for a fortune by people who must have it as they collect their wares. It makes learning about glass makers and how to identify them very difficult as at times quality is not relevant.
Yes true Hamish, and I think that you saying that means you appreciate an object for its true value. What skills were required to make the item, what materials were used, what are it's aesthetics.
In the glass world I see a lot of putting down of glass from Asia, or Eastern Europe, mainly because of the source, not the item itself. I think that happens in a lot of other areas of collecting too. I try to keep an open mind,and the truth is value, not necessarily monetary, and beauty, belong to us as individuals.
Great comment.
I can't agree more,Karen and Hamish.How much a brand is worth we can see by the example of,mentioned by Hamish,Loetz,who didn't make anything himself,and his widow either.Creators of his fame were designers and craftsmen.
Well I'm at least very honest about things, even if it may not sit too well with some. I fully expect there were one or two who read the last few comments and were mortified. I do like some of the Asian glass though Racer, some of the ones you post are lovely. Actually, do you know of a site where you can look up Chinese or Japanese characters on porcelain? I have a bowl which I bought years ago, might be some type of tea or slops bowl, and there is a square of red characters on the bottom. It's relatively old but know nothing about it. I know they have a tendency to replicate older marks in honour of previous makers or emperors, but it would be good to look around.
"It makes learning about glass makers and how to identify them very difficult as at times quality is not relevant."
Couldn't disagree MORE on this statement. It is in fact QUALITY or LACK of quality that differentiates between many knock off pieces and higher priced pieces.
Signatures mean nothing on TIFFANY glass as many are faked-- it is in fact the quality of the piece that is judged to determine maker.
Much of the import Chinese glass is considered lesser glass because it is made to deceive and doesn't have the same quality as the glass it is imitating.
scott
Scott, you are entirely correct, however you appear to have misread my comment as I deliberately said 'It appears, certainly in some respects' and 'at times quality is not relevant', both of which mean I know there are many items that are faked around the world and the quality of the genuine piece makes it stand out from the imitations. I am also fully aware that there are a huge amount of items that are absolutely exquisite and the quality is fabulous. No many people could say that a cameo vase by Galle or Thomas Webb was not superb quality, or a piece of silver by Asprey that you would happily sell your granny for. My point was that there are many instances where learning about glass makers, and other fields of collecting also, is difficult as sometimes quality does not mean it was made by a prestigious company or individual. People pay millions for a painting by L.S. Lowry of stickmen standing on a street outside a factory, when last year I bought an oil painting of a study of African elephants by an artist who no one has ever heard of in a charity shop for £10, and it is utterly superb. We are a very fickle bunch and sometimes the only difference between something being worth a lot and virtually nothing is good marketing or the fact a critic lauds its artistic merit, or even that whilst a documentary is being made about Buckingham palace someone notices a piece of jewellery on her hat and it's in the paper the next day, and then everyone wants it as if the queen wears it then it must be utterly superb.
I'm hoping you can see my point?!