Description
Here is a wonderful Venetian bird sculpture, made on the island of Murano, near Venice, Italy. Made by Seguso Vetri d'Arte, and designed by either Flavio Poli or Mario Pinzoni in the 1950's. Both were designers at the factory during this period. Signed to base Veronese, Seguso, Murano. The "Veronese" part indicates that these were made specifically for Marcel Barbier, to be sold via his retail shop in Paris. This style of signature is shown in the excellent book Seguso Vetri d'Arte - Glass Objects from Murano (1932-1973) by Marc Heiremans, page 379, and was in use during the 1950's. The bird also has the original factory label, which reads "Seguso, Murano, Made in Italy". This label is identified in the same book as being in use from 1953 to the mid 1950's. In a stunning combination of green and clear glass cased filled with fine gold leaf inclusions, a technique known as polveri.Please note: the plastic stand is for display purposes only and is not included.
Size
Measures approx 1.75 inches tall by 3.75 inches in diameter at widest point.Condition
Excellent condition, no chips or cracks.Please check your government website to find out what fees you may be charged, as they vary for each country.
EU Customers please note: Since Brexit, Import VAT is now due on orders from the UK to EU customers. For orders under the value of £135 / €150 (including shipping), eBay will include this VAT charge during checkout, and you will have nothing extra to pay when your parcel arrives. For orders above the value of £135 / €150 (including shipping), eBay will NOT charge you any VAT during checkout, this will instead be charged before, or when, the delivery of your parcel is made. The charge will be issued by customs in your country. This includes orders made up of multiple items which may be individually priced under £135 / €150 each, but when paid for together, the total order value is above £135 / €150. Orders over £135 / €150 may also be subject to customs duty, depending on the country of origin where the product was made. Please check your government website to find out what fees you may be charged.
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There is a lot of high quality glass coming out of China these days, which imitates the popular styles and techniques made famous by manufacturers on the island of Murano, Italy. Some of these are impressive works of art in their own right, and there is nothing wrong with buying them to decorate your home or even start up a collection of Chinese glassware.
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However, some sellers have taken to listing these pieces as vintage Murano, purposely misdescribing them in order to trick buyers into paying over the odds for a piece of mass produced, Chinese glass, sometimes even going so far as to add their own “Made in Murano” labels. The Murano Glass category is currently filled with hundreds of Chinese glass items, that if correctly listed would be in the “Other Glass” section. For collectors of Murano glass, especially those who buy as an investment, it is important to be able to spot these Chinese pieces, as they are unlikely to hold their inflated value over time.
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How can you tell the difference? Generally, most modern, Murano style, Chinese glass is quite a bit larger and heavier than their genuine counterparts. While larger Murano pieces exist, they are not that common, so if a seller is stocking a wide range of large (12 inch+), heavy (2kg+) “Murano” vases, there is a good chance they could be Chinese. You can also familiar yourself with modern Chinese glass by browsing well known Chinese trade websites, and your local department stores such as TK Maxx and Debenhams.
The best way to spot if a seller is regularly and knowingly selling Chinese glass as Murano, is to take a look at their past sales. To do this, while looking at any of their listings, click the link “See other items” under their username at the top right side of the page. Then, on the left menu, under “Show only”, tick the box for “Sold listings”. While browsing through the results, if you see the exact same item selling over and over again, you can be certain those pieces are modern and most likely made in China. Identical vintage Murano items are very few and far between!
I hope this little guide helps buyers (and sellers) to learn the difference between modern Chinese glass and vintage Murano. If you have recently fallen victim to one of these sellers, remember, you have 30 days to open a returns case for any purchase, and if the item is deemed “not as described”, your return postage costs will also be covered.
To any other sellers of genuine Murano glass, if like me you are sick of seeing the Murano category flooded with modern Chinese glass, please feel free to copy this info and these pictures into your own listings, to help spread the word. :)
Much More Glassware Available in our eBay Shop!
We always have hundreds of vintage art glass vases, bowls, sculptures, paperweights and other glassware products in stock, with many new listings added weekly, so please take a look in our eBay shop, and add us to your list of favourite sellers (just click the heart icon next to our name on the shop banner)!Popular brands we regularly stock include the following:
Murano glass: Archimede Seguso, Arte Nuova, Aureliano Toso, AVEM, Barbini, Barovier & Toso, Carlo Moretti, Cenedese, Fratelli Toso, Galliano Ferro, Mandruzzato, Salviati, Seguso Vetri d'Arte, V Nason, & Venini.
Scandinavian glass: Alsterfors, Aseda, Ekenas, Elme, Flygsfors, FM Konstglas, Gullaskruf, Hadeland, Holmegaard, Iittala, Kosta Boda, Lindshammar, Mats Jonasson, Nuutajarvi, Orrefors, Pukeberg, Reijmyre, Riihimaki / Riihimaen Lasi Oy, Ryd, & Sea Glasbruk.
British glass: Bagley, Caithness, Chance Brothers, Dartington, Heron, Isle of Wight Studio, Jobling, John Walsh Walsh, Langham, Monart, Royal Brierley, Sowerby, Stevens & Williams, Strathearn, Stuart & Sons, Thomas Webb, Vasart, Wedgwood, & Whitefriars.
Czech / Bohemian glass: Borske Sklo, Chribska, Crystalex, Franz Welz, Harrachov / Harrach, Hermanova, Kralik, Libochovice, Loetz, Moser, Mstisov, Prachen, Rosice, Rudolfova, Sklo Union, Skrdlovice / Beranek, Stolzle, & Zelezny Brod Sklo (ZBS).
Maltese glass: Gozo, Mdina, Mtarfa, & Phoenician.
German glass: Brockwitz, Friedrich, Hirschberg, Ingrid, Muller & Co, Walther & Sohne, & Walther Glas.
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