Clowns, Scorpion Marks, Dating & Fakes

[Cheryl Sussex]

This is my first posting on this forum, so hello everyone.

I have recently become a collector of Murano glass, mainly clowns. Many of the clowns I purchase have scorpion marks on them. Does anyone know what they mean?

Also can anyone advise me upon dating the Murano clowns. From my limited knowledge there seems to be a meaning to the shape of the hat and feet with the fashion of design, as to the decade the object was produced.

On the subject of fake clowns, ones from Russia or China. I does seems that the fakes actually look like crap poorly made clowns. Just a quick one second look and you can instantly tell if you have the real thing or not. Is this the case or am I being too confident? Or the original clown designs being faked so well that an expert can't tell? I'd hate to learn that my growing collection is not the real thing.

If anyone can point me to either a web site with more info or a previous posting on this forum I would be most greatful.

[glassman]

Many of the clowns I purchase have scorpion marks on them. Does anyone know what they mean?





Hi Cheryl, Welcome to the forums! A picture of your clowns would be helpful, but I think you are most interested in the scorpion marks. Im not an expert in Murano clowns, but as far as I know, there isn't a cosensus on the scorpion marks, some say its a mark to denote that it was made in Murano, others say its a tool mark made when the glass was cut.

Also can anyone advise me upon dating the Murano clowns. From my limited knowledge there seems to be a meaning to the shape of the hat and feet with the fashion of design, as to the decade the object was produced.

I have never heard of a meaning to the shape of the hat and feet, so it is news to me.
Many manufacturers, including Venini have made clowns in the past, as they are a popular items.

I think after a while of collecting glass, you will be able to determine what is and isn't real a good amount of the time. Many Russian and Chinese clowns are lesser quality, with lower selling points, and are easily discerned. However, im sure that there are others that are of much better quality. If buying new, buy from a reputable retailer that can authenticate your purchase.

For reference check out these sites:

creativecollectibleconcepts.com
muranoclowns.com
eastglass.com

Is there any one else who knows more about clowns?

[erwin.zeez]

Clowns are comical performers, stereotypically characterized by their grotesque appearance: colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, red-nose, etc., who entertain spectators by acting in a hilarious fashion. The types of their acts varies greatly. Although some find clowns to be scary, their intended purpose is to entertain people, especially young children. Peter Berger writes that "It seems plausible that folly and fools, like religion and magic, meet some deeply rooted needs in human society."[1] For this reason, clowning is often considered an important part of training as a physical performance discipline, partly because tricky subject matter can be dealt with, but also because it requires a high level of risk and play in the performe

[eglass]

Hi Cheryl!

I'm sure no expert, but have handled my fair share of glass clown figurines - Murano and wannabe Murano - over the years.

For the most part, it's mainly common sense that helps determine if a piece is a true mid-1950's Murano piece or not. Look at the details - on the good older pieces, the eyes, hair, buttons etc were not sloppily applied, crooked or haphazard. The feet weren't just stuck on and left with unground bottoms and unsightly tooling marks. Lots of internal decoration was present - aventurine, silver mica, lacy webbing. Colors were bright, but in a pleasing palette.

I've seen some that look like a Play-Doh project your kindergartener might have made, and others that took a little more inspection.

As far as marks go - I'll wait and see what more knowledgable folks say, I've never had a Murano clown that was marked, but I haven't bought too many. I don't like clowns, as a whole.