Collecting. What to look for?

[nvunot]

Hi. I just ran across a pair of birds in a store. The owner said they were Murano. I love them and came home to hit the internet to find out what I could about Murano Glass. The first revelation was that it's a type of glass. I thought it was a Maker.

I've been searching to find info on identifying authentic Murano. It seems all I can find is "Is it marked, have a sticker" or "what did the seller say". Not that there is anything wrong with these these questions, they're perfectly legitimate. But I mostly buy from places like garage sales. So the buyer doesn't usually know anything about it a lot of the time. Usually someone gave it to them or it was a relatives.

I guess what I'm trying to find is what to look for that might let you know that it might be Murano, or if there's anything that says it's definately not Murano. Also, I've seen several references to "knowing the maker's style". Does anyone know of any wesites that list the most common/collectible makers? And/or samples the indicate that something might be theirs?

For example, this pair of birds are long, narrow what might be partidges. I've found quite a few samples of this "type" of bird on the internet. But the style of each one varies from somewhat to greatly. The base is solid, and the bottom is gournd and polished. There are a few of the "trailing" lines of air bubbles. There apears to be a color elongated "blob" that forms the "internal main body". I'm not looking for any type of identification for them, just using them as an example of the type of questions I have.

Are there certain things that make pieces more valuable. Like certain colors, or combinations ther of? Bubbles? Gold or Metalic flakes?

I know my questions are many and probably not easy to answer, if at all. I live in Cleveland and there's not exaclty a place for me to go and observe authentic pieces to get a feel for the quality and design of authentic pieces. I know with my deperession and elegant glass, I've collected long enough and seen enough that I get a gut feeling as to the date, maker, etc. but with the Murano I don't know where to start.

I hope this isn't overwhelming, just eager to learn.

Thanks in advance for any help.
Steven

[fossilfly]

Steven,

Thank you for taking the time to post and visit the forum.

As far as a definition of Murano Glass,it is any glass made by a furnace located on the island of Murano in Venice. Identifying Murano glass can be difficult as there are many manufacturers with different styles, compounding this, over the years, each mfr has made changes in style and design, in accordance to tastes or designer whim. Don't forget, that each mfr is usually a family run business with only a few, if any, employees, and it is all handmade. For high end collecting, items can sometimes be easier to identify, as there are books that can be referred to identify a particular piece down to the artist.

In comparison to Depression Glass, where manufacturers can have an entire book devoted to their production, there are relatively few of these books devoted to Murano glassmakers, hence the uncertainty in attribution. (There is another thread about books in the forum)

There is a lot of vintage murano glass that can be found for very reasonable prices at estate sales, and this is how many people get their start learning about Murano. (As a side note, I recently heard that someone found a Vinini hourglass (?) at a garage sale for $15, and auctioned it off at $10k!) Unfortunately as with many collectibles, there is no such thing as a 100% identification, Murano can look Swedish and visa versa.

The only advice I can really give is to learn as much as you can, online stores are a good learning tool for vintage glass, as you can see many different pieces and get a feel for what you are looking at. As far as birds are concerned, they are a very popular item, found in many sizes and styles, however I would venture to say that birds with gold, copper of silver flakes are more popular today.

I hope this answers some of your questions