Large vase inquiry

[greyrider]

Hello, I'm a newbie here and am hoping someone can help me out.
I purchased this vase a few weeks ago with the intent to give it as a gift for a friend. My friend thought it was 'hideous' and told me to keep it, sell it, or whatnot. I deal mostly with depression glass, collecting and sometimes selling (mostly through ebay), and am not knowledgable about Murano glass. This piece has a Murano label that is only partially readable. The portions I can make out read: Arte Murano, Lavorazione a mano, Made in Italy. There are two words I cannot make out - one starts with a K (7 or 8 letters) and the other with an M (4 letters). I have several books on Antiques and Collectibles that include Murano glass items but saw nothing like this one. I'm not sure that it is all that old, really. I probably got a good deal on it when I purchased it and can recoupe that easily enough but I am curious as to what the approximate value might really be. Other than what anyone is willing to pay, that is, lol. I want to make sure that, if I do sell it, I list it as accurately as possible. I may take it to one of the upcoming antique sales to see if any of the dealers there may be interested, also.
The vase itself is rather large (and heavy, of course). It stands 14 5/8" tall, with a base diameter of 5". The widest part of the body is about 8" and the top 'ruffled' portion varies between 8" and 9" across. It looks as though it is a controlled bubble type under the opaque, mint green coloration. There is no pontil mark on the bottom that I saw (or recognized - I deal mostly in depression glass, molded types, or older handblown glassware with very defined pontil marks) - instead there are a series of 'swirls' and circles (which may some sort of pontil marks, themselves), about 8, in all.
I have looked at examples from several Murano sites but this board seems like my best bet for info. Any help would be appreciated in this matter.
Thank you,
Leigh

[TxSilver]

Hello and welcome, greyrider. The label is handy. Your vase was made by Lavorazione. The company makes some pretty glass, but it does not have much value at the present time. Most Lavorazione pieces I've seen or own have been made in the 1970's and later. Vases like the one you show are often on eBay. If you want to see how they do, you can check the art glass section. Sometimes Lavorazione is listed using the maker's name; sometimes using the outstanding characteristics, e.g. multicolored or frilled rim; and under times just as Murano. You may be able to find your exact vase and see how it does.

I don't think your vase is hideous. I have a Lavorazione vase (cased multicolored cane) on my dining table. It looks gorgeous with silk flowers in it Sometimes a vase is just a very pretty vase.

Anita

[biddaeverything]

Leigh,
welcome to the board. What Anita said is true. I was at TJ Maxx the other day and saw several Lavorazione pieces. There's no accounting for taste but I think your vase is a pretty one. The color is very nice and, from what I can see in the picture, it looks like it has a nice "quilted" optic. At least your friend trusts you enough to be honest with you; if not very gracious hee hee.

Values for collectibles ebb and flow with the demand. Something that's going for next to nothing today might fetch a nice sum in a few years... and vice versa Now, if only I could get this darn time machine working...

Bidda

[madcat]

Yes, you can pick these up fairly cheaply on ebay and elsewhere at the moment. I sold a large Lavorazione vase not long ago for a small profit but they're pretty easy to come by. And I also think your vase is very pretty. I would give it as the gift you intended, personally.

[murena]

I'm not an expert at all, but... are you sure that "Lavorazione" is the name of a company?

I'm Italian and, as far as I know my native language, "Lavorazione a mano" simply means "Hand made" or "Crafted".

"Lavorazione a mano" is a common sentence used for "Crafted", which could be found on almost any type of items, when it's totally or partially made by a craftsman and not by a machine.


So the sticker text could be translated as:

Arte Murano
K-----
M----
(Hand)Crafted
Made in Italy

[spartina]

Originally Posted by murena

I'm not an expert at all, but... are you sure that "Lavorazione" is the name of a company?

I'm Italian and, as far as I know my native language, "Lavorazione a mano" simply means "Hand made" or "Crafted".

"Lavorazione a mano" is a common sentence used for "Crafted", which could be found on almost any type of items, when it's totally or partially made by a craftsman and not by a machine.


So the sticker text could be translated as:

Arte Murano
K-----
M----
(Hand)Crafted
Made in Italy

Murena,
You are correct! The manufacturer isn't listed on the label, so many people use the generic "Lavorazione" to describe the maker, for lack of a better term. It really isn't perfect, but its a helpful way to describe the manufacturer. The labels are generally the same, many are blue and red, I have seen only a few in black as in this post.

[murena]

Originally Posted by spartina

Murena,
You are correct! The manufacturer isn't listed on the label, so many people use the generic "Lavorazione" to describe the maker, for lack of a better term. It really isn't perfect, but its a helpful way to describe the manufacturer. The labels are generally the same, many are blue and red, I have seen only a few in black as in this post.

Spartina, I understood that the use of "Lavorazione" as a company name is merely conventional, for a lack of a better term. What I meant, though, is that one should be careful with this, because the sentence "Lavorazione a mano" or "Lavorazione d'arte" is very generic (meaning: hand-made), and in Italy could be found on the labels of a very wide range of items, from Murano glasses to the wood items made in those small mountain villages between Italy and Austria, through hand-made carpets produced in the South of Italy, produced by definitely different companies in different times, from the XIX to the XXI century. So, using the conventional term "Lavorazione" for a single company is dangerous, because this term was used by a wide range of companies