Early Mdina??

I am hoping this is an Early example of Mdina it is 15 inch tall 2 or 3 lbs in weight, beautiful colours where the ingrediants have oxidesed during making and it is triangular in shape.

How is the base finished? and is it marked? these are usually good indicators of the age.

Hi Davee, just a polished base not signed but I have other Mdina and the colours and technique is similar. I know a lot of the Early Mdina was not signed by Michael Harris and that he did make some triangular vases and bowls called "Tricorn" and only he was skilled enough to make them.

I do believe believe it is very early Mdina due to that the way that the top of the vase is finished as a button instead of being flared out like a plate as the vases were after Harris left or got forced out of Malta to start Isle of White glass.
Leaving Dobson and Joseph Said along with some Glass blowers from Murano to run the Mdina glassworks.
I am hoping someone can give a positive ID. Thanks Kev

You obviously have all the info you need already, but from all the attributes you describe I would say that, yes it is a Harris period bottle. The reason I asked about the base was because some of the early pieces have a concave ground and polished pontil which indicates that they were definately made during that early period.

Hi Davee, I spent most of last night searching the web for images of Michael Harris creations and found 2 that were very similar, one as near exactly the same style.
They were decribed as early atenuated Bottle vases, aparantly after Michael Harris was forced out of Malta, the Italian influence from the Murano glassblowers working there led to the tops being finished in a plate like way.
There are lots of these around but it seems no many with the button top.

It is a stunning piece as the silver oxide as reacted with the other ingredients in the molton glass and come to the top all around the vases body and kneck. Kev

Definitely an early Mdina Tricorn bottle, they are hard to find....

Here are my two: https://picasaweb.google.com/Johnmj100/EarlyMdinaGlass#5611797653915611202

This triangular shape was not used after Harris left Mdina, they made bottles with drawn out necks (attenuated) but they were mostly round (but I have seen a few square examples), the round base section was blown into a mould, like this example: https://picasaweb.google.com/Johnmj100/LaterMdinaGlass#5430029959407060082

John

Hi there thats it , thanks Jofish the one on the right is most similar but that is the one I have got. I paid 100 pounds in an auction room in Eastbourne around 8 years ago on a hunch it may be by Michael Harris and it seems I was correct.
Could you hazard a guess to its value, not that it is important as it is a part of my collection but its nice to know if or not it was good value. Thanks again for your efforts on my behalf Kev.

I am surprised you had to pay as much as that eight years ago, somebody must have known what it was. My taller one which is an inch shorter than yours, has a big chip missing from the button rim. The shorter dark blue Tricorn is the only short example (12"/30cm) I have seen but there must be more. By shear good luck I paid forty quid each for mine.

The last one I saw offered for sale by a dealer was for somewhere around 250 or 275, it sold.

John

Hi John, well thats not a bad mark up then, I was browsing through the online catologue for the Eastbourne auction rooms when I saw this bottle vase and they didnt seem to know what it was.

I had a few pieces of Mdina and I recognised the colours thought it looked old and also recognised the tricorn shape, and I left a bid on it. As you say there were other people interested in it and after auction fees and shipping to me in Blackpool it was around 98 quid but I thought it was worth it as I liked it. Thanks for your help, Kev