Nuclear warhead Somerso ID = Contemporary Chinese

Picked this up on honeymoon in Italy, when it went through the xray machine it caused quite a stir and I had to get it out of my hand luggage. it's around 29cm tall. Polished flat base, probably Murano but does anyone know anymore? Thanks

The item in the first post looks to me.

Nic, no way...... I am not feeling that at all...... Piss taker

I was being genuine - there are quite a few different multi-sommerso pieces of fair-to-middling quality that are coming out of China, including in this shape.

Italy, especially around Venice, is awash with the stuff - one of the major reasons so many Murano glassworks are going bust is that unscrupulous retailers are shipping it in from the East and selling it as Venetian glass to unwitting visitors to undercut the genuine Murano retailers.

See: http://www.oempromo.com/product/Sculptures/A/Art-Glass-Teardrop-162404.htm

First I must say I'm sorry when I flipped out like that... But still I'm sure it has some age to it. Will post better pictures soon. Deffo not T K Maxx

Ach, it's no problem.

But a really good piece of sommerso should have quite rounded and organic individual layers as each one is worked and reworked when pliable - the Chinese ones tend to be quite rushed, and therefore uneven and angular, as your own one is and the one on the Chinese wholesale site above.

Here's a decent comparison photo - the small vases/dishes are mass-produced but genuine Murano sommerso (by Mandruzzato, I believe) and still have quite smooth and even layers, whereas the piece mounted on the block is 100% mass-produced Chinese c/o TK Maxx, and has the same angular edges I mentioned:

http://www.dnfa.com/webpic/max/428750-2.jpg

Oh dear.............

On the plus side, you obviously like it - and that's all that really matters.