Suprise paperweight label not what it seems - Malta Decorative Glass

Picked this paperweight up this weekend turned it over expecting too see a Chinese looking matt base surprised to see a round circular label denoting a maker which I would have never have guessed in a million years for a bit of fun anyone want to have a stab?


Chris

Isle of Wight?

Hi, interested to why you thought Isle of Wight? my initial thoughts were maybe Chinese, Murano or Czech? or was it just a complete guess ?
A clue not Chinese, or Murano but a connection to both.
Chris

Mtarfa?

Ok, I give up. What is it?

MDG?

Hi, impressed you are again quite correct.
Malta Decorative Glass a short lived company started by the Maltese government in conjunction with the Chinese, with Vincente Boffo who worked at Whitefriars and Mdina brought in to train the locals.

It was the Chinese mention that gave it away, that's 2 i've got right now, what do I win?

I would have said Chinese if you hadn't already ruled it out.

Hi Simone,is it Chinese though in respect of was it made in China or was it made in Malta the label says Malta Decorative Glass, it has an amber core bubbles and a clean shiny polished base, so why then could it not have been made by at the factory using local workforce under the tutorship of probably Mr Boffo of course it would have a Chinese influence, Italian too I would imagine? did they too make this type of weight, now I know nothing about Chinese paperweights but the ones I pick up and quickly put back are normally poor quality with a milky matt base so I thought this was quite interesting because so little is known about MDG I have seen quite a few examples of animal paperweights from this factory and with the exception of a couple they are on the whole pretty 'poor' but there are collectors, probably due mostly to the 'Boffo' collection a photo here of a dog and believe me it is a 'dog' but still sells never the less, no accounting for taste.