Ebay Plug: Ok Clown Onionskin For Sale

[lstmmrbls]

Is it not possible those clowns were made using German marbles and that is the reason there is such a variety of the marbles found with them? A lthough they do appear to be Italian to me. I also think there is a good possibility some of the larger odd style handmades may be Italian

[oldmarblenut]

Italians at Murano using German marbles?

I highly doubt that they used old German marbles to make those clowns in the 50's and 60's, sheesh, the Italians were the masters of glass during their time, to think that they used anything but their own glass is absolutely out of the question and quite absurd.

They were so serious about it that if you were a glassblower with any skill you most likely spent the rest of your life in their factory! glassworkers were not allowed to leave and giving up their professional secrets was punishable by death!

So serious that glassworkers avoided prosecution for high crimes, so serious they were able to carry swords and marry into noble families without question!

That's serious!

No there is no chance that happened, the fact is the Italians made their own marbles on the island of Murano!

[hdesousa]

I just went through my 10+ pounds of German marble cullet and fragments bought when the diggers hit Lauscha.... I did not find any "English style" colors other than a fragment of an Indian with a bright orange stripe on the surface, the brightest color common is yellow, the rest seem dull or muddied reds and oranges. I cannot say my 10 pounds determines they do not exist in someone else's Lauscha fragments.

Middle pic, upper right marble fragment has "English" colors.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Large-lot-antique-german-cane-pieces-/351017579121

[oldmarblenut]

From the 7th. century until present day they have made some of the finest glassware, they perfected and advanced most every technique in glassmaking, it is actually surprising they are not known for exporting marbles, I have just sent 2 emails to Italian glassblowers I know asking this question, lets see what sort of reply I get.

[oldmarblenut]

Very nice Hansel, it actually looks like a JC having the minimal one dark blue strand, I forgot to add that part about JC's, they must contain at least one black or dark blue strand to be consider a JC. also the strands can be broken but most often are not.

As I said, I have no clue why they were called English type, I can only speculate.

It is known that a few glassworkers who fled Murano went to England and opened shop in the 1700's and also some traveled to Germany for employment teaching their techniques of making latticino, Lutz, murrine and aventurine.

I hope I get an answer soon from at least one of the Italians about marble making, that could open up a whole new can of worms.

[hdesousa]

It is known that a few glassworkers who fled Murano went to England and opened shop in the 1700's and also some traveled to Germany for employment teaching their techniques of making latticino, Lutz, murine and aventurine.

I hope I get an answer soon from at least one of the Italians about marble making, that could open up a whole new can of worms.

What's murine?

[I'llhavethat1]

Makes sense that things evolve (recipes, manufacturing techniques), and cullet/dump samples span decades within a couple shovel scoops from each other.

English colors, Murano glass, early onionskin colors (white/yellow base or no base) are beside the point of the auction, but interesting topics and worthy discussion.

[oldmarblenut]

my mistake... murrine with 2 "R" similar to millefiori, glass patterns made from simple cane fragments, millefiori being complex cane patterns.

[oldmarblenut]

This is my attempt at Murrine, simple cane fragments assembled in complex millefiori design.

[hdesousa]

my mistake... murrine with 2 "R" similar to millefiori, glass patterns made from simple cane fragments, millefiori being complex cane patterns.

Thanks. Nice paperweight!

[oldmarblenut]

Thanks Hansel, I made a couple last year, was a lot of fun figuring it out etc..

[ann]

Don't know how accurate this is, but I've heard (or read somewhere) that the (later period) German swirls with bright colors were popular in England, especially for use as sets on solitaire boards. If so, I suppose it's at least a possibility that they could have been made specifically for the English market.

And this may be because I don't collect anything bigger than 1 1/8" but when I was on a very mild quest to get a variety of the solid-core colors of these "English" types, they wound up all being about the same size, with similar (if different color) pole-to-pole bands. They'd work nicely as a set on a solitaire board. If I had enough.

And, since older colors were pretty much transparent and needed to be backed with white to show as opaque, they may also represent a "show-off" period when opaque colors were really coming into their own. Perhaps they weren't appealing to German kids, but were to Brits.

Might never know, but they are curious.