Posted 11 years ago
ddg5865
(2 items)
This piece was in our collection for many years, purchased from a dealer in Italy. It is signed "Sabino Paris" but according to the "Sabino Crystal Company" it is not Sabino as they did not "do horses". We have only seen one other like this which sold at Woody's and was acid etched "Made in France", and they listed it as a trophy bowl commissioned for a chess match. We sold the piece recently and when the authenticity was questioned, we immediately agreed to take it back. The tragedy is the piece was destroyed during the return trip. Photos are pre-sale. We are still interested in finding out if anyone out there knows who made this beautiful piece of glass. It was absolutely stunning and large, and was a central piece in our collection for many years. I am sure it is French, and definitely in the time and style of Sabino, Etling and Verlys at the height of their production. The opalescence was cloudy and gold very deep. If it was rare, the one that sold at Woody's is even more so now :}
I should say I am not SURE it is French, but it sure feels like it to me :} Also the signature photo was not good. It was script signed "Sabino Paris". The "S' in Sabino was not the usual "stylized" one (like an ampersand), but rather a "regular" S. We always attributed this to the fact that many people signed the pieces, and the "P" looked correct.
signature do change after time !! That doesn't mean because signatures change , it should not be questioned. it is what is...
it could very well be "Pierre D'Avesn "
Sean ... thank you for your comment. I did correspond many times with "The Sabino Crystal Company" who is apparently the owner of the Sabino name and authority on all things Sabino. According to "Richard" this is NOT Sabino :}
Sean .. thank you. I believe this will be hard to authenticate without an actual catalog or pattern since there were so many prolific glass houses in France during that time. D'Avesn is a good suggestion and I will do more research in that direction. Thanks for looking!
so this is what you might have "Pierre D'Avesn"
Your very welcome ddg5865!!! is very beautiful!!
Sean ... thanks. Yes, it was. Sadly it is now in about 1000 pieces :{
im sorry about that !!! that it is in a thousand pieces , I would go after the people that had it shipped back to you get your money or go to the post office and file a claim against them !!!
Sean ... thanks for your concern. It was being returned by the buyer, so they were responsible for ensuring it was packaged correctly and they will have to get their $ back from USPS.
That is a very good idea !!! let them get there money back from USPS.
I have seen 2 of these sold on the open market ... both sold as Sabino. I have one as well, but it is not opalescent, nor is it signed. My understanding is that this was possibly a special commissioned piece made by Sabino ... not part of their standard commercial offerings. Whoever you dealt with may not have considered special commission works.
I posted mine a while back; the thread may be worth the reading ...
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/90894-french-art-glass-stallions-compote--att
According to The Sabino Crystal Company, who owns the Sabino name, glassworks and all catalogs, doumentation, molds, etc. these "...were not, I repeat NOT, made by Sabino. Sabino did NOT do horses." This person is apparently the Worldwide Sabino Authority and he is adament in his claims. This is why my client returned the piece, which was tragically destroyed during the return process. Regardless of the maker, it is indeed a beautiful piece of glass. I am overwhelmed by how many of these I am finding now!
Fair enoguh. But just to add another parallel story ...
I have a pair of signed Moser decanters that a bidder claimed were never made by Moser, and that Moser never used the particular signature found on my decanters. The bidder claimed he had sent my pictures to the Moser factory, talked to the Moser historian, etc. . .. and got the story straight from him.
HOWEVER ... I have a Moser book published by the Moser factory that pictures a vase in their own Museum collection that was designed by the grand-daughter of the Moser founder, and has the same company signature that are found on my decanters. This vase came to the museum as a gift from the Moser family. Additionally, the MoserUSA site (the USA-based authorized Moser retailer) currently has available on its website the identical decanters in crystal being offered as re-issues of classical Moser designs from the 1920s. Mine are the originals. I supplied all these references to the bidder, and never heard form him again. Not so much as an appology, or admission that he was wrong.
So ... you might want to contact the Sabino folks yourself (if you have not already done so), and talk to them directly ... ask if they considered unique commission works, etc.
however ...
twentiethc .... according to my research the Sabino folks are now "The Sabino Crystal Company" which is headquartered in Texas. He/they purchased the Sabino name, factory/properties, catalogs, documentation, molds and all things Sabino. I was unable to find anyone associated with the Sabino name/factory outside of this person. He states that for $250 he will put his opinion on this particular piece in writing (outside of curt emails). Regardless ... attribution and authentication are two different things. Unless someone can eventually provide authentication of who did (or did not) make them, these will probably continue to be attributed to Sabino. I would love to find out who did make them, as they are extremely well designed and beautifully executed. Thanks to everyone for all the input. I'm really enjoying the discussion and am excited to see so much beautiful glass and find so many knowledgeable people.
Its stunning!
I agree ... great discussion, and maybe I misunderstood a key point. I thought you were taking the word from your previous buyer that they had talked to the Sabino folks. If you've talked to them yourself and are satisfied, then that's another story entirely. My story was just meant to demonstrate that third-hand information from buyers should not be trusted without some level of personal verification.