Posted 13 years ago
Https3x
(7 items)
I've ran across quite a few paperweights, though, this one is the devil. I've mostly looked in books, as looking online became overwhelming with paperweights. I'm not sure the maker/year of it. Why couldn't they sign all paperweights? Haha.
All of them. Its like a dice. Every side is cut. If you pull up a St Louis paperweight there are a few that have this cut design. Though, in a book I found a Baccarat (Spelling might be off) that had the "millifiori" design that this one has. I'd of taken a fourth picture, though my camera died while I was taking them. Haha.
This is a Murano glass paperweight. It was made on the island of Murano in Venice, Italy. The glass factory (or fornace) that made this piece is called Fratelli Toso, or the Toso brothers. The millefiori (a thousand flowers) or canes are large and bright and chalky looking, all three of which are a hallmark of the Fratelli brothers.
This paperweight was made sometime in the 1970s. Muranese glass workers almost never, ever sign their work with a production date or signature. Many have labels, just as many don't. In fact, almost no true glass paperweights from Murano are signed by the maker.
The technical name for this kind of paperweight is "faceted overlay." The green layer is the overlay. The "windows" are sometimes called punties, or cut-outs, usually just facets. True classic Murano paperweights, from the 1950s through the 1990s, have a smooth flat bottom with a perfect circle.
As stated, almost no Murano paperweight has any kind of signature or acid-etched stamp on the bottom. They are never dated. There are Murano paperweights that have a date plaque in the lampwork or millefiori set-up. These are placed in the weight not to confuse anybody, but to commemorate a year, nothing more. It could be a year in Italian history or somebody's life. It is never a date of manufacture.
Murano paperweights usually sell for between $25 and $125 depending on the design, age, and set-up -- what you see inside under the dome. Chips, fractures, scratches all affect price. However, be on the lookout for a good quality Murano that has a basket of flowers under the glass dome. These can go for up to $250 or more depending on the market, the city, the demand at that time.
Good quality faceted millefiori overlays, such as yours, are a nice find. Depending on condition, you can put an insurance value of between $75 and $125 on it. If you are a dealer, you can price it at $95 and sell it for $75.
The paperweight is not rare, But it is a very good example of a Fratelli Toso Murano faceted millefiori overlay paperweight.