The topic for Week 45 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge is “Colorful.”
Probably my favorite piece inherited from Nana Connie is this colorful glass bowl. My mother believes Nana received it as a wedding gift as the family didn’t have money to buy fancy things. Beyond that, we don’t know anything about it, including who gave it to her. If it was in fact a wedding gift, the latest it was made was 1949.
Combing the internet, I learned it may be Murano glass from Italy. Murano glass is heavy, generally brightly colored, and contains imperfections such as air bubbles because it’s handmade. The brightly colored specks of glass are indicative of a popular design known as “tutti frutti.” Using a reverse image search, I found two unmarked bowls that were exact matches to this one and another that was the same design but washed-out pink along the edges instead of red. That one had a “made in Italy” sticker on the bottom. If Nana’s bowl ever had a sticker, it may have fallen off when my mom and aunt were forced to wash all of the decorative dishes and knickknacks twice each year growing up. That’s a big part of the reason I inherited so many of Nana’s things – they didn’t want them. I’m certainly no glass expert, so if there are any knowledgeable collectors out there who would like to chime in, I welcome your comments.
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