Another Piece of modern decorated Burmese !

It would appear that the painter that is adding the modern details to old glass have created quit the business. With all the pieces we have talked about in the past, we have more to add. What makes this piece a bigger offender than any I have seen in the past, this is being offered listed as GORGEOUS WEBB BURMESE ART GLASS CONDIMENT JAR, SIGNED. When I saw this, I hoped that the painter put their name on the jar, but that was not the case. The title is referring to the fact that the jar has the WEBB acid mark on the base. The auction number for the jar is 380307823373 if you would like to take a better look, but here is one of the photos.

The really sad part about this auction is that I believe the seller does not have a clue of what he has. I have debated whether of not to send him my article on modern decorations, or to just mind my own business.

Jim.

That’s a tough choice. On one side there is “buyer beware” while on the other side you have the desire to help educate the population against fraud. Then the question is “would they believe you?” Someone writes me out of the blue telling me that something I know to be old has been modified or is a fake, I’m not sure I would believe you right away.

Yes it has happened again, and it will probably never stop since the values for modern decorated Burmese glass is higher than non-decorated Burmese glass. Here is another piece with a modern paint job from a seller who has sold like material in the past. The seller currently have several newly painted pieces up at auction at this time. This is one of the first I have seen in the Ivy pattern, but the colors are still wrong, design is flat and the detail on some of the items is also wrong. The old pieces have great detail which makes them easier to weed out. But as it has been said before, as the painters keep getting better, it will become harder to tell the difference. The one question I have is once the new painters master their craft, and the lamps are undistinguishable from the originals, are the newly decorated lamps then worth the same amount? In the art world, fakes/reproductions sell in the millions even when they are known not to be the original, but still at a reduced value to the original.

I am wondering if it is true that the "after production painting" can be taken/scraped off, will true collectors be able to tell the difference easily even if they get the paint colors and details right (is this even possible?). I haven't seen any of the "fake" pieces sold on James Julia. Do they know they are out there and deliberately reject the fakes? Can the craft be mastered so that the painting is just the same as the real thing so that it can't be identified? Your questions are good ones about value. If after painting can be fixed to the glass in the same way the original production painting is, maybe buyers can be fooled. I don't know if this is possible. Obviously some buyers are fooled by an internet picture. Buyers who haven't seen original decorated burmese in person might be fooled. I can spot the fakes, but I have quite a few originals in my collection for reference. They spot antique fakes on Antiques Roadshow. I guess it remains to be seen. There are a lot of fakes out there and there will likely be many more.

Here is a piece of Burmese with new paint being sold as original. Either the seller is not aware that the decoration is new, or they are selling it with the knowledge that it’s new and have no morals or scruples. Have a look at the photo and see the lack of shading on the leaves, the flat tone of the paint, … It has become a buyer beware world with painted Burmese. The item is auction number 281163224539.
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If there is a silver lining to be found in this, it is the fact that the decoration has already begun to wear off. It looks like a good washing will take the rest off pretty easily.

Jim.