Mdina Glass: The Malta Years — A Collector's Guide

Part of The Wonder Room's series on Studio & Decorative Art Glass. Read the pillar guide for an introduction to forms, techniques, and movements.

Introduction

Before Isle of Wight Glass, before the studio on Arreton, there was Malta. It was on this small Mediterranean island that Michael Harris first realised his vision of an artist-led glass workshop producing work of genuine originality, and it was here that Mdina Glass was born.

Mdina Glass occupies a singular position in the story of British studio glass. It predates Isle of Wight Glass by five years, and its early pieces, bold, richly coloured, rooted in Venetian technique yet distinctly Mediterranean in character, represent some of the most important work in Harris's career. For collectors who know the Isle of Wight studio well, Mdina offers a fascinating parallel: the same hand, the same sensibility, a different light.

Origins: Michael Harris in Malta

Michael Harris arrived in Malta in 1968, having left his post at the Royal College of Art in London. He had been teaching glass design through the 1960s and was increasingly drawn to the idea of small-scale, artist-led production, a model that the American studio glass movement was beginning to demonstrate was viable.

Malta offered an unexpected opportunity. The island had no glassmaking tradition of its own, but it had craftsmen, a warm climate, and a government keen to develop its craft industries. Harris established his workshop in the ancient walled city of Mdina, the island's former capital, a place of extraordinary atmosphere, and named the studio after it.

Working initially with local craftsmen whom he trained himself, Harris developed a production method rooted in Venetian free-blowing technique. The palette he evolved was immediately distinctive: deep earth tones, Mediterranean blues and greens, rich ambers and ochres, colours drawn from the island's landscape, its limestone buildings, its surrounding sea.

The Harris Years: 1968–1973

The pieces produced during Michael Harris's direct involvement with Mdina, from the studio's founding in 1968 to his departure for the Isle of Wight in 1973, are the most sought-after in the Mdina canon. This is the period collectors refer to when they speak of early Mdina, and it is characterised by a directness and vitality that reflects Harris's own creative energy.

Forms from this period tend to be robust and confidently shaped: vases, bowls, and vessels in which the quality of the gather and the control of the blowing are evident. Colour is used boldly, often in the sommerso layering technique that Harris had studied and refined, and the pieces have a weight and presence that distinguishes them from later production.

Harris left Malta in 1973, taking several of his trained craftsmen with him to the Isle of Wight. The studio continued under new management, but the character of the work shifted, a shift that collectors learn to read in the glass itself.

Mdina After Harris: 1973 Onwards

Following Harris's departure, Mdina Glass continued to produce work of quality, though the aesthetic evolved. New designers and craftsmen brought their own sensibilities to the studio, and the palette and forms diversified. The studio remained in production for decades, and later pieces, while distinct from the Harris-era work, have their own character and following.

For collectors, the key skill is attribution: distinguishing Harris-period pieces from later production. This requires familiarity with the signatures, the forms, and the colour palette of different periods, knowledge that rewards careful study and handling of multiple examples.

Signature Techniques

Sommerso

As at Isle of Wight Glass, sommerso is the technique most closely associated with Mdina's finest work. Harris had studied the Venetian method of layering coloured glass within clear crystal and applied it with great skill at Mdina. The best early sommerso pieces have a depth and luminosity that is immediately apparent, colour that seems to glow from within rather than sit on the surface.

Free-blown Forms

All Mdina production is free-blown, shaped by breath and hand tools without a mould. This means no two pieces are identical, and the quality of individual pieces varies. Learning to assess the quality of the blowing, the evenness of the walls, the confidence of the form, the cleanness of the finish, is central to collecting Mdina well.

Surface Texture and Decoration

Some Mdina pieces feature controlled surface texture, deliberate irregularities in the gather that catch the light and add visual interest. Others are smooth and polished. Both approaches are authentic to the studio; the choice reflects the maker's intention for a particular piece.

What to Look For When Buying

Signatures and marks — Harris-period pieces are typically signed on the base with a diamond-point engraved signature, often reading 'Mdina' with a date. Some early pieces carry paper labels, frequently lost. Later pieces may be signed differently; familiarise yourself with the signature styles of different periods before buying.

Period attribution — The 1968–1973 Harris period is the most desirable. Pieces from this era tend to be heavier, more robustly formed, and more boldly coloured than later production. If a seller cannot confirm the period, assess the piece on its own merits, form, colour, and quality of execution are reliable guides.

Colour — Harris's palette at Mdina is distinctive: deep Mediterranean blues, rich ambers, earthy ochres, and the occasional use of green. If a piece's colour feels thin or uncertain, it may be later production or a lesser example.

Condition — Check bases and rims carefully. The pontil mark should be cleanly finished. Surface scratches are common and generally acceptable on older pieces; chips to rims or bases are not.

Mdina vs Isle of Wight — Collectors frequently encounter both studios and need to distinguish between them. Mdina pieces tend to be heavier and more robustly formed; Isle of Wight work is often more refined and technically complex. Both are desirable; knowing which you have is essential for accurate attribution and fair pricing.

The Collector's Perspective

Mdina Glass rewards the collector who takes the time to learn its history. The studio's output spans more than five decades and encompasses a wide range of quality and character, from the exceptional Harris-period sommerso pieces that belong in any serious collection of British studio glass, to the more modest production pieces that offer an accessible entry point.

The connection to Isle of Wight Glass gives Mdina a particular resonance for collectors of British studio glass. To hold a Mdina piece from 1970 and an Isle of Wight piece from 1975 is to hold two chapters of the same story, the same maker's hand, the same aesthetic intelligence, expressed in two different places and two different lights.

At The Wonder Room, we source Mdina Glass with care, describing each piece in full with attention to period, technique, and condition. Browse our current selection to find your next acquisition.

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