Maltese Mdina Strata 1976 Signed Art Glass Vase. The Strata range was introduced in 1976, and was only in production for a short time as it was less popular than other lines released around the same time. This pattern has also been referred to as Sea and Sand by collectors and dealers, and is now more sought after due to its relative rarity. Signed "Mdina" on base, along with a paper label with information and prior pricing. 

Size: 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 6 in. 

Mdina Glass is a manufacturer of glassware based in Malta, an island nation in the Mediterranean to the south of Sicily. It was founded in 1968 by Michael Harris, a lecturer in industrial glass design at the Royal College of Art in London. Lured by various government incentives offered after Malta obtained independence from the United Kingdom in 1964, Harris convinced glassmaker Eric Dobson to set up a factory in a converted former Royal Air Force hangar. The company, Maltese Glass Industries, soon changed its name to Mdina Glass, and began attracting experienced glassmakers like father-and-son team Vincente and Ettore Boffo as well as locals willing and eager to train in the craft. One of these trainees was Joseph Said, who quickly impressed Harris and Dobson and eventually became their first Maltese production manager in 1975. Harris left Mdina Glass in 1973, and Dobson took the helm until stepping down himself in 1985. Throughout this time Said encouraged more and more local involvement and control, revolutionizing the way the company operated and what it produced. Facing an economic downturn, Said took full control of the company after Dobson left, making drastic changes to their production, distribution, and marketing practices. His hard work paid off in 1987 when Mdina Glass won the International Award for Tradition and Prestige in Brussels, as well as being selected to craft a glass sculpture to commemorate the Bush/Gorbachev Peace Summit in Malta in 1989. The 1990s saw further advances, including a significant upgrade to equipment and raw material quality. At first producing basic vases and paperweights, new products like lamps, modern sculptures, and customized lightbulbs appeared. By the early 2000s Said’s children Olivia, Nevise, Pamela, and Alan had all joined the company, making it a family business that is an integral part of the community as well, employing around 50 people and attracting tourists and collectors from all over the world while now maintaining multiple retail locations throughout Europe.