Murano Glass

We are delighted to be able to present a wonderful cross-section of important Murano glass designs.

Dino Martens' large 'Oriente' vase, designed in 1952, is a firework of colors with a large star murrine (estimated price € 8,000 - 10,000).

Among the approximately 160 glass objects, there are some rarities that document the history of Murano glass art at the beginning of the 20th century. Around 1900, interest in glass from Murano had almost completely disappeared from the international market. It is thanks to two visionary entrepreneurs that this wonderful craftsmanship flourished again from the 1920s onwards, with great innovation and modern models. Paolo Venini and Giacomo Cappellin first founded a company together before pursuing separate entrepreneurial goals from 1925 onwards, fueling the strengthening of the production of modern art glass as competitors. Vittorio Zecchin followed the new company M.V.M. Cappellin as artistic director. That same year, the young architect Carlo Scarpa joined Giacomo Cappellin's team. Initially, he supervised the restoration of the company headquarters, Palazzo da Mula. He soon began working as a designer of modern glass. Scarpa designed the company's symbol: the still iconic vase, which rests on a conical foot, a perfect sphere, with a single flower made of glass inside. On the one hand, Scarpa designed new shapes based on clear geometric forms, while on the other hand, he used Vittorio Zecchin's classic models as a starting point for his own new interpretations. The vase 'Incamiciato' (1930/31) offered at our auction is one of a group of opaque flashed glasses in which a few glass threads add colorful highlights at the foot and mouth area. The elegant vase, which appears in M.V.M. Cappellin's catalog as model no. 6038, has an estimated value of €10,000–15,000. The range of vases from the 1920s is rounded off by transparent glasses by Vittorio Zecchin for M.V.M. Cappellin, which have estimated prices between € 600 - 1,200.

The extraordinary inventiveness of Ercole Barovier is evident in models from the 1940s to the 1970s. A 'Rotellato' vase with murrines made of red and opaque white glass leads the series of colorful designs with an estimated €6,000 - 7,000. Barovier's 'Pezzo unico di prova' vases are also one-of-a-kind pieces. The glass artist achieved painterly effects by melting colored bands, crumbs and metal oxides into the glass.

Fulvio Bianconi is represented with figurative designs that reflect the playful spirit of the 1950s. Bianconi created various thematic series. The model of the 'Ventaglio' vase with Lattimo threads and Zanfirico ribbons belongs to a group of table decorations in the form of fashionable accessories and was first exhibited at the 25th Biennale in 1950. The bird figures on offer show Bianconi's impressive ability to stage the characteristic features of a bird species in a pointed way. The heron 'Airone' (estimated price € 800 - 900) stretches its neck, while the cock and hen are portrayed as cheerfully pecking farmyard animals with spread plumage.

Classics by Flavio Poli, the multicolored 'Sommerso' vases are represented in attractive color variations. Among them are four models that Poli designed for important exhibitions: for example, the 'Sommerso' model in colorless, green and yellow (estimated price € 700 - 800) was first shown in the 'Seguso' exhibition at 'Die Neue Sammlung' in Munich in 1953. A rare 'Pianta grassa' is expected to fetch €4,000-5,000 at the auction. Particular attention should be paid to the orange-colored ‚Pulcino' by Alessandro Pianon (estimated price € 3,000 - 4,000) and Gae Aulenti's thick-walled spherical vase 'Geacolor' (estimated price € 3,000 - 4,000) as well as the 'Diavolo' sculpture by Renato Toso for Fratelli Toso (estimated price € 2,000 - 3,000).

Colorful designs were among the main attractions and most popular items in our Murano glass offering.

The large 'Oriente' vase with star murrine by Dino Martens from a private collection in southern Germany doubled its asking price and, driven by bidders on the internet and on the phones, climbed to a hammer price of €14,000. The 'Oriente' decoration in particular is a striking reminder of the fact that Dino Martens was originally trained as a painter before turning to glass art. His painterly approach led to these expressive, abstract color compositions, which Dino Martens designed from pieces of Zanfirico rods, colored glass blocks, and glass powders and had executed by the glass masters of the Aureliano Toso manufactory. Fulvio Bianconi's 'Scozze' vase for Venini, on the other hand, delighted a private collector from Italy at the auction with its thread overlays in elegant shades of violet, pink, and green, who successfully secured the bid at €12,000. The 'Scozzese' decoration, designed in the 1950s, combines the modernist geometric austerity typical of the period with a lively polychromy. Alessandro Pianon's glass bird 'Pulcino' was also very well received. With its spherical body made of orange glass with crinkle finishes and its small murrine eyes, it delighted international bidders until the hammer fell at €6,000. Flavio Poli's Sommerso vases were also very well received. Designed in 1958 for the Expo in Brussels, the model changed hands after a bid of €700 for a hammer price of €3,400.