360,00 USD
Made by Archimede Seguso V. d'Arte glassworks on the island of Murano, Italy; comes this Pear Shaped Art Glass Covered Dish or Vase w/ its gold flecked (flecks made with aventurine see below) leafy topped cover & round base in magnificent peachy pink. THE covered Murano Glass Bowl.
Stylishly decorate your desk, table or shelf with this stunning Italian Art Glass Pear fruit which is in perfect condition.
6.5 in H - 4.5 in Diameter
Adorable. Definitely Murano bc/ the pear has a smooth & polished clear base like rest of its surface; however, the base has light but appropriate wear on it.
*Ask about the green apple with same transparency and golden leaves.
Aventurine, a glass that was popular in the 18th century, features a multitude of brilliantly sparkling tiny metallic flakes (Beaker with Chalcedony Glass and Aventurine). Although the flakes look like gold, they are, in fact, copper crystals. In order for them to form properly and to “grow” to the right size, the molten raw materials must be brought up to a specific maximum temperature at the correct rate, held there for just the right amount of time, and then—most critically—cooled inordinately quickly. Any errors at any stage would result in a failed melt. This is the basis of the name aventurine: making this specialty glass was considered a risky and potentially costly adventure.
Background:
At the dawn of 13th century, the city of Venice was the known world’s major hub of glass creation. By the late 13th century, glass makers on the group of islands called Murano, perfected the art with brilliant methods and recipes.
It is widely believed the glass makers and their furnaces were isolated on the Murano islands of the Venice lagoon (Adriatic Sea) to prevent fires from spreading in the city of Venice. The fear of fire may have been a factor, but proprietary secrets were the main concern.
Although the glass maker’s captors provided them with the finer things in life, captivity itself made them yearn to leave. The glass trade monopoly began to crack by the mid-14th century as escapees from Murano plied their trade outside of the Republic of Venice. By the 1600’s, Venetian glass secrets were spread around the world.
No longer holding the monopoly of fine glass, and unhappily under the rule of Austria, the Venetians experienced a decline until the mid-19th century. The Austrian government preferred Bohemian glass and the import of raw materials to Murano was restricted and highly taxed. To its rescue came the Fratelli Toso family in 1854 and Antonia Salviati in 1859. Their companies employed the skills and inventions of Murano’s glory days, lost for over 200 years, and incorporated ancient forms and methods once practiced by the Phoenicians and Romans.
Again Murano glass found itself in the welcoming arms of the world. In 1866 Venice freed itself from Austria to become part of the Kingdom of Italy. Glass producers from the region again began to flourish. Wealthy Americans routinely enjoyed lengthy tours of Europe and it is estimated that 80% of the Italian glass output was brought to America as souvenirs.
In the 1950’s an explosion of creativity prompted yet another world-wide craving for Italian-made glass. The Toso and Salviati companies along with Vistosi, Venini, Barbini, Toso, Barovier and Seguso, among others provided the world with creative hand-made Italian glass. The glass factories of Italy produced innovative designs to appease the thoroughly modern population who proudly displayed fashionable Italian art glass in their homes.
Fabulous examples of mid-century modern Italian glass can be seen in the background of many films made in the 1930’s to 1970’s. Sophia Loren, in Three Coins in a Fountain, decorated her lavish villa with modernistic Italian glass. And you can continue that decorative tradition.