Philippine Silver Factory

Not only did Salviati support the revival of Venice’s flagging Murano glass industry in the 19th century, but the company also became world-renowned for its innovative glassmaking techniques, revolutionizing the art of mosaics and glassware design.

The story of Salviati glass begins with Vicenza-born lawyer and entrepreneur Antonio Salviati. His love of Murano glass art and mosaics inspired him to establish his own mosaic and glass manufacturing firm, the Salviati Dott. Antonio fu Bartolomeo company, in Venice in 1859. Glassmakers in the region had been weathering a dismal political climate and growing competition in neighboring countries, and Salviati had initially hoped to revive Murano glassmaking in order to restore deteriorating mosaics in local cathedrals.

In 1864, Salviati exhibited a monumental glass mosaic at the “First Glassmakers’ Exhibition,” which won the gold medal. His award-winning mosaic solidified his company’s reputation as a first-rate glassmaker, which soon drew the attention of international investors, particularly investors from Great Britain.

In 1866, Salviati and C. opened in London with the support of historian William Drake and diplomat Sir Austen Henry Layard. Meanwhile, the Salviati company established its headquarters on the Rio dei Vetrai in Murano.

Throughout the late 1800s, Salviati and C. expanded its production to include household glassware and serveware and decorative objects such as cups, glasses, amphoras and vials. Salviati also received commissions to produce mosaics for St Paul’s Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament in London, the Paris Opera House and the Viceroy of Egypt’s Palace in Alexandria.

After Antonio Salviati died in 1890, his sons Giulio and Silvio took over the company. The Barovier family — a dynasty that stretches as far back as 1295 — bought the manufacturer in 1883, and a glass master named Maurizio Camerino, who had honed his skills at Salviati, was appointed to lead the company. Camerino’s children took the reins following the glass master’s death in 1931 and launched a successful lighting line of table lamps and chandeliers after World War II.

Throughout the 20th century, Salviati participated in several Venice Biennale exhibitions from 1958 to 1972. In 1962, the company was awarded the Compasso d’Oro prize for the Marco vase, designed by architect Sergio Asti.

Since its acquisition by the Umana group in 2015, Salviati has collaborated with numerous renowned designers such as Federico Peri, Davide Bruno, Renzo Stellon, Alberto Lago and Anna Gili. Salviati's pieces can be found in the collections of the Museum August Kestner in Hanover, Germany, the Museum of Modern Art and Corning Museum of Glass in New York, the Eretz Museum in Tel Aviv, Israel, and the Murano Glass Museum in Venice.

Find antique Salviati glass that includes bowls, vases, lighting and more.

Art Deco furniture is characterized by its celebration of modern life. More than its emphasis on natural wood grains and focus on traditional craftsmanship, vintage Art Deco dining chairs, tables, desks, cabinets and other furniture — which typically refers to pieces produced during the 1920s and 1930s — is an ode to the glamour of the “Roaring Twenties.” 

ORIGINS OF ART DECO FURNITURE DESIGN

• Emerged in the 1920s 
• Flourished while the popularity of Art Nouveau declined
• Term derives from 1925’s Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts) in Paris, France
• Informed by Ancient Egypt, Cubism, Futurism, Louis XVI, De Stijl, modernism and the Vienna Secession; influenced Streamline Moderne and mid-century modernism 

CHARACTERISTICS OF ART DECO FURNITURE DESIGN

• Bold geometric lines and forms, floral motifs
• Use of expensive materials such as shagreen or marble as well as exotic woods such as mahogany, ebony and zebra wood
• Metal accents, shimmering mirrored finishes
• Embellishments made from exotic animal hides, inlays of mother-of-pearl or ivory

ART DECO FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW

• Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann
• René Lalique
• Eileen Gray
• Jean Dunand
• Donald Deskey
• Jean Perzel

VINTAGE ART DECO FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS

Few design styles are as universally recognized and appreciated as Art Deco. The term alone conjures visions of the Roaring Twenties, Machine Age metropolises, vast ocean liners, sleek typography and Prohibition-era hedonism. The iconic movement made an indelible mark on all fields of design throughout the 1920s and ’30s, celebrating society’s growing industrialization with refined elegance and stunning craftsmanship.

Widely known designers associated with the Art Deco style include Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Eileen Gray, Maurice Dufrêne, Paul Follot and Jules Leleu.

The term Art Deco derives from the name of a large decorative arts exhibition held in Paris in 1925. “Art Deco design” is often used broadly, to describe the work of creators in associated or ancillary styles. This is particularly true of American Art Deco, which is also called Streamline Moderne or Machine Age design. (Streamline Moderne, sometimes known as Art Moderne, was a phenomenon largely of the 1930s, post–Art Nouveau.)

Art Deco textile designers employed dazzling floral motifs and vivid colors, and while Art Deco furniture makers respected the dark woods and modern metals with which they worked, they frequently incorporated decorative embellishments such as exotic animal hides as well as veneers in their seating, case pieces, living room sets and bedroom furniture.

From mother-of-pearl inlaid vitrines to chrome aviator chairs, bold and inventive works in the Art Deco style include chaise longues (also known as chaise lounges) and curved armchairs. Today, the style is still favored by interior designers looking to infuse a home with an air of luxury and sophistication.

The vintage Art Deco furniture for sale on 1stDibs includes dressers, coffee tables, decorative objects and more.

Whether you’ve carved out a space for a nifty home office or you prefer the morning commute, why not dress up your desk with antique and vintage desk accessories? To best tiptoe the line between desk efficiency and desk enjoyment, we suggest adding a touch of the past to your modern-day space.

Desks are a funny thing. Their basic premise has remained the same for quite literally centuries: a flat surface, oftentimes a drawer, and potentially a shelf or two. However, the contents that lay upon the desk? Well, the evolution has been drastic to say the least.

Thank the Victorians for the initial popularity of the paperweight. The Industrial Revolution offered the novel concept of leisure-time to Europeans, giving them more time to take part in the then crucial activity of letter writing. Decorative glass paperweight designs were all the rage, and during the mid-19th-century some of the most popular makers included the French companies of Baccarat, St. Louis and Clichy.

As paper was exceedingly expensive in the early to mid-19th-century, every effort was made to utilize a full sheet of it. Paper knives, which gave way to the modern letter opener, were helpful for cutting paper down to an appropriate size.

Books — those bound volumes of paper, you may recall — used to be common occurrences on desks of yore and where there were books there needed to be bookends. As a luxury item, bookend designs have run the gamut from incorporating ultra-luxurious materials (think marble and Murano glass) to being whimsical desk accompaniments (animal figurines were highly popular choices).

Though the inkwell’s extinction was ushered in by the advent of the ballpoint pen (itself quasi-obsolete at this point), there is still significant charm to be had from placing one of these bauble-like objets in a central spot on one’s desk. You may be surprised to discover the mood-boosting powers an antique — and purposefully empty — inkwell can provide.

The clamor for desk clocks arose as the Industrial Revolution transitioned labor from outdoors to indoors, and allowed for the mass-production of clock parts in factories. Naturally, elaborate designs soon followed and clocks could be found made by artisans and luxury houses like Cartier.

Find antique and vintage desk accessories today on 1stDibs.