Find many varieties of an authentic venini photo frame available at 1stDibs. Each venini photo frame for sale was constructed with extraordinary care, often using
glass,
murano glass and
metal. There are many kinds of the venini photo frame you’re looking for, from those produced as long ago as the 20th Century to those made as recently as the 20th Century. When you’re browsing for the right venini photo frame, those designed in
Mid-Century Modern and
Modern styles are of considerable interest.
Venini and
Carlo Scarpa each produced at least one beautiful venini photo frame that is worth considering.
Prices for a venini photo frame can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — at 1stDibs, they begin at $800 and can go as high as $3,685, while the average can fetch as much as $1,370.
Beginning in the 1930s — and throughout the postwar years especially — Venini & Co. played a leading role in the revival of Italy’s high-end glass industry, pairing innovative modernist designers with the skilled artisans who created extraordinary chandeliers, sconces and other lighting in the centuries-old glass workshops on the Venetian island of Murano.
While the company’s co-founder, Paolo Venini (1895–1959), was himself a highly talented glassware designer, his true genius was to invite forward-thinking Italian and international designers to Murano’s hallowed workshops to create Venini pieces — among them Gio Ponti, Massimo Vignelli, Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala, Thomas Stearns of the United States and Fulvio Bianconi.
Paolo Venini trained and practiced as a lawyer for a time, though his family had been involved with glassmaking for generations. After initially buying a share in a Venetian glass firm — he and antiques dealer Giacomo Cappellin established Vetri Soffiati Cappellin Venini & C. in 1921 — Venini took over the company as his own in 1925, and under his direction, it produced mainly classical Baroque designs.
In 1932, Venini hired the young Carlo Scarpa— who would later distinguish himself as an architect — as his lead designer. Scarpa, working in concert with practiced glass artisans, completely modernized Venini, introducing simple, pared-down forms; bright primary colors; and bold patterns such as stripes, banding and abstract compositions that utilized cross sections of murrine (glass rods).
Paolo Venini’s best designs are thought to be his two-color Clessidre hourglasses, produced from 1957 onward, and the Fazzoletto (“handkerchief”) vase, designed with Bianconi in 1949. Bianconi’s masterworks are considered by many to be his Pezzato works — colorful vases with patterns that resemble those of a patchwork quilt.
Other noteworthy and highly collectible vintage Venini works include Ponti’s dual-tone stoppered bottles (circa 1948); rare glass sculptures from the Doge series by Stearns, the first American to design for the firm; Vignelli’s striped lanterns of the 1960s; the Occhi vases with eyelet-shaped patterns by Tobia Scarpa (son of Carlo); and, with their almost zen purity, the Bolle (“bubbles”) bottles designed by Wirkkala in 1968.
With these works — and many others by some of the creative titans of the 20th and 21st centuries — Venini has produced one of the truly great bodies of work in modern design.
Find antique and vintage Venini chandeliers, serveware, table lamps, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Picture frames have the distinct role of presenting artwork in your home. A good frame can elevate the appearance of a fine oil painting or provocative fine-art photograph. From ornate handcrafted designs to streamlined wooden styles, some antique, new and vintage picture frames have become stand-alone pieces of art on their own.
Frames were originally a part of paintings themselves before they were separate structures carved from walnut and other woods for use with items like portrait paintings and mirrors. The design of frames evolved in Renaissance-era Italy, where an artist might create his own gilded or painted frame. Today, there are all kinds of picture frames made from a variety of materials, including silver, bronze and acrylic.
Displaying art in the home is an art in and of itself, and trends and new art movements have dictated how picture frames have been integrated into home interiors over the years. When Abstract Expressionist art emerged during the 1930s, for example, collectors utilized minimalist frames to hang abstract works or dispensed with frames entirely. Today, mixing mediums and frame designs make for endless combinations, but knowing how to arrange wall art can help even if you’re feeling adventurous.
Whether it’s a dark wood frame for your landscape paintings, a sleek chrome mid-century modern frame to show off your black-and-white photography or a bold Art Deco frame that might completely outshine its subject, find an extensive collection of antique, new and vintage picture frames on 1stDibs.