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Barovier & Toso

Italian

Partnerships come and go within the community of glass-making artisans on the Venetian island of Murano, where business relationships seem as complex as the shifting alliances in the notoriously acrimonious Italian parliament. Formed in 1942 by members of families with centuries of experience in the craft, Barovier&Toso has proven to be one of the most enduring and prosperous Italian glass manufactories of recent decades. Under the nearly 50-year artistic directorship of cofounder Ercole Barovier (1889–1974), the company created buoyant traditional pieces such as chandeliers, sconces and other lighting fixtures, and it pioneered an array of innovative modernist glass designs with bold colors, patterns and surfaces.

The Barovier dynasty began in 1295, when Jacobello Barovier, mentioned in historical documents as a master glassblower, began pinching, cutting, blowing and twisting a molten mixture of sand and minerals into incandescent works of art. It remained entirely family-owned until the mid-20th century, when it merged with another glassworks to become Barovier&Toso.

To appeal to gentler, more conservative tastes, Barovier&Toso produced a range of lilting, sinuous lighting pieces that are often described as embodying “Liberty Style” — the Italian term for Art Nouveau, taken from the name of famed London department store Liberty & Co., which promoted 19th-century organic textile designs and Arts and Crafts-style furniture in the manner of William Morris. The hallmarks of the style in Barovier&Toso works are elements of glass in the shape of thick leaves, fronds and flower petals, deployed along with other naturalistic ornament in sconces, pendants and chandeliers.

Ercole Barovier began his personal aesthetic transition toward modernism in the 1930s with his Primavera series of vases and animal sculptures — idiosyncratic milky-white and clear glass filled with tiny bubbles and hairline interior fissures that he produced for Artisti Barovier, a firm headed by his father and uncle. Later, with Barovier&Toso, he would explore such novel styles as the mosaic-like Pezzato glass; fluid Spiral patterns; the pebbly textured Barbarico line and the complex, layered and highly colored abstractions of the Oriente series of vases and bowls.

Traditional or modern, Barovier&Toso — still under family control — has produced one of the finest and most diverse catalogues of Murano glass in the last 100 years.

Find antique Barovier&Toso chandeliers, serveware, decorative objects and more on 1stDibs.

Average Sold Price
$2,870
Styles
Materials
Related Creators
Barovier & Toso chandelier verre murano opaline Art Deco , Italy 1940
Barovier & Toso chandelier verre murano opaline Art Deco , Italy 1940

Barovier & Toso chandelier verre murano opaline Art Deco , Italy 1940

By Barovier&Toso

Located in La xara, VC

Typical 1940s characteristics • Blown Murano glass, often colorless or slightly tinted, sometimes milky opaline, with high clarity and controlled (not random) bubbles. vinterior +1 •...

Category

1940s French Art Deco Vintage Barovier & Toso

Materials

Metal, Bronze

Barovier & Toso Wall Lighting gold Glass Murano millefiora pair , Italy 1980
Barovier & Toso Wall Lighting gold Glass Murano millefiora pair , Italy 1980

Barovier & Toso Wall Lighting gold Glass Murano millefiora pair , Italy 1980

$943Sale Price / set|55% Off

H 8.67 in W 6.3 in D 4.73 in

Barovier & Toso Wall Lighting gold Glass Murano millefiora pair , Italy 1980

By Barovier&Toso, Barovier

Located in La xara, VC

Barovier & Toso wall lighting glass Murano MILLEFIORI with metal structure. The Design and the quality of the glass make this piece the best of the italian Design. Beautiful uni...

Category

1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Barovier & Toso

Materials

Murano Glass

Ercole Barovier for Barovier & Toso Pair of Murano Glass Wall Sconces, 1940s
Ercole Barovier for Barovier & Toso Pair of Murano Glass Wall Sconces, 1940s

Ercole Barovier for Barovier & Toso Pair of Murano Glass Wall Sconces, 1940s

By Barovier&Toso, Ercole Barovier

Located in Brescia, Brescia

A rare and poetic pair of wall sconces designed by Ercole Barovier for Barovier & Toso in the early 1940s. The sculptural glass elements are executed in Murano “vetro costolato a ri...

Category

1940s Italian Art Deco Vintage Barovier & Toso

Materials

Brass

Single Petite Murano Glass Wall Sconce by Barovier & Toso, Italy, 1970s
Single Petite Murano Glass Wall Sconce by Barovier & Toso, Italy, 1970s

Single Petite Murano Glass Wall Sconce by Barovier & Toso, Italy, 1970s

By Barovier&Toso

Located in Aachen, NRW

Single Petite Murano wall light made by Barovier & Toso, Italy, circa 1970-1979. High quality and in very good condition. Each sconce requires 1 x E14 small bulbs / max. 60 W max ea...

Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Barovier & Toso

Materials

Murano Glass

Large Murano Glass Wall Sconce by Barovier & Toso, Italy, 1970s
Large Murano Glass Wall Sconce by Barovier & Toso, Italy, 1970s

Large Murano Glass Wall Sconce by Barovier & Toso, Italy, 1970s

By Barovier&Toso

Located in Aachen, NRW

Large Murano wall light made by Barovier & Toso, Italy, circa 1970-1979. High quality and in very good condition. The sconce requires 5 x E14 small bulbs / max. 60 W max each and is...

Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Barovier & Toso

Materials

Murano Glass

Pair of Murano Glass Wall Sconces by Barovier & Toso, Italy, 1970s
Pair of Murano Glass Wall Sconces by Barovier & Toso, Italy, 1970s

Pair of Murano Glass Wall Sconces by Barovier & Toso, Italy, 1970s

By Barovier&Toso

Located in Aachen, NRW

A gorgeous set of 2 sconces with 24-karat gold made by Barovier & Toso, Italy, circa 1970-1979. High quality and in very good condition. Each glass is unique and handmade. Each sco...

Category

1970s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Barovier & Toso

Materials

Brass

2 pairs of 1940s Art Deco Barovier and Toso Murano glass and brass wall sconces
2 pairs of 1940s Art Deco Barovier and Toso Murano glass and brass wall sconces

2 pairs of 1940s Art Deco Barovier and Toso Murano glass and brass wall sconces

By Barovier&Toso

Located in London, GB

Two pairs of rare 1940s Art Deco Barovier and Toso Murano glass and brass wall sconces, , with rare scolloped Murano glass shades.

Category

1940s Italian Art Deco Vintage Barovier & Toso

Materials

Brass

Pair of Sconces by Barovier and Toso
Pair of Sconces by Barovier and Toso

Pair of Sconces by Barovier and Toso

$8,200 / set

H 7.5 in W 7.5 in D 9 in

Pair of Sconces by Barovier and Toso

By Barovier&Toso

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Pair of Sconces by Barovier and Toso (Italy, 1940s) Barb style molded glass cones perch above a wrapped brass aramture. Each sconce holds a single e14 socket-type, adpated for the U...

Category

20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Barovier & Toso

Materials

Brass

Browse all Furniture from Barovier & Toso
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Barovier&Toso Sale Prices

Sold DateSold PriceCategoryMaterialCreation Year
2026$2,639Wall Lights and SconcesBrass, Murano Glass2000
2026$3,731Wall Lights and SconcesBrass, Art Glass, Murano Glass, Gold Leaf1940s
2026$6,000Chandeliers and PendantsBrass, Murano Glass1990
2026$3,285Picture FramesMurano Glass, Bronze1940
2026$4,222Chandeliers and Pendants, Flush MountBrass, Murano Glass1950s
2026$1,075Table LampsMetal, Glass, Brass1950s
2026$2,057Wall Lights and SconcesBrass, Murano Glass1970-1979
2026$8,075Wall Mirrors, Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace MirrorsBrass, Murano Glass, Smoked Glass, Wood21st Century
2026$2,500Chandeliers and PendantsMurano Glass1940s
2026$11,392Chandeliers and PendantsBrass, Murano Glass2023
2026$3,432Wall Lights and SconcesBrass, Murano Glass2000
2026$2,531Wall Lights and SconcesBrass, Art Glass, Murano Glass, Gold Leaf1940s
2026$12,750Chandeliers and PendantsBrass, Murano Glass1940s
2026$652Flush MountMetal, Murano Glass1960s
2026$4,200Wall Lights and SconcesBrass, Murano Glass2023
2026$4,500Flush MountBrass, Metal, Art Glass1955
2026$1,815Decorative BowlsMurano Glass1940
2026$2,110Chandeliers and PendantsMurano Glass1940
2026$1,042Wall Lights and SconcesBrass, Art Glass1950
2026$1,250Vases, GlassGlass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass1950s
$2,870
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months
$181-$39,000
Sold price range of items in the past 12 months

Creators Similar to Barovier&Toso

Barovier&toso furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Barovier&Toso furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of glass and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Barovier&Toso furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 759 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 7 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Barovier&Toso were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Stilnovo, Gaetano Sciolari, and Vico Magistretti. Prices for Barovier&Toso furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $90 and can go as high as $90,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $2,768.