Skip to main content

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The Barovier dynasty began in 1295, when Jacobello Barovier, mentioned in historical documents as a master glassblower, began pinching, cutting, blowing and twisting a molten mixture of sand and minerals into incandescent works of art.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
$2,617
Styles
Materials
Related Creators
Stunning Midcentury Pair of Blue "Rugiodoso" Leaf Sconces by Barovier and Toso
By Barovier&Toso
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Incredible mid century Murano crystal glass leaf wall sconce with brass fixture. This wonderful piece was designed in Italy by Barovier & Toso during the 1950s. Each sconce is outsta...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Barovier & Toso

Materials

Metal

Murano Flush Mount Ceiling Light by Barovier & Toso Mid-Century Modern Italy 70s
By Barovier&Toso
Located in Palermo, IT
Flush ceiling lamp in Murano glass by Barovier & Toso. Designed and made in Italy in the 1970s. Hand blown Murano glass with gold leaf inclusions. Murano glass has a remarkable thick...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Barovier & Toso

Materials

Metal

Large Barovier Toso Flush Mount Murano Glass Gold and Multi Color Flowers, 1930s
By Barovier&Toso
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A hand blown Italian flush mount chandelier featuring overlapping crystal flowers, gold with 23-carat gold leaf fleck inclusions and multicolored flowers, mounted on a basket frame. ...
Category

1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Barovier & Toso

Materials

Metal

Barovier & Toso Murano Glass and Brass Flower Chandelier, Italy, 1940s
By Barovier&Toso
Located in Roma, IT
Outstanding mid-century chandelier in Murano mouth-blown glass and brass. This fabulous chandelier was produced by the renowned masters of Murano glass Barovier and Toso, in Italy du...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Barovier & Toso

Materials

Brass

Barovier & Toso Wall Lighting Murano light blue Glass , Italy 1970
By Barovier, Barovier&Toso
Located in La xara, VC
Barovier & Toso Superb Barovier & Toso wall lighting ligth blue frost glass Murano with brass metal structure The Design and the quality of the glass make this piece the best of t...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Barovier & Toso

Materials

Brass

Barovier & Toso Wall Lighting Murano light blue Glass , Italy 1970
Barovier & Toso Wall Lighting Murano light blue Glass , Italy 1970
$421 Sale Price
28% Off
H 13.78 in W 7.88 in D 7.88 in
Barovier & Toso Wall Lighting Glass Murano Pair , Italy, 1980
By Barovier, Barovier&Toso
Located in La xara, VC
Exceptional Barovier & Toso wall lighting glass Murano with metal structure. The Design and the quality of the glass make this piece the best of the italian Design. Beautiful unique...
Category

1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Barovier & Toso

Materials

Brass

Barovier & Toso Wall Lighting Glass Murano Pair , Italy, 1980
Barovier & Toso Wall Lighting Glass Murano Pair , Italy, 1980
$998 Sale Price / set
44% Off
H 15.75 in W 9.06 in D 4.73 in
Barovier & Toso Murano Glass Figurative Chandelier with Avventurina 1970s
By Barovier&Toso
Located in New York, NY
This figurative Murano glass pendant, crafted in the 1970s by Barovier & Toso-- the world's oldest glassworks, established in 1295-- offers a glimpse into the centuries-old craftsman...
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Barovier & Toso

Materials

Murano Glass

Pair of Blue hand blown ribbed murano glass table lamps by Tommaso Barbi
By Tommaso Barbi, Barovier&Toso
Located in London, GB
Pair of  early 1960s table lamps. Italian design by Tommaso Barbi for Barovier and Toso Murano Italy. Hand blown worked ribbed sky blue glass with brass metal lamp holder. Lamp bas...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Barovier & Toso

Materials

Metal

Browse all Furniture from Barovier & Toso
Shop Now

Barovier&Toso Sale Prices

Sold DateSold PriceCategoryMaterialCreation Year
2025$1,870Flush Mount, Chandeliers and PendantsArt Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Iron2022
2025$4,065Chandeliers and PendantsMurano Glass1950s
2025$1,398Wall Lights and SconcesBrass, Art Glass1950
2025$3,651Chandeliers and PendantsMetal, Murano Glass1970-1980
2025$1,995Picture Frames, More Desk AccessoriesBrass, Murano Glass, Blown Glass, Art Glass2023
2025$1,995More Desk Accessories, Picture FramesGold Leaf, Brass, Murano Glass, Blown Glass, Art Glass2023
2025$1,825Chandeliers and PendantsMetal, Murano Glass1970-1980
2025$1,006Wall Lights and SconcesMurano Glasscirca 1970
2025$1,599Chandeliers and PendantsMetal, Murano Glass1970-1980
2025$1,600Picture FramesGold, Murano Glass1950-1959
2025$1,600Picture FramesGold, Murano Glass1950-1959
2025$1,440Wall Lights and SconcesMetal, Murano Glass1960s
2025$2,800Wall Lights and SconcesBrass, Murano Glasscirca 1980
2025$845Decorative Bowls, Animal SculpturesArt Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glasscirca 1950
2025$2,880Chandeliers and Pendants, More LightingMetal, Murano Glass1970s
2025$1,300Chandeliers and PendantsMetal, Murano Glass1970-1980
2025$600Flush MountMetal, Murano Glass1950s
2025$2,576Flush MountMetal, Murano Glass1950s
2025$2,922Wall Lights and SconcesBrass, Murano Glass2000
2025$400VasesArt Glass1970
$2,617
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months
$96-$23,800
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.

Recently Viewed

View All