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Carlo Nason

Italian, b. 1935

A mid-century modern reference for today’s Murano glassmakers, Carlo Nason influenced the current tradition of glassmaking on an island renowned for it for hundreds of years. Celebrated for their exceptional designs, Nason’s lighting fixtures are sought after by collectors worldwide.

Learning to design and craft pieces from the family vetreria — rather than partaking in any formal training — Nason was working with the maestros at his family’s company furnace, V. Nason & C., attached to their family home by the time he was 11 years old. Although his roots are in Murano glassmaking, he took inspiration from the clean lines and natural colors of the Japanese metal vases he had seen in his youth at Milanese fairs.

Wanting to produce modern glass lamps, Nason worked with his family friend Gianni Mazzega of Mazzega Murano. For his Cascata chandelier (Italian for “waterfall”), which debuted in the 1960s, Nason achieved the effect of cascading water through an inverted pyramid of hanging glass plates, each individually mouth-blown and suspended from a chrome-plated frame for a dazzling, Art Deco–styled display.

The 1970s and 1980s were productive and creative years for Nason as the sole and independent designer at Mazzega Murano. His prolific career has also seen him design for other lighting manufacturers like I TRE, Murano Due and Kalmar.

After a mere four years as a glassmaker, Carlo Nason had his creations displayed at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York. The credit for the artisan’s pieces that were included in “Glass 1959” went to his family’s company, but the designs were all authored by Carlo.

Stepping away from the traditional, vibrant Murano stylings, Nason kept true to his inspiration, working with modern and simple forms that are relatively free of color. Nason told Palainco in a rare 2019 interview that his emotions inspired the shapes. And his legacy includes fixtures that are irreplicable and unreproducible, too — Nason made lighting pieces with multiple layers of glass that would be too costly or difficult to recreate today, and some designs were made with processes and materials now unavailable or banned in the glassmaking world.

Find an array of vintage Carlo Nason table lamps, floor lamps, decorative objects and more on 1stDibs.

Average Sold Price
$3,090
Styles
Materials
Related Creators
Mid-Century Hand-Blown Murano Glass "Eclipse" Pendant by Carlo Nason for Mazzega
By Carlo Nason, Mazzega
Located in New York, NY
This exquisite Mid-Century Modernist "Eclipse" pendant chandelier, designed by Carlo Nason for Mazzega, originates from Italy, Circa 1960. The chandelier features hand-blown Murano g...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Carlo Nason

Materials

Brass

Torpedo wall sconce designed by Carlo Nason for Mazzega, 1960s
By Carlo Nason
Located in Arezzo, Italy
Large wall sconce designed by Carlo Nason for Mazzega, Italy 1960s. Brushed metal structure, opal glass diffuser. Excellent condition. Mazzega's origins date back to 1946 in Murano,...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Carlo Nason

Materials

Metal

Torpedo wall sconces designed by Carlo Nason for Mazzega, 1960s
By Carlo Nason
Located in Arezzo, Italy
Large wall sconces designed by Carlo Nason for Mazzega, Italy 1960s. Brushed metal structure, opal glass diffuser. Excellent condition. Mazzega's origins date back to 1946 in Murano...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Carlo Nason

Materials

Metal

Mid-Century Modern Mazzega Chandelier in Clear Murano Glass by Carlo Nason
By Carlo Nason, Mazzega
Located in Merida, Yucatan
Beautiful Mid-Century Modern chandelier manufactured by Mazzega and designed by Carlo Nason in clear hand blown Murano glass. It consists of four separate pieces of glass joined tog...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Carlo Nason

Materials

Blown Glass

Carlo Nason Three Shade Pulegoso Glass Pendant Lamp Mazzega, Italy, 1960
By Mazzega, Carlo Nason
Located in Vienna, AT
Rare Carlo Nason three Shade Pulegoso glass chandelier for Mazzega, Italy, 1960 Very scarce, enormous Carlo Nason light with almost 20 inches in diameter in wonderful, undamaged con...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Carlo Nason

Materials

Brass

Mid-Century Kalmar 'Flower' Petals Mazzega Murano Glass Pendant Light
By Kalmar Lighting, AVMazzega, Carlo Nason
Located in Landau an der Isar, Bayern
Large (62cm in diameter) vintage midcentury smoked and clear glass hanging pendant lamp or light fixture by Austrian lighting manufacturer Kalmar, circa late 1970s. Featuring three l...
Category

Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Carlo Nason

Materials

Metal

Carlo Nason LT305 'Lotus' Table Lamp for Mazzega, Opalescent Glass, 1960s Design
By Carlo Nason, Mazzega
Located in Bagnolo Mella, Brescia
The LT305 'Lotus' table lamp, designed by Carlo Nason for Mazzega in the 1960s, is a stunning example of Italian craftsmanship and artistic vision. This particular piece, produced in...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Carlo Nason

Materials

Metal

Pair of Torpedo Murano Glass Sconces by Carlo Nason for Mazzega, Italy, 1970s
By Carlo Nason, Mazzega
Located in SAINT-OUEN, FR
Mid-Century Modern Space Age Pair of gellule torpedo wall lamps lights lightning sconces by Carlo Nason for the manufacture Mazzega, blown white smoke Murano glass, silver metal stru...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Carlo Nason

Materials

Metal

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Creators Similar to Carlo Nason

More Carlo Nason Designs
Carlo Nason Cascata Chandelier
Carlo Nason Cascata Chandelier
Average Price
$3,928
Number Available
19
Carlo Nason Cascata Chandelier
By Carlo Nason
Materials
Glass, Metal, Murano Glass
Styles
Mid Century Modern
Hailing from Murano, the Venetian island known for its rich history of glassmaking, and from one of the oldest glassblowing families in the region, Carlo Nason (b. 1935) may well have been destined to go into the business. But the glass forms for which he became known — such as the Cascata chandelier — eschew tradition, displaying instead an intrepid innovation born of continual experimentation. This singular column of rippling glass plates exemplifies the designer’s deft ability to create ne...
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Carlo Nason furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Carlo Nason 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 Carlo Nason furniture, although beige editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 519 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 7 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Carlo Nason 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 Vico Magistretti, Joe Colombo, and Gaetano Sciolari. Prices for Carlo Nason furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $215 and can go as high as $26,725, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $2,800.

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