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Venini

Italian

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.

Average Sold Price
$2,778
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Materials
Related Creators
Carlo Scarpa, La Mina Vase, Corroso Glass, Venini, Murano, Italy 1940s
By Carlo Scarpa, Venini
Located in Bochum, NRW
Murano Glass Vase 'La Mina' Vase designed by Carlo Scarpa for Venini in 1936. Corroded iridized surface glass vase with protuberances "bugne". Venini Murano two lines acid signature...
Category

1930s Italian Vintage Venini

Materials

Murano Glass

Vintage swirled murano glass pendant lamp by Venini, 1970s
By Venini
Located in Palermo, PA
Introducing a vintage masterpiece of lighting design – the original 1970s Murano glass swirl ceiling pendant light. Crafted with precision and artistry. With an adjustable wire len...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Venini

Materials

Metal, Wire

Italian Venini Chandelier with Murano Glass Prisms
By Venini
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Venini, chandelier, Murano glass prisms, metal, Italy, 1970s A breathtaking chandelier, meticulously crafted by the esteemed glass company, Venini. This masterful creation embraces ...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Venini

Materials

Metal

Orange Glass Pendant by Massimo Vignelli for Venini
By Massimo Vignelli, Venini
Located in Dronten, NL
Hand blown Italian Murano glass pendant no. 011.11 designed by Massimo Vignelli and executed by Murano glass specialist Venini. Original example with brass hardware, circa 1955. Rece...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Venini

Materials

Brass

Turquoise Pendant by Massimo Vignelli for Venini, 1950s
By Massimo Vignelli, Venini
Located in UTRECHT, NL
Stunning hand blown glass pendant lamp model No. 011.13. This lamp is designed by Massimo Vignelli at the start of his career in design. ...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Venini

Materials

Brass

Fasce Orizzontali Vase 'Model Number 4315', Fulvio Bianconi, Venini Murano
By Venini, Fulvio Bianconi
Located in Brussels, BE
Large green blown glass bottle vase decorated with two hot applied red bands. The collar consists of a layer of translucent red glass which is itself different from the glass used ...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Venini

Materials

Blown Glass

Vintage Venini Murano Fulvio Bianconi Incalmo Mouth Blown Glass Vase
By Venini, Fulvio Bianconi
Located in Brussels, BE
Among the many designs and different techniques he experimented within his collaboration with Venini, Fulvio Bianconi used the "A incalmo" technique which requires great mastery from the glassblowers. This is an "a doppio incalmo" vase which simply means a double incalmo. Cylindrical vase, composed of three distinct colors. The base in red glass, the intermediate part in transparent glass and the upper part in green glass. A rare color variation, a nod to the colors of Italy. The vases were obtained by merging several "rings" of molten glass. Designed in 1951, the vase is in very good condition. It was produced in the 1950s and bears the acid seal "venini murano italia". The vase is published in many books, and is sometimes misattributed to Thomas Stearns who will be inspired by these forms and these particular techniques developed by Fulvio Bianconi, Paolo Venini and also Ricardo Licata...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Venini

Materials

Art Glass, Murano Glass

Ludovico Diaz de Santillana, Venini, Murano, 1970 Cup Designed for Philips
By Ludovico Diaz de Santillana, Venini
Located in Brussels, BE
A rare large cup designed for Philips, circa 1968-1970 by Ludovico Diaz de Santillana. A rectangular cup on a cylindrical high foot. The centre decorated with concentric bands of orange, blue and green glass. This designed ordered by the company Philips at Venini circa 1968 remind the beginning of color televisions...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Venini

Materials

Art Glass

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Venini furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Venini 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 Venini furniture, although beige editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 1,079 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 1,454 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Venini were created in the modern style in europe during the 21st century and contemporary. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Ettore Sottsass, Vistosi, and Artemide. Prices for Venini furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at £137 and can go as high as £306,408, while a piece like these, on average, fetch £2,198.

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