Vittorio Zecchin was a celebrated creative figure who worked across a range of disciplines including furniture design, textiles and more, but his contribution to modern Italian glassmaking is widely influential. Vintage Zecchin glass pieces and decorative objects have perfect symmetry and elegant luster; his artist's eye and masterful skills are evident in each work.
Zecchin developed an early passion for glassmaking but wasn't interested in the extensive ornamentation of 19th-century Venetian styles. He preferred simpler surfaces that emphasized a vessel’s form and bold, monochromatic palettes.
Zecchin was born on the island of Murano, near Venice. His father was a master glassblower. When he was 18, Zecchin enrolled in the Accademia di Belle Arti in Venice. He halted his studies in painting early and instead secured work at a glass furnace for a Murano workshop where he learned glassmaking techniques.
In 1909, Zecchin took part in the effort to transform the Venetian palace Ca’ Pesaro into an art museum. He worked alongside notable painters including Amedeo Modigliani, Teodoro Wolf Ferrari and Umberto Boccioni, and the colors he used and forms he integrated specifically reflected what he had learned in the workshop on Murano.
In 1913 and 1914, Zecchin partnered with Artisti Barovier to create glass mosaics in the Vienna Secessionist style. Some of these were in the 1914 Venice Biennale where they received critical acclaim. Barovier was eventually renamed Barovier & Toso, a name under which the company still operates today.
Zecchin later established a tapestry workshop on Murano and experimented with creating decorative glass pieces. Gradually moving his practice away from painting, by 1919 he was composing enameled glass pieces, tapestries and other textiles.
In 1921, the glass manufactory Vetri Soffiati Cappellin Venini & C. — which is today known as Venini & Co. — hired Zecchin as its artistic director. Along with streamlined shapes and uncomplicated colors, he instilled glass with a vivid intensity by immersing finished pieces in tin or titanium vapors while they were still hot. His style and vision earned him universal recognition in his field.
Zecchin left the firm in 1926 to pursue independent artistic interests, yet he continued to collaborate with the company’s designers. From 1934 until his death in 1947, Zecchin taught at numerous trade schools and institutions, passing on his artistic knowledge on to younger generations.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Vittorio Zecchin decorative objects, lighting, serveware and more.
1920 "Soffiati" Vittorio Zecchin MVM Cappellin Venini Rubin Murano Glass Plate
By Vittorio Zecchin, Cappellin
Located in Brescia, IT
"Blown" plate Vittorio Zecchin MVM Cappellin Italy, 1920 Rubin Blown Glass Plate Very good condiction Original early 1900s No chips, no cracks
Murano Glass
"Soffiati" Vittorio Zecchin by Cappellin Venini 1920s Murano Glass Plate
By Cappellin, Vittorio Zecchin
Located in Brescia, IT
"Soffiati" plate Vittorio Zecchin MVM Cappellin Italy, 1920 Blue Blown Glass Plate Very good condiction Original early 1900s No chips, no cracks
Murano Glass
$4,375
H 11.82 in Dm 10.24 in
Large Vetro Soffiato Glass Vase by Vittorio Zecchin for Venini Murano 1921
By Vittorio Zecchin, Venini
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Large Vetro Soffiato Glass Vase by Vittorio Zecchin for Venini Murano 1921 Rare mouth blown (vetro soffiato) art glass vase, designed by Vittorio Zecchin in 1921. Manufactured by Ve...
Art Glass
$960Sale Price|20% Off
H 5 in Dm 3.63 in
Vittorio Zecchin MVM Capellin Murano Soffiato Straw Color Italian Art Deco Glass
By Venini, MVM Cappelin, Vittorio Zecchin
Located in Kissimmee, FL
Beautiful antique Murano very thin Soffiato straw yellow color Italian art glass small footed vase. The piece is documented to designer Vittorio Zecchin, for MVM Capellin circa 1920s...
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
$3,465 / item
H 12.6 in Dm 7.88 in
Venini Veronese Glass Vase in Apple Green and Crystal by Vittorio Zecchin
By Vittorio Zecchin, Venini
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Venini glass vase with cylindrical body and crystal decorative base. Featured in apple green colored class with crystal designed in 1921. Perfect for indoor home decor as container o...
Art Glass
Venini Veronese Glass Vase in Grey and Crystal by Vittorio Zecchin
By Venini, Vittorio Zecchin
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Venini glass vase with cylindrical body and crystal decorative base. Featured in grey colored class with crystal designed in 1921. Perfect for indoor home decor as container or stron...
Art Glass
$2,125
H 3.35 in Dm 20.08 in
Very Large Vetro Soffiato Glass Dish by Vittorio Zecchin for Venini Murano
By Venini, Vittorio Zecchin
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Very large Vetro Soffiato glass dish by Vittorio Zecchin for Venini Murano ca. 1925 A very large 'vetro soffiato' glass dish in amethyst transparent glass, designed by Vittorio Zecchin in 1925 and manufactured by Venini, Murano Venice. Acid stamped signature 'venini murano' on the base. Venini model number 1306. The dish has been manufactured in different sizes, this is the larges version which is very rare. One of the early 20th century designs of Zecchin for Cappellin and Venini which motivated the muranese glass companies to set out for new shores. Good condition with some surface scratches. The last picture shows it together with a mid size version with 14.29" inches as comparison of the sizes. Measures: Height: 3.35" (8.5 cm) Diameter: 20.08" (51 cm) Literature Reference: Marino Barovier, Vittorio Zecchin: Transparent Glass for Cappellin and Venini, Milano 2017, pages 326, 336 and 357 Vittorio Zecchin (1878 - 1947) was a native Muranese and son of a glasswork technician. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice. Together with the painter Teodoro Wolf Ferrari...
Art Glass
Venini Veronese Glass Vase in Red and Crystal by Vittorio Zecchin
By Venini, Vittorio Zecchin
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Venini glass vase with cylindrical body and crystal decorative base. Featured in red colored class with crystal designed in 1921. Perfect for indoor home decor as container or strong...
Art Glass
VENINI Veronese Vase by Vittorio Zecchin, Murano Glass, signed 2008
By Venini, Vittorio Zecchin
Located in Venezia, IT
Exceptional Venini Veronese vase, model 600.01, produced in 2008. Signed on the base, and accompanied by its original Venini box and certificate. The Veronese is one of the most cel...
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Vetro Soffiato Glass Vase by Vittorio Zecchin for Venini Murano 1924
By Vittorio Zecchin, Venini
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Vetro Soffiato Glass Vase by Vittorio Zecchin for Venini Murano 1924 Rare mouth blown (vetro soffiato) art glass vase, designed by Vittorio Zecchin in 1924. Manufactured by Venini &...
Art Glass
Large Vetro Soffiato Glass Vase by Vittorio Zecchin attr. Murano 1924
By Venini, MVM Cappelin, Vittorio Zecchin
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Large Vetro Soffiato Glass Vase by Vittorio Zecchin attr. Murano 1924 A large art glass vase in mouth blown 'Vetro Soffiato' glass, designed by Vittorio Zecchin. Manufactured most p...
Art Glass
Vintage 1960s Murano Glass 'Tutti Frutti' Paperweight by AVEM
By Arte Vetraria Muranese (AVEM)
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1960s. This paperweight is made in Murano glass. It is a "Tutti frutti" model. This is a vintage piece, therefore it might show slight traces of use, but it can be con...
Murano Glass
$3,465 / item
H 12.6 in Dm 7.88 in
Venini Veronese Glass Vase in Straw and Crystal by Vittorio Zecchin
By Vittorio Zecchin, Venini
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Venini glass vase with cylindrical body and crystal decorative base. Featured in straw and yellow colored class with crystal designed in 1921. Perfect for indoor home decor as contai...
Art Glass
$2,185
H 9.65 in Dm 5.52 in
Vittorio Zecchin for Venini Soffiato Vase in Yellow and Lattimo Glass ca. 1950s
By Venini, Vittorio Zecchin
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Vittorio Zecchin for Venini Soffiato Vase in Yellow and Lattimo Glass ca. 1950s A Venini soffiato (mouth blown) glass vase with very thin opaque yellow ...
Art Glass, Murano Glass