Ercole Barovier Murano Purple Gold Flecks Italian Art Glass Bird Sculpture
View Similar Items
Ercole Barovier Murano Purple Gold Flecks Italian Art Glass Bird Sculpture
About the Item
- Creator:Ercole Barovier (Designer),Barovier&Toso (Workshop/Studio)
- Dimensions:Height: 5.75 in (14.61 cm)Width: 5.75 in (14.61 cm)Depth: 2.75 in (6.99 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Kissimmee, FL
- Reference Number:Seller: 65271stDibs: LU974124122142
Ercole Barovier
Ercole Barovier left an indelible mark on the world of Italian modernist glassmaking — his vibrant use of color and exploration of innovative techniques yielded glass vases, chandeliers and other lighting and decorative objects that stand out in any interior many decades later.
Barovier grew up on the Venetian island of Murano, a region of the world famed for its production of artisanal glassworks. By the time he was born, in 1889, his family had already been in the glassmaking business for centuries, as the Barovier dynasty began in 1295. Nonetheless, Barovier did not choose glassmaking as his first career — he instead studied medicine as a young man before going on to work as a radio operator in the first World War.
The year after the war ended, Barovier joined his family’s business (over time, the manufactory’s names have included Fratelli Barovier, Vetreria Artistica Barovier & C. and Artisti Barovier). He was appointed artistic director in 1926, and subsequently managed the business with his brother Nicolò. From 1927 onward, Barovier was the chief designer at his family’s glassworks. He became sole proprietor in 1934, and in 1936, merged his own family business with the Venetian glass factory SAIAR Ferro Toso. They renamed the company Barovier & Toso, a name under which the company still operates today.
Early in his career, Barovier garnered praise for his work with murrine glass, one of the traditional arts for which Murano is widely known. In the 1930s, he began pushing the boundaries of tradition and experimenting with new ways to bring color into his glass objects.
Ercole Barovier is credited with having invented colorazione a caldo senza fusione, a method of introducing metals and oxides into glassworks. His style became defined by his use of riotous color and later, audacious forms. He created sculptures, table lamps and other pieces using mosaic techniques to add a kaleidoscope of striking hues to his work. Barovier had a particular gift to bring out glass’s unique properties to refract and filter light in every shade of the rainbow.
Barovier took endless inspiration from the world around him, from the play of light reflecting off the canals near his home to artworks from classical antiquity. Prior to World War II, his works included naturalistic designs including floral sconces, vine-wrapped chandeliers and sea life-inspired bowls (the manufactory was known for sinuous lighting pieces that are often described as embodying “Liberty Style” — the Italian term for Art Nouveau).
Barovier focused on reinterpreting classical techniques and styles in the postwar years. Geometrically patterned vases that recalled Ancient Greek pottery in their bold forms — as well as precisely detailed Art Deco glass serving bowls — are among his characteristic works from this period. Gold leaf was applied as a decorative flourish, and Barovier worked to ensure that his pieces reflected contemporary trends. His mid-century glass is particularly sought after by today’s collectors.
Up until his retirement in 1972, Barovier continued his exploration of the creative potential in glassmaking. His fearlessness in combining cutting-edge techniques with deeply traditional practices led him to create over 25,000 designs over the course of his life.
Barovier’s work garnered international acclaim. He received many awards and accolades, including awards at the Milan Triennial exhibitions in 1933 and 1954, the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1937, and the Compasso d'Oro in 1956.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Ercole Barovier lighting, decorative objects and serveware.
Barovier&Toso
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.
- Ercole Barovier Toso Murano 1954 Purple Gold Flecks Italian Art Glass VaseBy Ercole Barovier, Barovier&TosoLocated in Kissimmee, FLBeautiful and rare, vintage Murano hand blown amethyst purple and yellow stripes, with gold flecks Italian art glass flower vase. Documented to designer Ercole Barovier, for Barovier...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsGold Leaf
$4,050 Sale Price25% Off - Ercole Barovier Murano Iridescent Gold Flecks Italian Art Glass Seashell BowlBy Ercole Barovier, Barovier&TosoLocated in Kissimmee, FLBeautiful vintage Murano hand blown, iridescent, gold flecks and textured Italian art glass scissor cut rim bowl. Documented to Ercole Barovier for Barovier e Toso, circa 1940s, in t...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Decorative Bowls
MaterialsGold Leaf
$1,050 Sale Price25% Off - Ercole Barovier Toso Murano Gold Flecks Relievi Aurati Italian Art Glass BowlBy Ercole Barovier, Barovier&TosoLocated in Kissimmee, FLBeautiful vintage Murano hand blown clear and gold flecks raised texture Italian art glass bowl. Documented to designer Ercole Barovier for the Barovier e Toso company, circa 1940. C...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsGold Leaf
$637 Sale Price25% Off - Ercole Barovier Toso Murano Red Pink Gold Flecks Italian Art Glass Pitcher VaseBy Ercole Barovier, Barovier&TosoLocated in Kissimmee, FLBeautiful, and rare shape, vintage Murano hand blown red trim and pink pigments Italian art glass pitcher or vase with gold flecks. Documented to designer Ercole Barovier, for the Ba...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsGold Leaf
$1,387 Sale Price25% Off - Ercole Barovier Toso Murano 1966 Blue Red Gold Flecks Italian Art Glass VaseBy Ercole Barovier, Barovier&TosoLocated in Kissimmee, FLRare and beautiful, vintage Murano hand blown blue and wine red stripes on gold flecks Italian art glass flower vase. Documented to designer Ercole Barovier, for Barovier e Toso, cir...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsGold Leaf
$3,375 Sale Price25% Off - Barovier Toso Murano Teal Pink Gold Fleck Italian Art Glass Love Birds SculptureBy Ercole Barovier, Barovier&TosoLocated in Kissimmee, FLBeautiful vintage Murano hand blown turquoise / teal and pink spots, controlled bubbles and gold flecks Italian art glass love birds sculpture. Docume...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Animal Sculptures
MaterialsGold Leaf
$760 Sale Price20% Off
- Grand Piano Sculpture in Murano Art Glass Attributed to Ercole Barovier DesignBy Ercole BarovierLocated in Ann Arbor, MIGrand Piano Sculpture in Murano Art Glass attributed to Ercole Barovier design Circa 1950’s. Amazing piano sculpture with sculpted legs, pasta glass ke...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Glass
MaterialsArt Glass
- Ercole Barovier for Barovier and Toso Rare Murano Glass Sculpture of a DonkeyBy Ercole BarovierLocated in Ann Arbor, MIErcole Barovier for Barovier and Toso Rare Murano glass Sculpture of a Donkey in vibrant red with gold applied accents. The leg is up. Rare art deco sculpture. The nearly fifty y...Category
Vintage 1930s Italian Art Deco Animal Sculptures
MaterialsBlown Glass
- Ercole Barovier for Barovier & Toso Aborigeni Murano Art Glass BowlBy Barovier&Toso, Ercole BarovierLocated in Berghuelen, DEErcole Barovier for Barovier & Toso Aborigeni Murano Art Glass Bowl A great Murano glass bowl in Aborigeni technique. Designed by Ercole Barovier and manufactured by Barovier & Toso...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsArt Glass, Murano Glass
- Pair of Decorative Murano Italian Art Glass Swans with Gold FlecksBy Barovier&TosoLocated in Hamilton, OntarioPair of decorative Murano white swans with gold flecks attributed to Barovier and Toso.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Glass
MaterialsArt Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
- Ercole Barovier Corniola Glass Vase for Barovier & Toso, Italy 1952By Ercole Barovier, Barovier&TosoLocated in Milan, ITErcole Barovier Corniola Murano Glass vase for Barovier & Toso, Italy 1952 Original Label.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsMurano Glass
- Rare Crepuscolo Vase Ercole Barovier 1930 Murano Art GlassBy Ercole BarovierLocated in Palermo, SicilyRare Crepuscolo vase Ercole Barovier 1930 Murano art glass. Among the most interesting techniques developed by Ercole Barovier in the 1930s there is "tw...Category
Vintage 1930s European Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsMurano Glass