Hand-Crafted Figurative Sculptures

Beautiful and rare, vintage Murano hand blown white glass, black accents and gold flecks Italian art glass woman sculpture. Documented to designer Ercole Barovier for Barovier e Toso...

Presenting a lovely Barovier and Toso Murano art glass figure of a woman carrying a large corn on the cobb. By the world renowned maker of Barovier & Toso and probably made in the 1960’s. Gorgeous frosted glass with 24 carat gold flecks and highlights. The figure is a good size standing at 11.5 inches tall. One minor chip to the underside of one of the corn kernels but not visible (only exhibited by touch) and does not significantly detract from the piece as otherwise it is near mint. Barovier & Toso is an Italian company that specializes in Venetian glass. The company is one of the oldest family businesses in the world, founded in 1295 as Barovier. “The name Barovier derives from the term berroviere (highwayman/policman), which indicates the armigero (person entitled to bear arms) guarding the captain of the people. It is probable that some Barovier, originally from Treviso, settled in Murano around 1291, when a law of the Republic imposed the concentration on the island of all glass furnaces.” Jacobello was the first member of the Barovier family to work glass at this time. It is thought that the company originated in Treviso. The Toso family had been established in Murano since around 1350. In the 1400s Angelo Barovier created glass objects which are currently preserved in various museums. Angelo is recognized as significant for uniting the knowledge which had been developed and handed down by family Barovier. He was not only considered and artist but a scientist. The company became Ferro Toso Vetrerie Artistiche Riunite S.A in 1936 when Vetreria Artistica Barovier merged with Ferro Toso, specializing in crystalline glass, mother-of-pearl glass, and gold-free cornelian red glass.. In 1942, the company was renamed Barovier & Toso. In 1919–1920, 30 year old designer Ercole Barovier began a 50-year career as the artistic director of Barovier & Toso. “After studying medicine and working as a radio operator during World War One he joined the family firm in 1920 when he and his brother Nicolo took over the management from their father Benvenuto. From 1927 Ercole was the main designer and from 1934, when Nicolo left the company, (he was) also the sole owner.” While Barovier did not have formal training as a glassblower, his artistic designs produced objets d’art that have become the most critically acclaimed in the history of Ercole – Barovier. In 1930 he produced his award-winning “Primavera” series. “The Primavera series … is distinguished by a milky white ‘craquelé‘ glass with the addition of black or blue pasta vitrea trim (“opaque colored glass whose consistency is made to appear like ceramic”) and decoration. There was a very limited production of this series due to the fact that it was a result of a glass mixture obtained accidentally so it could never be replicated.” One example of this series, a Primavera Pigeon, was sold at auction for GBP 275,000 (approximately $360,000 USD, not inclusive of the buyer’s premium) on October 16, 2019. Barovier continued to produce innovative designs of which the “Lenti” vase...

Only 1 left - Beautiful vintage Murano hand blown white and gold flecks Italian art glass pear paperweight. Documented to designer Ercole Barovier for...

ONLY 1 Left! Beautiful and rare Murano hand blown black pigments over white and gold flecks Italian art glass pear paperweight. Documented to designer...

Very rare and cute set of Murano handblown opal pink, yellow, blue and green art glass puppy dog figures. Documented to the Barovier e Toso company, circa 1970s. Last photo shows thr...