Ercole Barovier, Aquamarine and Amber Intarsi Vase, Signed, Limited Edition 1976
View Similar Items
Ercole Barovier, Aquamarine and Amber Intarsi Vase, Signed, Limited Edition 1976
About the Item
- Creator:Barovier&Toso (Maker),Ercole Barovier (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 5.12 in (13 cm)Diameter: 13.39 in (34 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1976
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Pristine, Just normal base micro scratches for being on a shelf over the decades.
- Seller Location:Tavarnelle val di Pesa, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU256837424363
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 (the manufactory was called Vetreria Artistica Barovier & C.). 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. He is credited with having invented colorazione a caldo senza fusione, a method of introducing metals and oxides into glassworks. Barovier’s 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). He 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 & Co. 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 and sconces, and it pioneered an array of innovative modernist designs with bold colors, patterns and surfaces.
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 the famed London department store that promoted 19th-century organic textile designs 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 Pezatto 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.
- Murano Vase Masterpiece, Blooming Field with Poppies and Lavender, SignedBy Silvio Piattelli, Fulvio Bianconi & Paolo Venini, Gio Ponti, Ercole BarovierLocated in Tavarnelle val di Pesa, FlorenceThe vase made with the same technique of the tumblers in another listing. After the success of the tumbler group, I asked the maestro to make a vase that would keep the design and t...Category
Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsArt Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
- Alfredo Barbini, Aquamarine Incalmo Vase Murano Glass 1980s, Signed and LabeledBy Alfredo BarbiniLocated in Tavarnelle val di Pesa, FlorenceFine vessel made in Murano by Alfredo Barbini. This vase is made in two colors, aquamarine and transparent. Colors are joined with the incalmo technique, one of the most difficult in...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsArt Glass, Murano Glass
- Iridescent Bowl with figurine in Figurehead Position, Ercole Barovier, 1930By Vetreria Artistica Barovier & C., Ercole BarovierLocated in Tavarnelle val di Pesa, FlorenceThis shows the Classic Murano figurine head with the casque hair position. The bowl has been waved to hot attach the two busts that are connected to t...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Decorative Bowls
MaterialsGold Leaf
$1,365 Sale Price61% Off - Ercole Barovier Murano Seminatore Clear Massiccio Glass Gold Applications, 1930By Vetreria Artistica Barovier & C., Ercole BarovierLocated in Tavarnelle val di Pesa, FlorenceThis is a great sculpture. Please check details on photo. It's part of a group of probably four figurines representing the four seasons. This is the spr...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsGold Leaf
$2,408 Sale Price61% Off - Murano Vase Masterpiece, Doppio Ritorto Amazing Technique, SignedBy Silvio Piattelli, Fulvio Bianconi & Paolo Venini, Gio PontiLocated in Tavarnelle val di Pesa, FlorenceThis vase is a true work of art. It features a bold color palette and creates a beautiful interplay with the light. During its creation, the glass is heated again before blowing to a...Category
Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsArt Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
- Giant Vase or Ice Bucket in Murano Glass, Barovier & Toso styleBy Barovier&TosoLocated in Tavarnelle val di Pesa, FlorenceVery large vase in Puligoso glass with four vertical applications Morise with 24K gold leaf embedded. The Puligoso finish is extremely well executed with small bubbles allover the gl...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsGlass, Art Glass, Murano Glass
- Vase by Ercole BarovierBy Barovier&Toso, Ercole BarovierLocated in Piacenza, ItalyVase of the "barbarici" series in grey glass with the gilded surface corroded with the application of metal oxides under heat. The central hole and the applied foot are rimmed with b...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsGlass, Murano Glass
$8,203 - "Intariso" Art Glass Vase by Ercole BarovierBy Ercole BarovierLocated in New York, NY"Intariso" Italian art glass vase by Ercole Barovier. Made by Barovier & Toso. Clear,red and grey glass fused with triangular platelets. Literature: Venetian Art Glass, An Ameri...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsArt Glass
- Graffito Vase, Ercole Barovier, Barovier e TosoBy Barovier&Toso, Ercole BarovierLocated in Brussels, BELarge vase designed by Ercole Barovier in 1975 and manufactured by Barovier and Toso. The vase is made of clear gold dusted aventurine glass a...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsBlown Glass
- Ercole Barovier, Barovier & Toso Efeso Vase ca. 1960sBy Barovier&Toso, Ercole BarovierLocated in Berghuelen, DEErcole Barovier - Barovier & Toso Efeso vase ca. 1960s A great blue vase from the 'efeso' series designed by Ercole Barovier in 1964 for Barovier & Toso, M...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsArt Glass, Murano Glass
- Monumental Ercole Barovier, Barovier & Toso Efeso Blue Vase, 1964By Barovier&Toso, Ercole BarovierLocated in Berghuelen, DEA large blue art glass vase from the 'Efeso' series designed by Ercole Barovier in 1964 for Barovier & Toso, Murano, Italy. Thick glass in bright blue w...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Planters, Cachepots and Jard...
MaterialsArt Glass, Murano Glass
- Large Twin-Handled Vase by Ercole Barovier for Barovier and Toso, 1956By Barovier&Toso, Ercole BarovierLocated in London, GBThe double handled trumpet shaped vase designed by Ercole Barovier (1889-1974) for Barovier and Toso 1956-57 is set in a layer of clear glass over a layer of white, over a layer oyst...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsArt Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass