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Barovier Rectangular Serving Tray in Mirror-Engraved Murano Glass w/ Gold, 1940s

Name: Barovier Rectangular Serving Tray in Mirror-Engraved Murano Glass w/ Gold, 1940s
Brand: Barovier
Rating: 5 (149 reviews)

About the Item

Gorgeous rectangular-shaped serving tray in a stunning combination of mouth-blown Murano glass with 24k gold specks inside, acid-etched mirrored glass, and gilt metal handles. This gorgeous piece was produced in Italy during the 1940s by the master Murano glassmaker Ercole Barovier. In fabulous condition, with no chips or cracks. Its perfect, petite proportions and exceptional state of preservation make this tray incredibly elegant and unique. The tray features a twisted round frame in blown glass with gold particles inside, enhancing the light reflections. The base is made of acid-etched mirrored glass depicting a romantic Venetian scene with two lovers set in nature, with birds flying on the horizon, symbolizing freedom. An incredibly beautiful piece, perfect for elevating a Mid-Century, Art Deco, or contemporary interior. Dimensions (cm): Depth - 30 Width - 39 Height - 4,5 Entrepreneur and designer Ercole Barovier was the son of Benvenuto Barovier. At age 30 he became a partner in his father's company, the Vetreria Artistica Barovier & C. After becoming its artistic director in 1926, he took over its management with his brother Nicol˜. He became sole proprietor in 1936, engineering the fusion between his own glass workshop and the S.A.I.A.R. Ferro-Toso. In 1942, the new company was renamed Barovier & Toso. Ercole maintained the artistic direction of the new company until 1972. Over the course of his 50-year activity, he invented numerous decorative techniques which contributed significantly to the renovation of art glass. Already in the Twenties, he obtained great success; first with the murrine vessels, then with totally original creations such as the primavera glass collection (1929-30). From the beginning of the Thirties, he dedicated himself entirely to experimenting with new multi-coloured effects, in particular, he perfected the colorazione a caldo senza fusione technique which he first used in 1935-1936 to create the series Crepuscolo, Autunno Gemmato, Marina Gemmata and Laguna Gemmata. Before World War II he preferred soft shapes and rather thick materials, whereas in the post-war period his interest turned specifically to the field of traditional techniques, which he continued to re-interpret through his very last creations with the series a tessere in 1972. In the Fifties, his work distinguished itself both for the vivid quality of its colours as well as for the singularity of the materials which were noted for the roughness of their surfaces like the Barbarici which sometimes were modelled in primitive forms like the Eugenei and Aborigeni. During the Sixties and Seventies, he gave new interpretations of his a tessere glass with the Dorici, Caccia, Rotellati and other series which were characterized by unusual colour combinations.

Creator:
Barovier (Artist)
Dimensions:
Height: 1.78 in (4.5 cm)Width: 15.36 in (39 cm)Depth: 11.82 in (30 cm)
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Art Glass,Brass,Gold Plate,Mirror,Murano Glass
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
Late 20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1940s
Condition:
Seller Location:
Roma, IT
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU3067348712482

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Barovier

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.

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.

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 (the company also traded under Fratelli Barovier and Vetreria Artistica Barovier & C. throughout its history). Later, with Barovier&Toso, Ercole 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.

Shop antique Barovier chandeliers, sconces and other lighting and decorative objects on 1stDibs.