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1930s Venini Chandelier

$38,000
£28,572.94
€33,180.11
CA$53,066.20
A$58,854.35
CHF 30,907.42
MX$722,773.22
NOK 391,258.56
SEK 368,962.06
DKK 247,560.12
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About the Item

This late 1930s Venini chandelier has two rings of curved-glass elements suspended from a brass frame. It appears to glow magically from within because the glass elements are infused with gold leaf. Tiny glass chips are fused on the inner surface of each to diffuse light, and to make them translucent rather than transparent. Made by pouring molten glass into squared-off molds, they were cut into wedge shapes after hardening when cool. They were used as modules in an artisanal take on the interchangeable parts introduced during the Industrial Revolution more than a century before. But it took the modernist architect and designer Carlo Scarpa to introduce this concept to glassmakers on Murano, that bastion of the artisanal, where centuries-old techniques were still being employed to beautiful effect. Born in 1905, Scarpa was a native Venetian who studied architecture before becoming a designer in 1926 at the glassworks M. V. M. Cappellin. There he began exploring the possibilities of artisanally-made interchangeable parts for lighting fixtures. When that firm closed in 1932, the savvy Paolo Venini lured Scarpa to his own firm. And there, with greater resources, Scarpa designed glass modules that could be configured according to his lighting designs, and reconfigured by others at Venini to create variants suited to the rooms where they were destined to hang. Scarpa's system allowed the modules to be lined up as cove lighting and pendants, or fanned into concentric rings. The round chandeliers are rare because they were more difficult to make, since the elements had to be chamfered at varying angles to achieve the desired diameter -- a tricky proposition that relied on the craftsman's eye and hand. The form of our chandelier may have been designed by Scarpa himself, or another Venini designer working with his modules. In either case, as it doesn't correspond to a known standard model, it may well be unique.
  • Creator:
    Venini (Maker)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 24 in (60.96 cm)Diameter: 26 in (66.04 cm)
  • Power Source:
    Hardwired
  • Lampshade:
    Not Included
  • Style:
    Modern (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    Circa 1938
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. Two elements were broken and glued, which is discernible when held in the hand but invisible when installed. Most elements are numbered, but some that aren't may be replacements supplied by Venini. Installation instructions will be supplied.
  • Seller Location:
    New York, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1061437247662

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