Murano Glass Wall Lights and Sconces

Lighting is a home’s jewelry, and dramatic antique and vintage Murano glass sconces and wall lights can do wonders in establishing mood in a space and highlighting your distinctive personality.

The exquisite Murano wall lights and sconces on 1stDibs are made of Murano glass, named for the island of Murano, which is located in Venice's fragile lagoon. Murano glassmaking has been practiced for centuries, using a variety of artisanal processes. The glass is identifiable by its richly layered colors and characteristic gold or silver flecks inside the glass. 

Every antique Murano wall light, chandelier, floor lamp and vase is unique. Authentic Murano glass often has small imperfections and irregular shapes due to the freeform creation process. This glass introduces dazzling pops of colors and provocative forms to your dining table, and mid-century Murano glass is particularly sought after by today’s collectors.  

One of the earliest Venetian glass furnaces is believed to have been established as far back as the 8th century. While Murano glass is traditionally known for being blown glass, there are also Murano glass beads and mosaics, and the art of Venetian glassblowing has seen a range of different techniques evolve over the course of its long history. These techniques include calcedonio, millefiori and more, and enameling and gilding are also practiced at the furnaces. The celebrated filigrana technique is as old as Renaissance-era Italy, with origins in the 16th century.

Many Murano glassmakers have gained renown all over the world for their extraordinary wall lights, table lamps and decorative objects. 

Ercole Barovier left an indelible mark on the world of Italian modernist glassmaking, for example — 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 home many decades later. Barovier’s manufactory was eventually renamed Barovier & Toso, a name under which the company still operates today. Still produced by hand, its pieces, including the Quadri chandelier and Hanami chandelier, look as appropriate in contemporary interiors as historic ones. 

Archimede Seguso, whose company was later renamed Seguso Vetri D’Arte, redefined a 650-year family history of Murano glassmaking with brilliance and novel techniques. 

Founded in 1921 by Milanese lawyer Paolo Venini and antiques dealer Giacomo Cappellin, Venini & Co. played an important role in pairing forward-thinking modernist designers with skilled glassblowers. In Venini’s early years, the firm was led by visionary art directors Napoleone Martinuzzi and Vittorio Zecchin, and would eventually collaborate with Gio Ponti, Massimo Vignelli and Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala. ​​In 1925, Venini earned the Grand Prix at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts — the design fair that introduced the Art Deco style to the world. 

The story of Salviati glass, which supported the revival of Venice’s flagging Murano glass industry in the 19th century, began with Vicenza-born lawyer and entrepreneur Antonio Salviati whose love of Murano glass art and mosaics inspired him to establish his own mosaic and glass manufacturing firm.

When choosing a lighting solution, first determine what your needs are: Will you opt for a moody or a bright feel? The room that will serve as your home office will need adequate lighting — think “the brighter, the better” for this particular setting. For the bedroom, bedside wall lamps with warm-temperature bulbs could be the way to go to induce a sense of calm or intimacy. Try to match the style of the wall light or sconce that you’re installing to the overall design scheme of your room. It’s never “just a light.” You should approach the lighting of a room with a mindset that is one part practical and one part aesthetics-driven.

Find antique and vintage Murano glass sconces and wall lights for sale on 1stDibs.