Pair of Battuto Murano Sconces by Tobia Scarpa for Venini
View Similar Items
Pair of Battuto Murano Sconces by Tobia Scarpa for Venini
About the Item
- Creator:Venini (Manufacturer),Tobia Scarpa (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 13.75 in (34.93 cm)Width: 8 in (20.32 cm)Depth: 9.5 in (24.13 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Power Source:Plug-in
- Voltage:110-150v
- Lampshade:Not Included
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1967
- Condition:Rewired. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: WF40901stDibs: LU794735494192
Tobia Scarpa
Widely recognized as superstars of postmodern Italian design, husband-and-wife team Afra and Tobia Scarpa (1937–2011; b. 1935) collaboratively created chairs, sofas and other furniture that work equally well in both traditional and cutting-edge environments.
Afra Bianchin and Tobia Scarpa met as architecture students at the Università Iuav di Venezia. In a class led by architect and furniture designer Franco Albini, they created their first collaborative piece, the Pigreco armchair, later produced with Gavina. After graduating in 1957, Tobia Scarpa worked for Murano glass company Venini & Co. before the couple opened a studio in Afra’s hometown, Montebelluna, in 1960. (Tobia, the son of famed glass artist and architect Carlo Scarpa, was born in Venice.)
Ranging from architecture and interior design to furniture and clothing, the Scarpas’ practice from its beginnings in the mid-1950s to the 21st century has included a diverse scope of projects combining new technology with thoughtful function and sculptural yet simple forms.
For Afra and Tobia, a close collaborative process was pivotal to the success of their designs. The duo was also prolific — they designed for the most influential European manufacturers, including B&B Italia, Cassina, Knoll and FLOS. With respect to the latter, Afra and Tobia were among the legendary Italian lighting maker’s earliest collaborators, and their pioneering designs for the brand included the Papillon lamp, one of the first fixtures to use halogen technology. Their most recognized designs include the Bastiano sofa (1962), the Vanessa bed (1959), the Coronado sofa (1966) and the Soriana seating collection (1970). Work on the Soriana sofa began in late 1969 for an early 1970 debut, and it feels as radical today as it did in its heyday.
Architecture was also a central part of Afra and Tobia’s practice, which spanned residential buildings and factories for Italian companies such as Benetton. Their commissions for the global fashion brand included numerous industrial projects, from textile plants to storefronts. By 1985, Afra and Tobia Scarpa’s work was celebrated in a 30-year retrospective at Center Four in Queens, New York. Looking around the 30,000-square-foot exhibition space, Afra joked to the New York Times, “Seeing all those things makes us feel very tired, and now we feel that maybe we worked too much.”
It was not too much for their legacy, as Afra and Tobia Scarpa’s work continues to inspire new generations. Scarpa designs are in collections at the Louvre, the Museum of Modern Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum. The couple was awarded the Compasso d’Oro in 1970 for the Soriana armchair.
Find vintage Tobia Scarpa table lamps, sofas, dining chairs and other furniture today on 1stDibs.
Venini
Beginning in the 1930s — and throughout the postwar years especially — Venini & Co. played a leading role in the revival of Italy’s high-end glass industry, pairing innovative modernist designers with the skilled artisans who created extraordinary chandeliers, sconces and other lighting in the centuries-old glass workshops on the Venetian island of Murano.
While the company’s co-founder, Paolo Venini (1895–1959), was himself a highly talented glassware designer, his true genius was to invite forward-thinking Italian and international designers to Murano’s hallowed workshops to create Venini pieces — among them Gio Ponti, Massimo Vignelli, Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala, Thomas Stearns of the United States and Fulvio Bianconi.
Paolo Venini trained and practiced as a lawyer for a time, though his family had been involved with glassmaking for generations. After initially buying a share in a Venetian glass firm — he and antiques dealer Giacomo Cappellin established Vetri Soffiati Cappellin Venini & C. in 1921 — Venini took over the company as his own in 1925, and under his direction, it produced mainly classical Baroque designs.
In 1932, Venini hired the young Carlo Scarpa— who would later distinguish himself as an architect — as his lead designer. Scarpa, working in concert with practiced glass artisans, completely modernized Venini, introducing simple, pared-down forms; bright primary colors; and bold patterns such as stripes, banding and abstract compositions that utilized cross sections of murrine (glass rods).
Paolo Venini’s best designs are thought to be his two-color Clessidre hourglasses, produced from 1957 onward, and the Fazzoletto (“handkerchief”) vase, designed with Bianconi in 1949. Bianconi’s masterworks are considered by many to be his Pezzato works — colorful vases with patterns that resemble those of a patchwork quilt.
Other noteworthy and highly collectible vintage Venini works include Ponti’s dual-tone stoppered bottles (circa 1948); rare glass sculptures from the Doge series by Stearns, the first American to design for the firm; Vignelli’s striped lanterns of the 1960s; the Occhi vases with eyelet-shaped patterns by Tobia Scarpa (son of Carlo); and, with their almost zen purity, the Bolle (“bubbles”) bottles designed by Wirkkala in 1968.
With these works — and many others by some of the creative titans of the 20th and 21st centuries — Venini has produced one of the truly great bodies of work in modern design.
Find antique and vintage Venini chandeliers, serveware, table lamps, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Model 802.1 Sconces by Tobia Scarpa for VeniniBy Venini, Tobia ScarpaLocated in Los Angeles, CAModel 802.1 Sconces by Tobia Scarpa for Venini. Designed and manufactured in Italy, 1965. Satin glass diffuser with brushed glass incalmo strip...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsBrass, Nickel
$3,400 / item - Foglio Sconce by Tobia Scarpa for FlosBy Flos, Tobia ScarpaLocated in Los Angeles, CAFoglio sconce by Tobia Scarpa. Current production by Flos. Foglio wall lamp provides indirect light. The lamp’s body is formed by power-p...Category
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsSteel
$500 / item - Murano Glass Sconces by VeniniBy VeniniLocated in Los Angeles, CAMurano Glass Sconces by Venini. Designed and manufactured in Italy, circa the 1950s. Beautiful Murano glass, allowing for a unique illumination...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsChrome
$2,500 / item - Murano Glass Flush Mounts by VeniniBy VeniniLocated in Los Angeles, CAMurano glass flush mounts by Venini. Designed and manufactured in Italy, circa the 1950s. Beautiful Murano glass, allowing for a unique illumination. Rewired for U.S. standards. We r...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Flush Mount
MaterialsMurano Glass
$3,800 / item - 'Nictea' Pendant by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for FlosBy Tobia Scarpa, FlosLocated in Los Angeles, CANictea pendant by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Flos. A cloud like all polished nickel pendant featuring a bulbous top and bottom shade, sandwiched in-between a perforated brass ring. Th...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass, Nickel
- Rare 'Nuvola' Suspension Light by Tobia Scarpa for FlosBy Flos, Tobia ScarpaLocated in Los Angeles, CA"Nuvola" Cocoon suspension light by Tobia Scarpa for Flos. Designed and Manufactured in Italy, circa the 1960s. Spun polyester fiber paired with bone colored enameled accents. Bottom...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsSteel
- Midcentury wall light model "802" by Tobia Scarpa for Venini, Italy 1970By Tobia Scarpa, VeniniLocated in Piacenza, ItalyRare single Midcentury wall light model "802" by Tobia Scarpa for Venini, Italy 1970 Stunning hand blown glass and metal structure. This light can be re-oriented to point up as wel...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsBrass
$6,602 Sale Price20% Off - Tobia Scarpa for Venini 802.1 PendantBy Venini, Tobia ScarpaLocated in New York, NYHand blown frosted glass, chromed metal.. *2nd matching pendant available.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal, Chrome
- Pair of Murano Glass Sconces by Toni Zuccheri for VeniniBy Toni Zuccheri, VeniniLocated in Houston, TXPair of Murano Glass Sconces by Toni Zuccheri For Venini. This beautiful pair of Italian mid-century sconces have been newly wired with new sockets for the U.S. market.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsBlown Glass, Murano Glass
- Pair of Tobia Scarpa for Flos Quarto Model Metal and Plexiglass Wall SconcesBy Tobia ScarpaLocated in ITQuarto model wall or ceiling lamps, designed by Tobia Scarpa in 1973 and produced by Flos, now out of production. We propose two lamps. Each lamp consists of a mirrored metal reflec...Category
Vintage 1970s European Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsMetal
- Foglio Sconces by Tobia Scarpa in Nickel FinishBy Tobia ScarpaLocated in Los Angeles, CAPhenomenal modern and sleek pair of Foglio sconces by Tobia Scarpa in satin nickel outside and lightly aged un-lacquered satin nickel fin...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsNickel, Steel
$3,200 / set - Pair of Toni Zuccheri for Venini Murano Glass SconcesBy Toni Zuccheri, VeniniLocated in Houston, TXPair of Toni Zuccheri for Venini Murano glass sconces. Large pair of Toni Zuccheri for Venini Murano glass sconces. This stunning pair of Murano sconces have been newly wired to U.S...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
MaterialsMurano Glass, Blown Glass