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About the Item
An Italian design table light, brass metal base, Venini blown glass shade. 1960’s.Creator: Venini (Manufacturer)Dimensions: Height: 12.6 in (32 cm)Diameter: 18.51 in (47 cm)Power Source: HardwiredVoltage: 220-240v,110-150vLampshade: IncludedStyle: Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)Materials and Techniques: Blown Glass,BrassPlace of Origin: ItalyPeriod: 1960-1969Date of Manufacture: 1960sCondition: GoodWear consistent with age and use.Seller Location: London, GBReference Number: Seller: FM5171stDibs: LU5178243154662Shop All Venini
Venini
Beginning in the 1930s and throughout the postwar years especially Venini Co. played a leading role in the revival of Italys 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 companys co-founder, Paolo Venini (18951959), was himself a highly talented glassware designer, his true genius was to invite forward-thinking Italian and international designers to Muranos 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 Veninis 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. Bianconis 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 Pontis dual-tone stoppered bottles (circa 1948); rare glass sculptures from the Doge series by Stearns, the first American to design for the firm; Vignellis 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.
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