Opaque black-violet glass with white and coral red fused Murrine inclusions, surface with textured cut
Italy, 1940
Design: Carlo Scarpa (1906-1978) – Italian architect and industrial designer
Execution: 1940s, Venini & C., Murano
Literature: Franco Deboni, Venini Glas, Basel 1990, no. 71; Giorgio Nicodemi, Vetri d'Oggi, Milano 1955, p. 22; Helmut Ricke, Eva Schmitt, Italienisches Glas, Munich 1995, p. 73; Marino Barovier, Carlo Scarpa, Milano 1997, p. 276; exhibition catalogue Carlo Scarpa, Le Stanze del Vetro, Venedig 2012, p. 395
Dimensions: 6.2 x 35.2 x 24.4 cm
Very good condition
The opaque ‘snake bowl’, crafted with the sophisticated Murrine technique, is one of the highlights of this auction
The Metropolitan Museum of modern art dedicated a retrospective of most popular glass designs of Carlo Scarpa at the beginning of the past year
Estimate by Auctionata Expert: 15,000 Euro

Murrine, which is one of the most ancient techniques reaching back to the Roman Age, was reintroduced in Murano in the late 14th century. To create the small Murrine pieces, a pole is cut into very thin slices, which are then melted into the larger glass object. After melting them into the glass piece the shape is blown until it reaches the desired design. The surface of Carlo Scarpa’s bowl ‘Murrina del Serpente’ of 1940 is martellated on both sides, a rather unusual design element that is normally applied to pieces of wood. White squares of the double-row snake skin pattern are melted into the opaque black-violet glass. These are adorned with fused spiral patterned coral red squares. Carlo Scarpa has created a sophisticated piece using the complex Murrine technique.

Condition:

The glass bowl is in very good condition. The dimensions of the bowl are 6.2 x 35.2 x 24.4 cm (height x width x depth).

Literature:

Franco Deboni, Venini Glas, Basel 1990, no. 71

Giorgio Nicodemi, Vetri d'Oggi, Milano 1955, p. 22

Helmut Ricke, Eva Schmitt, Italienisches Glas, Munich 1995, p. 73

Marino Barovier, Carlo Scarpa, Milano 1997, p. 276

Exhibition catalogue Carlo Scarpa, Le Stanze del Vetro, Venedig 2012, p. 395

Carlo Scarpa (1906-1978)

Carlo Scarpa left behind a unique and complex body of work in the fields of architecture and design. Born in Venice, Scarpa initially studied architecture at the local Accademia di Belle Arti. His intensive involvement with the medium glass began during the late 1920s when he worked for the Venini glass manufactory. Under Scarpa's influence, the reorientation of Veninin towards modernity took place. In 1932, he was hired as the artistic consultant by Paolo Venini. Until 1947, he worked closely with Venini and created more than two dozen designs for the company. The results of Venini’s and Scarpa's cooperation was presented during the 1930s and 1940s at important exhibitions such as the Milan Triennale and the Venice Biennale. Through Scarpa’s pioneering innovations in the fields of technique, style and colors, he modernized the tradition of glassblowing.

Venini (est. 1925)

Founded in 1925 by Paolo Venini, the company is one of the most famous glass manufacturers today. After studying law Venini initially founded Vetri Vasan Muranesi Cappellin Venini & C. in 1921, in cooperation with Giacomo Cappellin. After disagreements, he reorganized the company and created Venini & C. Embracing Modernism and Paolo Venini moved away from the traditional vases in Novencento style, towards a translucent design with bold stripes, elegant shapes and vibrant colors. In addition to Venini’s own designs, the glass manufactory worked in close cooperation with creative minds like Carlo Scarpa, Tyra Lundgren, Napoleon Martinuzzi, Gio Ponti, Fulvio Bianconi or Tapio Wirkkala. (tm)

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