Mid-Century Hand-Blown Murano Glass Zanfirico and Reticello Glass Bowl

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Description

From the estate of Pacific Northwest Antique Dealers and Collectors for over 60 years:

This stunning bowl could be an … Read more From the estate of Pacific Northwest Antique Dealers and Collectors for over 60 years:

This stunning bowl could be an exquisite example of either Galliano Ferro's or Paolo Venini's expert glassblowing techniques used in 1950's Murano, Italy. (Both are known for this skilled style of artistry and considered two of the greatest glass designers of twentieth-century.)

This gorgeous bowl is unmarked, but verified by an independent, certified appraiser as Murano. It is also well-documented Murano on various online sites including Chairish and 1stDibs.

Extreme talent went into this bowl's creation with lovely, sparkling green, aqua, pink, red, royal blue and gold zanfirico* twists combined with reticello* white lattice-work. Because each piece is made by hand, no two are alike.

*Zanfirico and *Reticello are two types of high-quality glass filigree work. They are difficult to create and require a particular set of master-class glassblowing skills:

Zanfirico consists of lines of opaque glass turned together while pulling the glass rods creating a spiral inside, then wrapped in a clear cover. Zanfirico (also known as filigrana a retortoli) involves joining the characteristic transparent canes while hot with interwoven threads incorporated into them to obtain a unique glass pattern, which is then worked and blown into the desired shape.

Reticello (Italian for “glass with a small network”) is named for the characteristic mesh texture that can be observed inside. To obtain the a reticello filigree, two cylinders with opposite spirals are blown and opened, and then inserted one inside the other, welding the walls together. This is how the characteristic diamond design is achieved, with a tiny bubble of air trapped at the center of the "lattice." See less