Modern Murano Zanfirico Glass Jug Vase attributed to Flavio Poli for the Seguso Glassworks, Italy, 1950

Details

Description

Description of the item:
Wonderful Murano blown glass jug with a transparent and pink zanfirico finish, with a slightly raised … Read more Description of the item:
Wonderful Murano blown glass jug with a transparent and pink zanfirico finish, with a slightly raised spiral ribbed base and a transparent glass handle with aventurine gold leaf inclusions. Unsigned, but attributable to Flavio Poli for the Seguso artistic glassworks, dating from around the second half of the 20th century. There is an adhesive stamp under the base with the name of the shop that sold the object in the past, "Italo Sorrentino goldsmiths, silversmiths, and watchmakers" in Naples.

Useful information for evaluating the object:
The object is unsigned, but the type of zanfirico workmanship, the base, the handle, the shape, and the model of the jug allow us to attribute the authorship of this vase to Flavio Poli, when he worked for the Archimede Seguso glassworks. To confirm this, in our internet research, we found two vases, also made using the zanfirico technique, but with a double band of rods inside the transparent glass to form a lattice, a more valuable technique than our single band, both sold at auction at very high prices, specifically a vase entitled "Bottle shaped vase (c. 1940)", 35.5 centimeters high, attributed to Flavio Poli and made for the Seguso glassworks, listed at €2,000-€2,500 and sold at auction on December 1, 2020, lot number 187, for €7,500 including auction fees. The other vase mentioned is much smaller than ours, only 25 centimeters tall, entitled "Reticello Vase (1948)," lot number 153, also attributed to Flavio Poli for Seguso artistic glassworks, listed at €1,200-1,800 and sold at auction on October 28, 2014 in Paris, France, for €1,600 (including auction fees, the total comes to €2,041). Finally, consider that none of these objects are signed, as is the case with our jug.
(By entering the details of the items we have mentioned into Google, especially the title of the auction or sale listing in the same language we have used, the date, the lot number, and the auction house or name of the sales website, you will, in most cases, be able to find and view the items mentioned).

Final considerations on the object:
The zanfirico glasswork is particularly valuable, one of the most complex techniques to perform, involving the creation of small rods of transparent glass with a thread of glass of various colors inside. These rods vary in thickness, both in terms of the transparent glass and the inner colored glass cord, using different rods depending on the desired result. The rods are joined together using the crucible technique, twisting them together to create a spiral, or crossing them in various ways to create lattices, or arranging them vertically or horizontally, again depending on the desired result.

Information about the artist and/or manufacturer:
Flavio Poli first worked for I.V.A.M. (Industrie Vetraie Artistiche Murano), which merged with Barovier Seguso e Ferro vetri in 1934 and took the name Seguso Vetri d'Arte in 1937. Flavio Poli was the first glass artist to introduce the nude into glass sculptures and is undoubtedly considered one of the most brilliant and original artists in the Italian glass art scene in the first half of the 20th century. In the last photo, we have included additional information on this particular type of technique, known as zanfirico, for those who wish to learn more. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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