Murano Sommerso Glass Vase attributed to Seguso for Flavio Poli, Italy, 1970s

Details

Description

This vase, made around 1960 in a Murano furnace, belongs to the heavy, double-layered submerged family: a core of amber … Read more This vase, made around 1960 in a Murano furnace, belongs to the heavy, double-layered submerged family: a core of amber glass (from deep brown to pale honey) completely enveloped by a layer of colorless crystal of extraordinary thickness, up to 18 mm at the points of maximum curvature. The shape is created from a single bubble blown into a ribbed mold, then handcrafted with a central constriction and a three-lobed mouth, shaped while hot using three grips of pliers to create the characteristic wavy, raised edges. The gradual chromatic transition is achieved through sequential immersion and controlled rotation in the crucible, a technique that requires absolute precision in temperature (approximately 1150°C for the color, 1200°C for the cover crystal). The solid base, almost five centimeters thick, is cold-cut and mirror-polished, with a perfectly centered and smooth bridge. The barely visible vertical optical ribs act as cylindrical lenses that break down the light into golden and brown reflections, amplifying the sensation of liquid depth. It weighs just over three kilograms: all the weight is intentional, to anchor to the table a shape that would otherwise seem on the verge of flying. It is a piece that encapsulates the entire history of modern Murano glass: Ercole Barovier's lesson in smooth color, Flavio Poli's structural elegance, Archimede Seguso's purity of line. See less