Vintage La Murrina Ca’ Rezzonico–Style Gold‑Infused Opaline Murano Chandelier

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This vintage Murano glass chandelier by La Murrina is a refined, simplified interpretation of the famed Ca’ Rezzonico chandeliers created … Read more This vintage Murano glass chandelier by La Murrina is a refined, simplified interpretation of the famed Ca’ Rezzonico chandeliers created in 18th‑century Venice by master glassmaker Giuseppe Briati. More restrained than the monumental palace pieces of the period, it translates their Baroque drama into a graceful form suited to contemporary interiors.

Exquisitely handcrafted in gold‑infused opaline glass, the chandelier features a central bulbous column from which elegantly curved arms extend, each supporting a bobeche with softly petaled trim. Glass leaves spiral and blossom around the structure, enhanced by scroll stems and rigaree detailing that highlight the technical mastery of Murano craftsmanship. The opaline glass reads as a milky, bluish white with delicate hints of pink, subtly shifting with the light, while the 24‑carat gold dispersed through the glass animates the surface with a warm, luminous glow.

The design directly reflects the Ca’ Rezzonico tradition established by Briati in the mid‑1700s. His chandeliers, created for the Palazzo Ca’ Rezzonico on the Grand Canal, combined blown glass elements, abundant floral ornament and complex armatures to form sculptural compositions that seemed to bloom with light. Today the palace functions as a museum of 18th‑century Venice, still housing Briati’s masterpieces; this La Murrina example distills that heritage into a lighter, more modern profile while preserving its theatrical character.

La Murrina is one of Murano’s most respected glasshouses, known for uniting historical techniques with sophisticated 20th‑century design. Their artisans work in the classic Murano manner, inflating molten glass and then rapidly cutting, pinching, and tooling it to build richly modeled ornament. In this piece, the body and arms are executed in opaline Murano glass enriched with 24‑carat gold leaf, a combination long associated with high‑end Venetian lighting.

Opaline glass is a specialty material, traditionally given its bluish‑white tone by calcium phosphate (bone ash) and its soft, opalescent glow by fluorides. Under changing light, it reveals cloud‑like shifts of color, here beautifully complemented by the concentrated gold accents on the leaves and trims, which heighten the chandelier’s play of light and shadow.

The chandelier is authentically marked, bearing an in‑glass white cane with a stylized lowercase “m” framed by concentric rings, positioned just above the etched factory signature “la murrina” on the glass.

A harmonious fusion of Baroque inspiration and modern elegance, this chandelier reads as a radiant floral sculpture suspended in space. The dialogue between cool opaline and warm gold suggests moonlight and sunlight in balance, creating an atmosphere that is both opulent and ethereal, and making it a compelling focal point for any sophisticated interior.

Dimensions without ceiling cover and chain: H=21 in. W=22 in. D=22 in. 10 lbs. See less