1940s Italian Intaglio Etched & Enameled Luster Glass “Orchestra” Champagnes, Bohemian - Set of 6

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A private orchestra, rendered in glass. Six musicians — horn, guitar, cello, drum, violin, accordion — each cut into the … Read more A private orchestra, rendered in glass. Six musicians — horn, guitar, cello, drum, violin, accordion — each cut into the vessel by hand in shallow intaglio, the figures perceptible to the fingertip, then finished in black, crimson, and gilt enamel. No two alike. The draftsmanship is pure midcentury Continental wit — slicked pompadours, pointed slippers, a certain insouciance — executed in the Italian taste, though the thin-blown luster glass and etching technique point firmly to Bohemia, whose ateliers were producing Europe’s most sophisticated figural barware at midcentury. The set runs a deliberate ombré: clear, citron, amber, rose, magenta, lilac — an iridescence that reads like oil on water. To find one is charming. To find the complete ensemble, unbroken, seventy years on, is unheard of. For the collector who understands that provenance is nice, but character is everything. See less