Italian Crystal Punch Bowl with Lid and Ladle, 1965, Set of 2

Exceptional Italian lead crystal punch bowl; the shape is linear and simple, it has a lid with an opening for housing the long crystal ladle and a silver-plated cast metal knob depicting pomegranate fruit. This particular object was made between 1965 and 1968 by a Florentine craftsman who used a lead crystal mold from Colle di Val D’Elsa (Siena-Italy) and limited himself to applying only the silver metal knob, cast, and chiseled finish, as the punch bowl expresses its great beauty on its own with its brightness, transparency, and brilliance. The high index of refraction has been enhanced by the Master Craftsmen of Colle Val D’Elsa by following old and complex glassmaking techniques in crystal processing: first, after coming out of the furnace in its final shape, the object was cut and ground on a lathe with an emery wheel fed continuously by a jet of abrasive sand and water, then re-polished with a wheel of very fine-grained sandstone also fed with water, then polished through a cork bark wheel wet with a mush of water and pumice, this to make the surfaces more transparent, and lastly the polishing stage which was achieved with a felt wheel wet with a mush of water, iron oxide, and cerium oxide. Crystal craftsmanship originated in the beautiful medieval Tuscan village of Colle Val D’Elsa (Italy) around 1300 from the fortunate abundance of three natural elements found in the area: sand, water, and wood, which were fundamental in giving birth to the first glass-making nucleus. with the new power of machines, the glass industry took off with great momentum in the 19th century. In 1963, after large investments and much experimentation in Colle Val d’Elsa, it was possible to produce glass containing lead oxide in percentages above 24 percent: this was a product that could compete in brilliance and achromaticity with that coming from England, France, and Belgium where the tradition of leaded glass was centuries old. Colle di Val d’Elsa’s numbers are mind-boggling: 95 percent of the national crystal production and 15 percent of the world’s is manufactured here! One of the village’s nicknames is Bohemia of Italy. The punch bowl is in excellent condition. Measures diameter cm.31, height cm.30.