Mid-Century Aquamarine and Amber Murano Sommerso Glass Bowl by Cenedese, 1960s

Stunning midcentury aquamarine and amber Murano Glass Bowl. This fantastic piece was designed in Italy during the 1960s and it is attributed to Cenedese. This big bowl weights 2.4 kilograms, is unique as the glass colour is cangiant: from the amber base, it becomes crystal and aquamarine on the external part. The curvy shape is also very maritime, reminding of a precious maritime jewel. A marvellous piece that will brighten a midcentury living room or bedroom. The Sommerso technique was originally developed in the 1930s by Antonio Da Ross. Sommerso (Italian for “sommerso”) is the Murano glass technique of creating two or more layers of contrasting glass without the colors mixing together. It is formed by dipping the tinted glass into different colored molten glass, before blowing the glass into the required shape. The outermost layer is often clear. In the 1950s the Sommerso style became famous throughout the world thanks to the work of Flavio Poli, artistic director of Seguso Vetri d’Arte. Since then there have been many other factories in the Murano region that have made pieces in this style, and as such it is difficult to be certain of the manufacturer without any labels or signatures present. Other well-known manufacturers who have produced Sommerso-style glassware include Mandruzzato, Galliano Ferro, Formia, Oball, Arte Nuova, and Luigi Onesto. Flavio Poli (1900-1984) was an Italian artist, known for his designs in glass. Born in 1900, he was trained at the Istituto d’Arte di Venezia, then began work as a ceramicist. In 1929, he began working for the company “I.V.A.M.” (Industrie Vetraie Artistiche Murano) as a designer of glassware. He was appointed artistic director of Barovier, Seguso & Ferro (later Seguso Vetri d’Arte) in 1934, where he devised a style of ‘submerged’ glass, with several transparent layers, one over the other. Within three years, he was a partner in the company. He left Seguso in 1963. From 1964 to 1966 he led the artistic glass division of the Società Veneziana di Conterie e Cristallerie. Poli died in 1984. A number of his works are in the Murano Glass Museum, the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia, and MoMA in New York.