CARLO SCARPA (1906-1978)
CARLO SCARPA (1906-1978)

A RARE 'TESSUTO-BATTUTO' VASE, DESIGNED 1938-1940

Details
CARLO SCARPA (1906-1978)
A RARE 'TESSUTO-BATTUTO' VASE, DESIGNED 1938-1940
produced by Venini, model 3900, hand-blown glass
13 in. (33 cm.) high
acid stamp venini murano ITALIA
Literature
Exhibition catalogue, The Italian Metamorphosis, 1943-1968, New York, Guggenheim Museum, October 7, 1994- January 22, 1995, p. 252, fig. 251, for a related vase of this model;
M. Barovier, Carlo Scarpa: Glass of an Architect, Milan, 1998, p. 214, no. 148 for another vase of this model;
Exhibition catalogue, Venetian Glass: the Nancy Olnik and Giorgio Spanu Collection, New York, 2000, p. 83, n. 54 for this model illustrated;
A. Venini Diaz de Santillana, Venini, Catalogue Raisonné 1921-1986, Milan, 2000, p. 212, n. 129 for a highly comparable vase;
M. Barovier, Carlo Scarpa: Venini 1932-1947, exhibition catalogue, Le Stanze del Vetro, Milan, 2012, pp. 261, 267, for other vases of this model and a design drawing, p. 268 for another vase in a similar color combination and period images of another vase of this model;
Venini, blue catalogue, pl. 58, n. 3900.

Lot Essay

The XXI Venice Biennale in 1940 represents arguably the most significant moment in the remarkable journey initiated by Scarpa at Venini in 1932. Some of the most accomplished sculptural objects, many ahead of their time, were exhibited in a room solely dedicated to Scarpa’s creations. Here his poetic vision, his devotion to the material, his ceaseless research and innovation are expressed with pure aesthetic clarity. Visitors were mesmerized by many techniques that are until today a testament to a period of exceptional creativity: murrine opache, tessuti, laccati rossi e neri and incisi to name a few. From the pages of Domus, Gio Ponti urged Italians to recognize the intellectual value of these objects, to collect them, not to consider them just merely as gifts or something fashionable to buy.

The present lot is an exquisite example of that time. The tessuto is the ultimate expression of the curiosity and the modernity of Scarpa’s vessels. The technique is an original interpretation of the ancient filigree glass developed in Murano in the 16th century by which multi-colored rod glass canes are fused together. Scarpa updates this technique giving it a completely modern twist using contemporary juxtaposition of vibrant colors. The example presented here feature also a superb battuto finish which enrich the already sophisticated object.

More from Carlo Scarpa: Visions in Glass 1926-1962 A European Private Collection

View All
View All