Signed R. Pell Oggetti Murano Art Glass Swirl Pattern Vase. Alternating purple and green with clear glass intermingled, with a smaller bottom and wider round top. Signed on base. Oggetti, an Italian design company, has a history rooted in sourcing and curating unique, high-quality pieces, particularly those inspired by nature and traditional Italian craftsmanship. Founded in 1975, Oggetti initially focused on fine Italian and French furniture, porcelain, and art crafts. Over time, they expanded their offerings to include a broader range of contemporary and organic designs, emphasizing natural materials and a minimalist aesthetic, and include glassworks, textiles, and much more. 

Condition: Small apologies commensurate with use. Overall great. 

Size: 9 1/2 x 12 1/4 in. 

The term “Murano” is most often applied to Venetian glassware made on the island of Murano near the city of Venice. It is made with a soda-lime “metal” and is typically elaborately decorated, with various “hot” glass-forming techniques, as well as gilding, enamel, or engraving. Murano was Europe’s major center for luxury glass from the High Middle Ages through the Italian Renaissance. During the Early Middle Ages, Venice was originally controlled by the Eastern Roman Empire before eventually becoming an independent city state. Its location along the sea coast gave it connections with the Middle East, where glassmaking was more advanced in areas such as Syria and Egypt. Although Venetian glassmaking existed as far back as the 8th Century, it became concentrated in Murano by law beginning in 1291 for a very specific reason:  since glass factories often caught fire, this removed the possibility of a major disaster for the city. Venetian glassmakers developed secret recipes and methods for making glass, and the concentration of Venice’s glassmaking on the island of Murano enabled better control of those secrets. Venice’s dominance in trade along the Mediterranean created a wealthy merchant class with a passion for the arts. The spread of glassmaking throughout Northern Europe, as well as the occupation and dissolution of the Venetian state by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1797, caused the downfall of Murano’s monopoly. Murano glassmaking began a revival in the 1920s, and today the island (along with Venice) is a major tourist attraction, full of glass factories, museums, and individual artists’ studios.

Small apologies commensurate with use. Overall great.