Wright Auction

It is with great pleasure that we present selected works from one of the most important collections of Italian glass ever assembled. Illustrating the extraordinary history of glass making on the island of Murano, the collection includes rare and in many instances unique examples from the most renowned manufacturers, designers and master blowers of the 19th and 20th centuries. With works by MVM Cappellin, Venini, Barovier, Seguso Vetri d’Arte, Vetreria Archimede Seguso, Aureliano Toso and other more obscure but important glassworks, this collection is exceptional in both quality and scope.

Most notably, this private collection reflects a great passion for the work of the Barovier family, from its earliest incarnation as Artisti and Artistica Barovier to the decades of invention at Barovier & Toso under the brilliant direction of Ercole Barovier. With early and exceptional Mosaico and Floreali vases, monumental works of the 1930s and 1940s and rare Tessere Polichrome vases of the 1960s, this sale presents the greatest collection of Barovier ever to come to market.

Over twenty-five years in the making, this collection is a testament to the vision and dedication of the collectors. With a particular focus on glass techniques, a story emerges connecting the rebirth of an industry in the late 19th century with its extraordinary development in the 20th century. It has been an honor to illustrate this story with important works by Vincenzo Moretti, Guiseppe and Benvenuto Barovier, Vittorio Zecchin, Tomaso Buzzi, Carlo Scarpa, Fulvio Bianconi, Thomas Stearns, Archimede Seguso, Dino Martens and many others. It is also important to note that nearly every piece in the collection has been documented in the field’s most important texts, catalogues and exhibition histories including a book devoted solely to this collection