208: ERCOLE BAROVIER, prototype Tessere vase < Important Italian Glass, 13 June 2015 < Auctions

Important Italian Glass

13 June 2015

Important Italian Glass

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208

Ercole Barovier
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prototype Tessere vase

Barovier & Toso
Italy, 1961
polichrome glass tessere 9¾ h × 4¼ dia in (25 × 11 cm)

estimate: $20,000–30,000

result: $69,850

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Incised signature and dated to underside: [Ercole Barovier 1961].
provenance: Jean-Claude and Colette Bester, Paris
literature: Venetian Art Glass: An American Collection 1840-1970, Barovier, pg. 168 illustrates this example Art Glass from Murano: 1910-1970, Heiremans, pg. 61 illustrates this example

Tessere Polichrome

This vase is a unique prototype made in 1961 and was the primary inspiration for many important series to come including Intarsio, Caccia, Athena Cattedrale, Rotellati and others. Unlike the series of the 1950s in which Tessere were arranged in grids in order to express geometric patterning, here they are employed in a more free and abstract manner expressing Ercole Barovier’s evolving aesthetic and the zeitgeist of the 1960s.

Ercole Barovier 1889–1974

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The nearly fifty year tenure of Ercole Barovier as artistic director, designer and owner of Barovier & Toso is unprecedented in the history of Murano glass, and the firm’s success stands as a testament to his singular artistic talent and entrepreneurial genius.

Born in 1889 to a Muranese family that could trace its origins back to the 13th century, Barovier did not train as a glassblower but had a great passion for glass and quickly distinguished himself as an innovative designer. He joined Artisti Barovier in 1919 at the age of thirty and found success designing vases in the mosaic technique. In 1930 he produced the critically acclaimed and award-winning Primavera series, the success of which encouraged him to continue his experiments.

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