Design Masterworks 
19 May 2016
Design Masterworks 
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Carlo Scarpa

Rare Pennellate vase, model 3788

Venini
Italy, 1942
clear iridized glass with internal brush-stroke decorations 5 h × 5 dia in (13 × 13 cm)
estimate: $50,000–70,000
result: $70,000
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provenance: Private Collection, Paris | Wright, Important Italian Glass, 8 June 2013, Lot 200 | Important Private Collection
literature: Carlo Scarpa: I Vetri di un Architetto, Barovier, ppg. 178-181, 223, 285 illustrate model and technique Carlo Scarpa: Venini 1932-1947, Barovier, ppg. 430, 438 illustrate model and series

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Pennellate

Creative Brushwork

Examples from the Pennellate series illustrated in a photograph from the 1950s. (Photograph courtesy of Marino Barovier)

Carlo Scarpa’s tenure at Venini was a tour-de-force of experimental art glass design. Seamlessly integrating essential shape references from classical antiquity and ancient Chinese art with traditional Murano craftsmanship and modernist art conventions, Scarpa created a diverse body of work with lasting influence. Presented at the Biennale of 1942, Pennellate are among the last pieces designed by Scarpa for Venini. Executed in rich colors against a clear background, they seem to reference the brushwork of abstract painting while also paying homage to the Japanese Sumi-e tradition that Scarpa greatly admired.

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